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Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

A CAS is a very important electronic document that you will need to request before you can apply for your student visa. The CAS is not automatically issued – you must request your CAS via the Online Student Information System (OSIS) and follow several steps before the CAS can be issued.

When to request a CAS

You can request your CAS via OSIS and six months prior to your course start date if you have already:

  • Accepted an unconditional offer for a full-time course at Kingston University.

How to request a CAS

Watch our tutorial: How to request a CAS on OSIS.

Step 1:  Log into OSIS to request your CAS

As part of the CAS request process in OSIS, we will ask you for details on the following:

  • If you are studying or have previously studied on a student visa in the UK
  • If you have had any previous UK visa refusals*
  • If you have any other pending applications with UKVI
  • If your studies are either partially or fully funded by a scholarship, organisation or government

*You must tell us about any previous visa refusals, and upload scanned copies of the refusal notice (or other confirmation) onto OSIS using the instructions outlined below.

Step 2: Upload all supporting documents

  1. Log in to OSIS.
  2. Go to the Your Visa page.
  3. Click Upload supporting documents against your CAS record.

Our CAS team will assess the documents you have uploaded to ensure they meet UKVI requirements. After you have scanned your documents, our CAS team may contact you if they require any additional documents or information, so check your email regularly. You can also track the progress of your CAS request by logging in to OSIS.

You must submit copies of the following documents:  

Financial documents

You must show the full amount needed (first year course fees + £12,006 maintenance funds) held for a consecutive 28-day period. At no time can the funds dip below the total amount required. A bank statement should be printed on the 29th day. Your bank statement closing balance must be no more than 31 days before the date you submit you student visa application.

If using your parents' bank statements, you must include a letter of support from your parents and proof of the relationship (such as a birth certificate). Read the Kingston Guide to bank statements and UKVI Student Route Guidance for detailed information about the financial requirements.
Tuberculosis (TB) certificate If you are resident in any of these listed countries, you'll need to have a TB test from a UKVI-approved TB test centre
ATAS certificate

Students intending to study certain science or engineering degrees will need to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate. You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to nine months before the start date of your course. Find out if you need an ATAS certificate.

Low-risk nationals

Students from one of these countries are classified as a 'low risk national' (LRN) and will not be required to submit supporting documents with their student visa application. However, UKVI may still request to see your supporting documents after you submit your application, so you must ensure you have them.

If you are a low-risk national you must complete and upload to OSIS the low-risk national form (word document).

As a low-risk national you must have access to the required funds for your tuition and maintenance fees but you do not need to provide evidence of this if you complete the LRN form. The following documents are also required where applicable:  

Tuberculosis (TB) certificate If you are resident in any of these listed countries, you'll need to have a TB test from a UKVI-approved TB test centre
ATAS certificate

Students intending to study certain science or engineering degrees will need to apply for a clearance certificate as part of the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate. You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to nine months before the start date of your course. Find out if you need an ATAS certificate.

Step 3: Approve draft CAS

  1. Once your draft CAS is ready, you will receive an email asking you to confirm that your details on the draft CAS are correct.
  2. Go to the Your Visa page on OSIS.
  3. Click View draft CAS against your CAS request record.
  4. Check each section and confirm the information is correct.

Step 4: CAS is issued

After you have approved your draft CAS, and our CAS team has checked your supporting documents, you will receive a copy of your final CAS statement by email (the CAS statement is an 'e-document', so you will not receive a paper copy). Once you receive your final CAS statement, you can apply for your student visa.

Deadline to request a CAS

  • Applying from overseas: Please visit our information for applicants section for up-to-date information. CAS requests can be accepted up to 30 days until the latest course start date. Exceptions: (a) you are able to use a priority fast track visa service and can provide evidence of this, or (b) you have been granted a faculty extension to the latest start date for the course
  • Applying from within the UK: CAS requests can only be accepted if you (a) meet the student visa requirements and (b) can submit your student visa application before 'stage two' enrolment for your course

Scholarships and government loans

  • If your studies are being funded (partially or fully) by a scholarship, international organisation or government, you will need to inform us when you request your CAS (this will be a question on the CAS request form in OSIS)
  • Loan letters must state that the loan is provided by: the national government, the state or regional government, a government-sponsored student loan company, or is part of an academic or educational loans scheme

Pre-payments

You may want to pay some of your tuition fees or halls of residence fees in advance. We can confirm the following pre-payments on your CAS:

  • Up to 100% of your tuition fees
  • Up to £1,334 of your halls of residence fees (you can pay more, but this is the maximum we can confirm on your CAS)
  • We can only include details of your pre-payments on your CAS statement if you make the payment before requesting your CAS (so the prepaid amount will be deducted from the overall financial requirement you need to show in your financial documents)
  • If you make a payment after you request your CAS, we cannot guarantee that those payments will be received and confirmed in time to include in your CAS statement

Using your CAS

You should include a copy of your CAS statement with your student visa application. When you complete your student visa application form, refer to your CAS statement, as the information you state on your visa application form will be checked against the information listed on your CAS statement:

  • 14-digit reference number (known as your CAS number) containing a mixture of letters and numbers
  • Kingston Sponsor Licence Number (SLN)  
  • Start and end dates of your course
  • Title of your course
  • Tuition fees for first year of your course (if your CAS has been issued for an extension at Kingston, the "first year of study" means the first year of this new period)
  • Tuition fees you have already paid to Kingston University
  • Accommodation fees you have already paid to Kingston University (up to £1,334)
  • Academic qualifications we used to make you an offer to study at Kingston University
  • Assessment of your English language ability, including any formal qualifications
  • Confirmation of any previous study in the UK on a student visa.

Important notice

Issuing a CAS does not guarantee that a student will be successful in securing a student visa. Kingston University is not responsible for any decisions made by the Home Office and will not accept liability for any student failing to obtain a visa and/or for any losses incurred.

Points to help you avoid a visa refusal:

  • A CAS is only valid for six months from the date it is issued.
  • When you make your student visa application you must include all original documents stated on your CAS, where required (low-risk nationals do not need to submit original documents). Failure to do so could result in a visa refusal.
  • If you are applying for your student visa from inside the UK your course must start within 28 days of your current visa expiry date.
  • If your current visa is due to expire soon or has expired then you should contact the CAS team urgently

The issuing of a CAS is at the University's discretion and Kingston University reserves the right not to issue a CAS under certain circumstances. This includes:

  • insufficient time to make a successful student visa application
  • unlikely to arrive before the latest course start date
  • incorrect or insufficient funds to meet the requirements
  • not have the required maintenance funds
  • if documents submitted are deemed to be fraudulent
  • CAS request is submitted after the latest course start date deadline
  • student has exceeded (or will exceed by the end of their course) the maximum time allowed on a student visa.