How to apply and visa support

Students sitting in front of computers

How to apply

If you are studying on one of our Special Courses for Groups we will contact you directly with a bespoke application form and needs analysis, to make sure your course best meets your needs. Contact the Language Centre team for more information: email [email protected].

If you are applying for our Pre-Sessional English course (including the Pre-Sessional English course for progression to ARU College) our International Admissions team will add this to your existing main course application – you should not need to fill in a separate application form.

Admissions process

Provided you meet the entry requirements for your course – and immigration requirements – our International Admissions team will usually send you a conditional offer.

If your offer is conditional, it means that we still need some documents or payment.

For example:

Our helpful International Admissions team will guide you through this process.

If you are studying on our Pre-Sessional English Course ;(including the Pre-sessional Course for progression to ARU College) face-to-face in Cambridge you may need to take a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved test centre.

Once we have your payment and documents (that meet course requirements), your offer will be made unconditional. We will then process your visa letter.
We may contact you at this stage.

Visas

Pre-sessional course

If you are studying online for the Pre-Sessional Course (including the Pre-sessional Course for progression to ARU College, you will not need a visa for this course.

If you are studying face-to-face (in Cambridge) for the Pre-Sessional Course (including the Pre-sessional Course for progression to ARU College, you will need a Student Visa if you are an international student.

Once your offer has been made unconditional, we’ll send you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement by email. We send it by email so that we have a copy of the letter when you apply for your visa.

CAS statements will normally only be issued three months before the start of your course.

You’ll be offered either a joint or single CAS, (depending on whether we have received all your documents and/or the length of your course).

Applying for a visa

You can apply for a student visa up to three months before the start of your English course, if you have your CAS statement.

We recommend that you book your visa appointment as soon as possible, to avoid any delay in your application..

For more information on applying for a visa, visit our immigration webpage.

Our responsibilities as a visa sponsor

All our international students need a visa or permission to study in the UK. We are therefore a sponsor of student visas.

As a university acting as a sponsor, we have a responsibility to monitor class attendance and report any non-attendance. If you take an English language course, you will be expected to have full attendance (or you will need to supply evidence to support your absence).

You will also need to tell us if there any changes to your course, or your personal details (including address, photo number, etc).

Extending your visa

Our International Student Advice Service can answer your questions about visas and immigration during your English course and throughout your studies at ARU.

If you need to extend your student visa after completing a Pre-Sessional English course, our team will help you with and can send the documents on your behalf.

Visas and immigration can seem complicated – so please don’t hesitate to ask our International Student Support team for help.