International Student Team

Time Limit on Studies

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) limits the time you can spend studying in the UK on a student visa. This includes period of leave granted under a Tier 4 visa, and/or a pre-Tier 4 student visa (hereon in referred to as 'student visa'). This came into force for all Tier 4 applications made on or after 06 April 2012.

In general, you are limited to studying a maximum of five years, if you are studying at undergraduate and/or Masters level. The UKBA allows you more time if:

  • your undergraduate degree course was four or five years long and you want to study a Master's degree, then you have a maximum period of six years;
  • you are studying a specific course: architecture, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and science, law;
  • you are undertaking a PhD/Eng D. (Although the UKBA will not grant you, a further student visa if on completing your PhD/EngD you held a student visa for more than eight years.)

To calculate the time limit, the UKBA counts:

  1. each period of study as a Tier 4 (General) student, at degree level and above; and/or
  2. every period of study as a Student under the pre-Tier 4 rules, at degree level and above; and
  3. all periods of study at degree level and above on a student visa at all UK institutions; and
  4. any Leave to Work Away (and other authorised absences), where you retain your student visa

The UKBA excludes the extra period of leave granted after the course end date and may exclude any period of leave due to 'compelling and compassionate' reasons.

Therefore, these new rules apply to applicants, offer holders, continuing and current students.

Before applying to the University, you must consider time spent on a student visa. Whilst the University may make you an academic offer, if the University knows that you cannot start or complete your studies within the maximum time limit set by the UKBA, it will not issue you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). (You require a CAS to make a Tier 4 visa application.)

UKCISA flow chart

UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) has summarised the time limit in a very clear flowchart. This and more details can be found on their website.

What does this mean at Cambridge?

To help interpret these new rules below are some Cambridge study scenarios that seem achievable within this new time limit.

  1. Studying Tripos, having never held a student visa
  2. Studying an Integrated Masters, having never held a student visa
  3. Studying one or two year Masters, having never held a student visa
  4. Studying a PhD/EngD, having never held a student visa
  5. Studying at Cambridge after completing a course below degree level in the UK (e.g. A levels, HNC, HND, CertHE, DipHE, Foundation Degrees (eg, FdA, FdSc))
  6. Studying a three-year Tripos, after studying at degree level and above for less than two years on a student visa
  7. Progressing to a one-year Masters, after completing a three year undergraduate course (on time), on a student visa
  8. Progressing to a two-year Masters, after completing a three year undergraduate course (on time), on a student visa
  9. Progressing to a one-year Masters, after completing a four year undergraduate course (on time), on a student visa
  10. Progressing to a two-year Masters, after completing a four year undergraduate course (on time), on a student visa
  11. Progressing to PhD/EngD irrespective of time already spent on a student visa
  12. Progressing to a second one-year Masters, if time on student visa is less than four years

(NB For scenarios 6, 8, 10 and 12 the student must complete course on time. The UKBA will not grant further leave to continuing students who need an extension to complete a course if this exceeds the time limit)

Below are some Cambridge study scenarios that do not appear achievable within this new time limit.

  1. Studying a three-year Tripos, after spending more than two years studying at degree level and above on a student visa
  2. Studying a Tripos lasting more than twelve months, after spending four years or more on a student visa
  3. Studying an Integrated Masters lasting more than twelve months, after spending four years or more on a student visa
  4. Studying a Masters course lasting more than twelve months, after spending four years or more on a student visa

If you are a current student, you need to consider the time spent on a student visa to:

  1. Ensure that you complete your studies within the maximum time limit set by the UKBA;
  2. Consider the implications of retaining your student visa whilst on authorised absence (e.g. Leave to Work Away, Intermission), because this time counts as time spent in the UK;
  3. Consider whether you have enough time remaining to allow you to progress on to a new course (whether at Cambridge or elsewhere in the UK);
  4. Ensure that you do not require a further student visa once you have completed your PhD/EngD if you have already held a student visa for more than eight years.