Extending your studies

You can only extend your Student visa within the UK if you are:

  • a PhD student;
  • re-sitting an exam or have previously re-sat an exam;
  • adding a work placement or study abroad.  Please see Adding a work placement or study abroad webpage for further information;
  • upgrading on an integrated course, e.g. from an integrated BEng to MEng, or integrated MPhil to PhD. Please see Transfer your course information for full details about upgrading;
  • repeating a module/year of study or have previously repeated a module/year of study.  
    • If you are offered a supplementary year, please be aware that you must be taking at least one unit in each teaching block and that unit must be: 

    1. the unit that was previously failed; or  

    2. if that unit is no longer offered, an appropriate replacement unit for the original unit

    If you have a teaching block where you are not required to take any modules, the University is required to notify the UKVI as you will not be studying for more than 60 days. This means that the UKVI will cancel your visa and you will have to leave the UK. Please read the Student Visas information about Exams Only status.  Please also see Supplementary year webpage for further information.

When to apply

If you are applying inside the UK, you must do so before your current visa expires. Speak to a Student Visa Adviser to work out the best time to make your application. 

How to apply

If you are extending studies and need to apply for a new Student visa, you will need a new CAS for the new Student visa application.  Please contact the Student Visa Advisers to request a CAS.  Please also see the information on the Apply for a Student visa webpage for full details on how to apply and documents required.

All students - if you extend your studies please be aware of the following:

  1. Graduate route - your eligibility for the Graduate route visa could be affected by extending your studies.  To be eligible to apply for the Graduate route visa students must apply within the UK whilst holding a valid Student visa having been successfully awarded an eligible qualification at Exam Board. Therefore, whether or not you will be eligible will depend on whether or not you can apply for a new Student visa and/or be awarded within your Student visa validity. Please see our website for further information regarding the Graduate route visa    
  2. ATAS - if you currently have an ATAS for your studies and extend your course by more than 3 months and/or need to apply for a new Student visa you will need to apply for a new ATAS certificate. Please see our website for information on how to apply.

Extending your visa for your current course

You may need to extend your visa to complete your studies.

  • Speak to your faculty or school to find out if it is possible to extend your studies.
  • Changes to your student status will affect your immigration status.
  • If the faculty or school are happy for you to continue your studies, you will need to take an extension form and contact us to discuss. 
  • Our advisers will tell you if you are eligible to extend your visa to stay in the UK to complete your studies.
  • The form will confirm you have had immigration advice before extending your studies.
  • EU, EEA and Swiss students: if you started your current course at the University on 1 July 2021 or after, you would need to get a Student Visa Adviser's signature on the extension form before it can be processed by the Faculty Office. Please contact student-visas@bristol.ac.uk. If you started your current course or, if you transferred, a course you transferred from, before 1 July 2021, it is assumed that you hold a status under the EU Settlement Scheme. You would therefore not need to get a Student Visa Adviser's signature on the extension form before it can be processed by the Faculty Office. Please refer to our Brexit webpage for information on how to maintain your status under the EUSS and continue to be eligible to live and study in the UK. You are welcome to contact us for advice if you have any doubts. 

PGR Students

This section covers information specific to postgraduate research students extending their submission date and requesting extra visa time. 

Extending your visa for a new course

To be eligible to apply in the UK you must meet the UKVI Academic Progression requirements. Please visit our Academic Progression webpage for further information. 

 

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