This would normally represent academic progression and in most cases no extra justification is required. This is likely when you are:

• moving from A-level study to an undergraduate course at university;
• moving from a foundation/pathway course to an undergraduate course at university; 
• moving from an undergraduate course to a taught postgraduate programme;
• moving from an undergraduate or postgraduate taught course to a PhD programme.

You must have completed your previous course and achieved the qualification for which you were studying in order to be eligible to apply in the UK. If some of your course results are not yet finalised, you may still be able to apply in the UK provided you are deemed to be highly likely to successfully complete the course. We would often state this on your CAS but if you are coming from another institution, we would need to see a letter from them first.

If you wish to apply in the UK, there must be no more than 28 days between your current visa end date and your new course start date.

If your new course is at the same level as the previous course, it may exceptionally be considered to represent academic progression provided at least one of the below requirements is met:

• the new course relates to your previous course (it is either connected to the previous course, part of the same subject group, or involves deeper specialisation); or
• your previous and new course combined support your career aspirations.

As part of the admission application process and prior to being issued a CAS, you will be asked to provide a written progression statement to demonstrate how the new course you have applied for represents academic progression. The personal statement would need to include:

• Your reasons for studying another course at the same level and for choosing Bristol and that particular course
• What your career aspirations are and how both courses will help you achieve them
• How the new course is similar to the previous course and how it is different
• Whether your previous course is successfully completed (you achieved the qualification for which your last visa was granted), or currently in progress, or not successfully completed (e.g. you withdrew from the course or you left early and were awarded a different qualification). If you did not complete your previous course, please give details
• Where you intend to apply for a Student visa

You will also need to send copies of all your UK visas and previous CAS with your statement. Please note if you are not able to provide these documents and we feel we need more information to accurately assess your application we may ask your permission to contact UKVI to confirm your previous immigration history.

This information will be assessed and if progression is deemed to be justified and you meet the entry requirements for your course and are subsequently made an offer of study, you may be issued with a CAS in order to apply for a Student visa. Please note that if UKVI decide to invite you for a credibility interview as part of the application process, they may question why you wish to study two courses at the same level.

You must have completed your previous course and achieved the qualification for which you were studying in order to be eligible to apply in the UK. If some of your course results are not yet finalised, you may still be able to apply in the UK provided you are deemed to be highly likely to successfully complete the course. We would normally state this on your CAS but if you are coming from another institution, we would need to see a letter from them first.

If you wish to apply in the UK, there must be no more than 28 days between your current visa end date and your new course start date.

If you are doing two courses back to back, e.g. starting a Master’s course in September while still being registered on your previous Master’s course, we strongly suggest that you wait until at least one month before the end date of your current course to make your visa application. This is because it is important that you continue holding the correct visa for the course on which you are registered.

To demonstrate academic progression, the new course must normally be above the level of the previous course for which you were given Student or Tier 4 student leave. A course at a lower level does not meet the academic progression requirements. It is unlikely that we will be able to offer a CAS supporting a course at a lower level, however in exceptional circumstances we may consider issuing a CAS for a visa application overseas as you would not be eligible to apply in the UK.

If you still wish to be considered for a CAS, as part of the admission application process you will be asked to provide a written progression statement to demonstrate how the new course you have applied for represents academic progression. The personal statement would need to include:

• Your reasons for studying a course at a lower level and for choosing Bristol and that particular course
• What your career aspirations are and how both courses will help you achieve them
• How the new course is similar to the previous course and how is it different?
• Whether your previous course is successfully completed (you achieved the qualification for which your last visa was granted), or currently in progress, or not successfully completed (for example you withdrew from the course or you left early and were awarded a different qualification). If you did not complete your previous course, please give details
• Where you intend to apply for a Student visa

You would also need to send copies of all your UK visas and previous CAS with your statement. Please note if you are not able to provide these documents and we feel we need more information to accurately assess your application we may ask your permission to contact UKVI to confirm your previous immigration history.

This information will be assessed and if progression is deemed to be justified and you meet the entry requirements for your course and are subsequently made an offer of study, you may be issued with a CAS in order to apply for a Student visa. You would be required to leave the UK in order to apply for a Student visa. It is likely that UKVI will invite you for a credibility interview as part of the application process as they may question why you wish to study a course that is at a lower level than your previous qualification.

To be eligible to apply for your visa inside the UK, you must have successfully completed the course for which you were last granted Student or Tier 4 student leave or, if you were permitted to change courses with the same sponsor, the course you changed to. In addition to that, your new course cannot be at a lower level than your previous one. There are several exceptions to the successful completion rule, listed below:

• You are applying for a visa to re-sit an examination, repeat a module or take a supplementary year, or you have previously re-sat examinations, repeated modules or taken a supplementary year and require leave to remain to complete your course;
• You are applying for a new visa to progress from a Bachelor’s to Master’s level course as part of an integrated Master’s course, or a Master’s to PhD level course as part of an integrated Master’s and PhD programme. Please see our information about Transferring your course;
• You are applying for further leave to complete the PhD or other doctoral qualification for which you were last given Student/Tier 4 student leave (including where you are completing the qualification at a new University). Please see our infomation about Extending your studies;
• You are applying to extend your leave in order to undertake a study abroad programme or work placement or you have previously completed a study abroad programme or work placement and require leave to remain to complete your course. Please see our information about Transferring your course;
• You are a Child Student/Tier 4 (Child) Student;  
• You are applying for a visa to pursue an intercalating course as part of your medical, dental or veterinary science degree, or you are returning to your original course having completed your intercalated course;
• You are applying for a Student visa to undertake a role as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer, or to complete the qualification for which you were last given Tier 4/Student leave after a period as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer;
• You are applying as a postgraduate doctor or dentist on a recognised Foundation Programme;
• You are making a first application to complete an existing course that was commenced at a Student/Tier 4 visa Sponsor institute that had its licence revoked.

If you are not sure whether or not you meet any of the above requirements, or you hold a non-Tier 4/Student visa, please contact us so that we can advise. Should you need to leave the UK to make a visa application, it is important to do so in good time as you would have to allow enough time to apply for and obtain your visa overseas.