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  6. Information Regarding Student Route (previously Tier 4) Research Students

Information Regarding Student Route (previously Tier 4) Research Students

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You should also familiarise yourself with the Student Route (previously Tier 4) Engagement Monitoring Policy and the Statement on Engagement as The University has a legal duty to act on non-attendance to meet its requirements in reporting attendance to external sponsors, as well as meeting the sponsorship requirements of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for the monitoring of International students studying in the UK on a Student Route (previously Tier 4) student visa. A centralised electronic system has been developed for monitoring attendance for these purposes.

Issues of Relevance - Student Route (previously Tier 4)
  • If you are a postgraduate research student from outside the European Union, enrolled full-time at the University for a Research Degree, you must read the following information carefully and plan your studies accordingly:
  • If you are a non-EU national who requires a student visa to study in the UK, you must be in full-time study in order to get a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa; It is only possible to study part-time if you qualify for another UK visa status;
  • In order to apply for a Student Route visa (to undertake a new course specifically), you will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University’s Admissions Team;
  • There are four possible enrolment dates each year for a PhD or MPhil (1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October) and your CAS will show your agreed enrolment date;
  • MRes students must check to confirm when their programme commences. MRes programmes may not have as many enrolment dates as a traditional research programme;
  • The UK Visas and Immigration visa rules state that the expiry date of your student visa will be at the end of your maximum candidature plus 4 months, as follows:
    • 4 years plus 4 months for a PhD candidate;
    • 3 years plus 4 months for an MPhil candidate;
    • 2 years plus 4 months for an MRes candidate.
  • The visa rules do not allow you to have a visa for any longer, unless the University extends your candidature;
  • As it can take more than four months after submission of the thesis for you to take a viva exam and make corrections, the University strongly advises you not to wait until the end of the fourth year of candidature before submitting a thesis;
  • If you do submit your thesis at the end of your candidature, you are likely to find that your visa has expired before your degree is formally confirmed, and you may not be able to stay in the UK in order to make a further visa application or take up a job offer.
  • If you have any questions about your visa and other immigration matters, please contact the University’s VISA Advice team.
Applying for a CAS Statement Student Route (previously Tier 4) Graduate Route Visa Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)