Frequently asked questions

Applications can be made via the international application form or through our in-country representatives. Undergraduate applications can also be made via UCAS.

The admissions team will be in contact as soon as possible but some offers can take longer if we require more information in order to make a decision. You will be contacted via email as soon as an update is available.

You can request to change your course after being issued with an offer to study. Please contact international@herts.ac.uk with your ID number and details about the new course you wish to be considered for. The team will review if you meet the entry requirements for this programme and if there are spaces available. Some course change requests may need to be reviewed by an academic tutor, which may lead to delays in receiving an updated offer. You may also be asked to provide additional documents in line with your new course choice.

You can upload supporting documents for your application via the document upload form.

We accept a range of English language qualifications from various countries. Our standard entry requirements can be viewed on our application requirements webpage. Country specific English language tests that we accept will be displayed on our regional guidance webpages.

Some programmes may only accept IELTS for entry. If this applies to the course you are interested in, this will be confirmed on the course page and any offer we provide.

All applicants must prove that they can speak English to a sufficient standard to study their programme. When making a Student Visa application you will need to provide evidence of your English language ability.

We can only waive the English language qualification requirement for students who have previously completed a degree at a UK university.

If you didn't get the IELTS result you need for direct entry onto your degree programme, you may wish to join one of our pre-sessional English programmes. There are different routes available, depending on your current IELTS score and the result you need for your degree course:

• Standard if your course requires an IELTS 6.0
• Higher if your course requires an IELTS 6.5
• Advanced if your course requires an IELTS 7.0

You must hold an offer to study with us and have submitted your current IELTS results before Pre-Sessional English can be offered to you.

Successful completion of the course means that you will not need to take another IELTS exam.

You can request defer your offer to the next available intake by completing the deferral request form.

To withdraw your offer, please email our International Admission Team at  international@herts.ac.uk with your ID number and details of your request.

You can still apply even if you are still waiting to receive your academic or English language results. You will receive a conditional offer outlining what qualifications and grades you will need to achieve in order to meet our entry requirements. Once you have received evidence of obtaining your qualifications you can send them to our Admisisons Team using the document upload form.

We offer online distance learning undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a range of subjects. Studying an online degree means you do not need to travel to the UK and can fit your studies around your personal life commitments.

You would not need a Student Visa to study an online course as you would complete this from your own country. If you are required to travel to the UK occasionally for your course you can apply for a Standard Visitor Visa to study

Find out more about our online courses.

It depends on your course of study.

Your offer letter will tell you if you need to apply for an ATAS certificate. If you do need an ATAS certificate then you must apply for this before you make your Student Visa application as the certificate must be included with your application.

Find out more about ATAS

Yes. Students can study a part-time course with a Student Visa that leads to a Master’s level or above qualification, however, part-time students are not allowed to work (including a work placement) or have dependants in the UK under PBS dependant leave. Students with a current Student Visa studying a full-time course are not allowed to switch to part-time whilst in the UK, they must return to their home country and apply for a new visa.

We have a range of scholarships and discounts available for most of our courses. You need to have an offer to study (either conditional or unconditional) before you can be considered.

Please complete the refund request form and email it to internationalrefunds@herts.ac.uk to start the process of your refund. Once your request has been processed, funds will be returned to the account they came from within 28 days.

Full refunds are issued if your visa is refused or you do not meet the academic or financial conditions of your offer, or if you change your mind within 14 days of accepting your offer. Other circumstance may incur a non-refundable charge.

Additional information regarding refunds can be found on the refunds webpage in our Fees and Finance Policy.

Yes, if you require a CAS you will need to pay a £5000 deposit during the application process. The deposit goes towards your tuition fees.

Read additional information on how to pay your deposit.

We have a range of on-campus accommodation options available. Living on campus comes with a range of benefits including;

• No need for a UK guarantor
• 24/7 support
• Utility bills, wi-fi and contents insurance included
• Option to live with friends
• Dedicated postgraduate area

Read more about our on-campus accommodation and the variety of room choices, including price breakdowns, furniture in each room and how to apply.

We always recommend our students live on campus wherever possible, as you will have easy access to the 24/7 facilities and support networks at the University. However if you are set on living off campus, we recommend you live in the Hatfield area so that you can walk to lectures. If you are looking to live further away from campus, ensure you research commute costs and times and have taken this into account for your cost of living expenses. You must live within a maximum 2 hour commute from campus, and within a 30 mile radius.

Make sure you only book off-campus accommodation with a PAL-accredited property. Read our guide to off-campus accommodation and how to protect yourself from rental fraud to ensure you know the key factors you should be mindful of when setting up off-campus accommodation.

Yes you can. We have open days throughout the year where you will be able to view our facilities and on campus accommodation, as well as having the opportunity to speak to academic staff and students. Please remember to book your space.

If you require a visa to visit our campus, you will need to arrange this yourself. You can check visa requirements on the UK Government website.

Most students entering the UK on a Student visa are permitted to work a maximum 20 hours per week during term time. Your vignette or Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) will tell you how many hours you are allowed to work each week.

If your visa includes the words 'work and any changes must be authorised' then as outlined above you are able to work without seeking any further permission.

Please note that if you are studying on a course classed as below degree level, which includes our International Foundation and English Language courses then you are only permitted to work a maximum of 10 hours per week.

If you have entered the UK on a Student Visitor Visa you are not permitted to work.

Find out more about your right to work in the UK.

Yes, we have two multi-faith spaces on campus. The larger is on College Lane and is called The Key. Everyone is welcome from all faiths and no faith.

Read more about our Chaplaincy Team, local mosques, churches and our prayer spaces.

Yes. We pride ourselves on catering for everyone and have therefore ensured that we offer a wide range of hot and cold items, including Halal options, Gluten-free options, and a variety of vegetarian and vegan options.

Read more about the catering facilities on campus.

Please check the Home Office website to review if you require a visa.

Yes, if your nationality appears on the Visa National List

If you are a national from the EU, EEA, Switzerland or you do not appear on the Visa National List coming to study in the UK for less than 6 months and do not wish to work, you do not need to apply for a visa before you travel.

We do not offer visa support to applicants although we can offer general advice on the application process and have visa guidance materials to help you. Our In Country Representatives can also provide expert guidance.

Direct assistance from the University is only provided to registered students at University of Hertfordshire, who are applying for a renewal or extension of the student visa.

International students won’t require specific vaccinations to travel to the UK (here are the documents needed at boarder control) but we would always recommend that you are up to date with all your vaccinations including your MEN ACWY vaccination and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) at least 2 weeks before you travel to the UK.

Yes. There are various categories under which a student can apply to remain in the UK to work after their studies. See details from the Home Office. Read the Ask Herts page regarding Post Study Work Visas and refer to the UK Government website.

No. A Student Visa ‘ties’ you to study at the institution whose Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) you used to make your visa application. If you want to study at the University of Hertfordshire, you will need to make a new Student Visa application first – even if you have time left on your visa.

As part of your application to the University you will need to provide details of any previous study in the UK on your Immigration History Questionnaire (IHQ). In most situations you should be able to switch although there may be situations where this is not possible if you will exceed your permitted time limit on a Student Visa or you fail to meet the academic progression rules.

If you are making your application from your home country you should apply for your visa as soon as possible, but you cannot apply more than six months before the course start date as stated on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

If you are eligible to apply from the UK, you should normally apply within the last three months of your visa validity. You must submit your new Student Visa application before you register at the University, even if you have time left on your current visa. If you are switching from the Graduate Visa, you must receive your new Student Visa before you can register.

Don’t leave it too late to apply as you will not be permitted to register after the given University deadline for registration, which is stated on your CAS.

The University is not in a position to speed up the processing of your application nor can we influence a positive outcome for your application.

All Student Visa applicants applying from overseas are likely to have an interview. Those applying from within the UK may also have to attend an interview.

The purpose of the interview is to ascertain that a student’s intentions to study in the UK are genuine. During the interview you will also be expected to demonstrate that your English language ability is sufficient to follow your chosen course and level of study. We strongly recommend that you start to do some research in preparation for your interview as early as possible.

Further details can be found on our Credibility Interview page.

Please check the Home Office website. for information about the documents to provide for your Student Visa.

CAS stands for Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.

The CAS is a unique reference number that confirms that the University has agreed to be your Student Sponsor (this is not the same as financial sponsorship) and that we have made you an unconditional offer of a place to study with us, and that you have accepted this.

The CAS will be sent electronically via email.

The CAS is the unique number that you have to include on your Student Visa application. While you are not required to submit the CAS statement with your visa application, you do need the information contained in the CAS statement. Make sure you check it carefully when you receive it.

If you use a CAS issued by the University your visa will only be valid for study at the University of Hertfordshire.

You cannot use a CAS more than once as part of a visa application. A new CAS is required every time you apply for a Student Visa.

If your visa application is refused, do not use the same CAS again, as you will receive another refusal. Send a copy of your full refusal notice to the International Office Compliance Team for advice on what you should do next.

A CAS will only be issued once you have met all academic, non-academic and financial conditions of your offer and you have accepted that offer. Have you returned all of your documents and met all of the conditions attached to your offer?

If you have any queries with your CAS you should contact the International Admissions Team. This includes if you are a current Herts student moving up to a new course, e.g. undergraduate to masters.

If you are a current Herts student staying on the same course, and you need to extend your visa, contact the Student Immigration Team (Advice)

Yes. As part of the application you need to include a UK address. If you have applied for University accommodation but haven’t yet been told which halls of residence you will be staying in you, should enter your main address as University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB.

BRP stands for Biometric Residence Permit. All non-EEA nationals who come to the UK for longer than six months will need a BRP. The BRP is your visa.

The BRP can only be collected after you arrive in the UK.

You will have 10 days after you arrive in the UK to collect your BRP from the location you specified on your visa application form. You will either collect it from the University, or from a local Post Office.

To have your BRP delivered to the University you must request this on your visa application. When applying from overseas you need to enter our Alterative Collection Location code 2HE462 on your Student Visa application. You will be able to collect your BRP during your registration appointment with the University.

If you had your BRP delivered to a Post Office, you must collect it before your registration appointment. The address of the Post Office will be confirmed on the letter you receive.

If you apply for your Student Visa from inside the UK, your BRP will be delivered to the address provided in your application.

Additional guidance regarding BRPs is available on Ask Herts.

If you have dependants accompanying you, they can have their BRP delivered to the University. Please notify us if your dependants have chosen to get their BRP delivered to the University. You (as the main applicant) will need to be with your dependants for them to collect their BRP.

You need to be able to demonstrate that you have enough funds to cover the first year’s tuition fees plus enough money to cover your living costs for nine months. Visit our financial conditions page for further details.

Applicants from some countries will need to take a tuberculosis (TB) test as part of their visa application. The test must be carried out at a Home Office approved clinic. If the test is clear, then you will be given a test certificate to confirm this - make sure you include the test certificate with your visa application. See if you need to take a TB test.

If your test result is not clear, please inform us of this by emailing the International Admissions Team.

The Immigration Health Surcharge must be paid by everyone who applies to come, or extend their stay in the UK, for more than 6 months. Those who pay the Health Surcharge will be able to access the National Health Service (NHS), the same as a permanent UK resident.

It is paid at the same time you make your visa application.

Some people are exempt from paying the charge, for example students who enter the UK on a six-month Standard Visitor Visa to study, however they will need to obtain private health insurance. Further details can be found on our Immigration Health Surcharge Ask Herts page.

Do not submit another visa application without seeking advice from us first, so we can help to reduce the risk of a further refusal. Send in a copy of your full refusal notice to the International Office Compliance Team (with your applicant number) and we will get back to you.

From 1^st August 2022 it is no longer necessary for international students to register with the police.

If you need more time on your visa to repeat your studies, you may have to extend your visa from overseas.  You can only extend your visa in the UK in certain situations – contact the Student Immigration Team (Advice) for more details.

If you have to repeat an exam and/or are not required to attend any classes or lectures for 60 days or more, you must return home until the exam period. You will have to apply for a new visa to return for the exam. Depending on your circumstances it may be more appropriate to return on a Standard Visitor Visa.

If your Student Visa is still valid, you may use it to re-enter the UK to attend your graduation ceremony.

If your Student Visa has expired, you will need to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa from your home country to attend your graduation ceremony.

You should plan to leave the UK or make an application to extend/switch your visa before your visa expiry date. If you stay in the UK after your visa has expired and you have not made a new application, you will be classed as an ‘overstayer’. You will not have legal permission to be in the UK, which means that you will not be allowed to study or work, and you may not be able to access other services, such as healthcare. You will also not be allowed to have a bank account. If you are living in private rented accommodation, your landlord must report this to the Home Office, which may result in action being taken against you.

You are also liable to be removed from the UK by the Home Office.

If you stay in the UK for longer than 30 days after your visa has expired, you will not be allowed to make an application to return to the UK for at least one year after you leave.

Students often wrongly believe there is a ‘14-day grace period’. There is no grace period. Although you are permitted to make an application up to 14 days after your visa has expired, you will still be classed as an ‘overstayer’ with no legal permission to be in the UK until you have received a positive decision about your application.

Once you have left the University you should provide the Student Immigration Team (Compliance) of evidence to show that you either transferred to/studying at a different UK institution, switched to another immigration category or that you have returned to your home country. This will show as evidence to the Home Office that the University is no longer acting as your Student Sponsor.