Applying for a Visa to study at Swansea University

Swansea University asks for a deposit from all (non-EEA) international students as a result of the
Tier 4 visa arrangements. You must pay a £2000 deposit before we can issue your Confirmation
of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Further details can be found below.

As an international student you will probably need a student visa to allow you to study in the UK.
This page explains what documents you will need to obtain your visa under the UK Points Based
Immigration System.

A. When will I receive my Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

number/statement from Swansea University?

We will email you a statement containing your CAS number within 6 months of the start date of the
course and once you have done all of the following:

• Been made an unconditional offer of a place (or have met all of the terms of your
conditional offer);
• Have paid at least £2,000 as a deposit towards your tuition fees (see below for details on
how to pay your deposit).
OR
Have provided us with a letter from your official financial sponsor responsible for paying
your fees and/or your maintenance.
Please note : your financial sponsorship letter must name Swansea University as your
chosen institution and must be from an ‘official financial sponsor’, i.e. Her Majesty’s
Government, your home government, the British Council or an internationally recognised
company, organisation, University or Independent School.
Other types of sponsor will not be accepted by UK Visas and Immigration as evidence of
sponsorship.
OR
Have provided us with confirmation that you have obtained a US Federal Loan.
• Accepted your offer by signing and sending back the acceptance letter;
• Completed and returned your Tier 4 Previous Study Questionnaire;
• Provided the Admissions Office with a photocopy of your passport.

Please note: Once you have followed all of these steps, the Admissions Office will prepare your
CAS statement. A CAS statement will take upto 10 working days following receipt of all the
above mentioned documents. We will e-mail you or your designated agent a copy of your
statement containing your CAS number. You will not need an original copy of the letter.

**Please note that although the CAS is valid for 6 months from date of issue, you cannot
apply for your visa until 3 months prior to the start of the course**

B. What will my CAS statement say?

• Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number;

• Your personal details (full name, nationality, passport number);
• Swansea University’s Sponsor License Number (SLN);
• Details about your course (course name and level, start and end dates, mode of study);
• Finances (tuition fees, the amount of deposit you have paid or the name of your sponsor);
• Details of the documents we saw when we made your offer (you must take the originals
and certified translations of these documents with you when you apply for your visa
because they will be checked by the Entry Clearance Officer);
• Details of any previous study undertaken in the UK;
• ATAS statement (if appropriate), see https://www.gov.uk/academic-technology-approval-
scheme for more details.
C. How can I pay my deposit?

The quickest and easiest way to pay your deposit is online using a debit or credit card (but not
American Express) via the Swansea University Intranet. Please visit:
https://intranet.swan.ac.uk/login

1. Please enter your username and password

• When logging in the first time your username is your student number and the default
password is set to your student number and date of birth.
For example, if your student number is 123456 and date of birth is 1 June 1995, type
username “123456” and password “123456/01/06/1995”
• After logging in you will agree to a data protection, and terms and conditions statement.
• You should then change your password

2. Under Students Profile, please click Financial Transactions

3. Please tick to select a fee category (for example, PG Tuition Fees if you have been
accepted for a postgraduate degree at Swansea. You will choose UG Tuition Fees if you’ve
been made an offer on an undergraduate programme.)
4. Enter the amount you would like to pay (at least £2,000) and when you’re happy to proceed
please click ‘Make Payment’

Ignore the Total

amount outstanding
– this will only be
updated after you
have arrived at
Swansea

5. Please enter your card billing address and card details.

• You can pay with any debit or credit card except American Express
• Please note that payments through credit cards will be charged 1.5% per transaction
• Please make sure the amount is correct before clicking ‘Complete Payment’

6. Confirmation of payment message

Alternatively you can make your payment by wire transfer into Swansea University’s bank
account. Please note that these payments can take between 5 and 10 working days to clear, so
your CAS statement will take longer to prepare. Here are the bank details you will need:

Lloyds Bank PLC, Oxford Street, Swansea

Sort Code: 30-95-46 Account Number: 02783215

Swift Code: LOYDGB21101 IBAN NO: GB64LOYD30954602783215

You must quote your student number when making a payment (the number on the top of
your offer letter) or we may not be able to match your deposit to your application.

If a government or company is paying your fees you should ask them for a letter confirming this
(see section entitled ‘When will I receive my CAS number/statement?’). You would not normally
have to pay a deposit if you are receiving financial support from an official sponsor or from a US
Federal Loan. Unfortunately we do not accept parents or family members as sponsors and these
are not acceptable for visa purposes.

D. How can I apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa?

If you will be applying for your visa from outside the UK please visit
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/isas/immigration/applying-for-a-visa/ for full details of how to submit your
application.

If you will be extending for your visa from inside the UK please visit
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/isas/visa-extension/ for full details on how to submit your visa
application.

If you intend to extend your visa from inside the UK you can make an appointment to see one of
our International Student Advisors who can give you free guidance and advice about your
application and submit your visa application on your behalf.

To make an appointment please visit the Kier Hardy reception, Swansea University, Singleton
Park, Swansea, or telephone on +44 (0) 1792 602000 or send an email to ISAS@swansea.ac.uk.

If you will be applying to bringing dependants to the UK with you please visit
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/isas/immigration/tier4dependants/

E. NHS Surcharge (new for 2015)

Before you submit an application for your Tier 4 visa, you will have to register on the Immigration
Health Surcharge (IHS) website as you may have to pay a fee to enable you to use the National
Health Service (NHS) whilst studying in the UK. It is very important that you do this before you
submit your visa application; if you do not, your visa will not be granted. If you are applying
for a Tier 4 visa for a course of more than 6 months, you will have to register on the IHS website
which will calculate what you have to pay based on the length of your anticipated visa. Payment of
the fee will generate a reference number, which you will have to write on the cover of your visa
application before you submit it. If you are applying for a Tier 4 visa for a course of less than 6
months, you still have to register on IHS website to obtain a reference number, but do not have to
pay the fee as you are not entitled to use the National Health Service (NHS). We would strongly
advise you take out Health Insurance before you come to the UK. You can find further information
about the Immigration Health Surcharge at www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application

The amount you will have to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge is calculated as follows:
you will be charged £150 for each full year of your anticipated visa. If your visa includes part of a
year that is less than 6 months, you will be charged £75 for that period. You will be charged for a
whole year if your visa includes part of a year that is more than 6 months. Note that that the
surcharge is based upon the length of your visa rather than the length of your course, and will be
calculated to include any additional leave granted before the course starts and after the course has
ended. If you have any dependants, they will have to pay the same as you.
F. Credibility Testing

From 30 July 2012, a Tier 4 student applying for a Tier 4 General student visa may be asked to
undertake an interview, either in person, by telephone or by Skype.

If as a result of this interview the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is not satisfied that the
applicant is a genuine student, or the applicant cannot speak English to the required standard your
application may be refused. For full details please the pages marked ‘credibility interviews’ in the
latest Tier 4 Guidance document available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/424190/T4_v31.pdf

If you are asked to attend an interview you may be asked questions about why you want to come
to the UK to study. As a guide only, the following questions are some examples of the questions
you may be asked at an interview:

• Why do you want to study in the UK?

• Why did you choose Swansea University?
• Where is Swansea? What do you know about the University?
• Which other universities did you consider when deciding to study in the UK?
• Why did you choose this course?
• Do you understand the responsibilities of students entering the UK as a Tier 4 student visa
holder?
• How will doing this course help you with your future career plans?
• What do you plan to do after your finish your course?

Our International Student Advisory Service (ISAS) has published additional information relating
credibility interviews on their web pages which can be found at
http://www.swan.ac.uk/isas/immigration/applying-for-a-visa/

G. What if I already have a visa for another University?

If you already have a visa which names a different University, you can still come to Swansea
University once we have sent you a CAS statement. BUT, you will have to apply for a new visa
before you can begin your studies at Swansea.

You will not be able to start your studies at Swansea until you have a new visa which names
Swansea University or you can provide evidence that you have made an application (i.e. a valid
Swansea University CAS statement and an ISAS application receipt, a UK Visas and Immigration
receipt or a biometrics invitation letter).

H. Further advice or information?

More information on applying for a visa under the points based system can be found at
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/isas/immigration/

If you have specific questions, please e-mail the Admissions Office:

Undergraduate enquiries: international.admissions@swansea.ac.uk

Postgraduate enquiries: postgraduate.admissions@swansea.ac.uk