Repeating part of your course with a student visa

Your Student visa should cover the duration of your course and include an additional post-study period. This allows you to complete your studies and receive results before your visa expires. However, if the end date of your course changes (for instance, due to referrals, deferrals, or an interruption of studies), this may impact your Student visa and it may also affect your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa.

If you cannot complete your course before your visa expires, seeking advice on your options is important. Remember that student visa extensions are not always possible, so it's crucial to speak with Student Advice well before your visa expiry date. Make sure you are clear about your academic situation, including what needs to be retaken, when it needs to be done, and whether you are required to attend classes as part of the retake. If you need clarification on the academic requirements, seek guidance from the Student Centre.

It is very important to take action before your Student visa expires by either submitting a valid visa application, if eligible, or leaving the UK to avoid overstaying, as this has legal consequences.

Extending your Student visa

Here are some rules you need to know about:

  • A new CAS is mandatory for any Student visa application, including when extending your existing visa. You cannot re-use your old CAS for which your previous Student visa was granted.
  • A CAS can only be issued to cover a period of mandatory timetabled attendance.
  • It is your responsibility to request a CAS well in advance of your visa expiry date; a new CAS will not be given to you automatically, and late requests may not be processed.
  • The CAS request form must be sent to the Student Centre
  • You must meet the requirements for the Student visa again when applying for an extension (this may include meeting the financial requirement)
  • In some cases, students may not be eligible for a new CAS.
  • If you are refused a CAS, you should seek advice about your options to complete your studies.
  • Not everyone can submit their next Student visa application in the UK; sometimes, it is required that you apply again from your home country.
  • If you are unable to resume your attendance for some time (for example, you have a semester or a year during which you have no timetabled attendance), your current Student Visa is likely to be curtailed (cut short).

Consider the general scenarios below and contact Student Advice for guidance on your situation if needed.

I am an undergraduate student

As long as you complete your resits successfully and progress to the next level of your course after the summer, your Student visa will not be affected. If you cannot progress to the next level of your course after the summer, please see the relevant scenarios for module repeaters below.

As long as you complete your resits successfully and receive your final results and award before your current visa expires, your Student visa will not be affected. If you do not pass your resits and your study duration is extended, please see the relevant scenarios for module repeaters below.

If you failed a module and need to retake it with attendance, but your student visa is still valid for another year or two, you will generally need to extend your student visa at a later point within the last three months before it expires.

If, due to your repeat, you have a semester without classes to attend, your current visa is likely to be cancelled during the time when you have no attendance. In such a case, you would need to leave the UK and apply for a new visa to return to the UK once attendance resumes.

Example 1

Tomas failed a couple of modules in level 4 (first year) and was told he needed to repeat the modules with attendance before progressing to level 5. The modules run in semesters 1 and 2, so Tomas spends an extra year clearing the modules. He then moves to level 5. At the end of level 5, his visa is about to expire – he must request a CAS within the last three months of his visa and apply for a visa extension for his final year.

Example 2

Anna failed a couple of modules in level 4 (first year). She needs to repeat the modules before being able to start her second year. The modules run only in semester 1, and she has no timetabled teaching in semester 2. Her visa will likely be reported and cancelled in semester 2. She will travel home, request a new CAS and apply for a new visa to return to the UK in September for the start of her second year.

If you failed a module in your final year and need to retake it with attendance (meaning that you have classes to attend after your visa expires), you will need to request a new CAS to extend your Student visa. You may need to leave the UK and apply for the extension from your home country if your classes don’t run in semester 1. Speak to Student Advice for further guidance on your options and your future eligibility for the Graduate Route visa.
 

If you have a semester or a year to retake as ‘assessment only’ (without any timetabled classes taking place), you will not be able to extend your Student visa for that period. You should organise to leave the UK before your visa expires. Speak to Student Advice to understand how this impacts your Graduate Route visa eligibility.
 

If you have timetabled attendance during your retake, you may be able to receive a CAS, which covers the semesters that you are required to attend. However, if your current Student visa already covers the period that you are required to attend your repeat module, your CAS request may be denied. The Visa Compliance team will be able to assess your individual circumstances – submit a CAS request for a decision on whether you can obtain a CAS for your repeat module.

Please note – if you have not been attending any timetabled classes in the semester before your module repeat starts, you will normally be asked to apply for a further grant of the Student visa from your home country (and not from the UK). For more information, see the below section: I am unable to resume my course for some time.

There is a maximum amount of time that an undergraduate student can study in the UK on a Student visa: the time limit is currently five years, although there are some exceptions. If this is not your first undergraduate course with a Student visa, or if you already extended your Student visa in the past, please visit our Student visa eligibility page to read more about time limits on study. Postgraduate courses are not currently subject to a time limit.

It is important to note that an extension to your Student visa does not in itself guarantee eligibility for the Graduate Route visa. To apply for this visa, you must meet all the eligibility requirements, including completing your repeat modules and receiving your final results before your new visa/ visa extension expires.

A CAS will not be issued to cover times when you do not have any timetabled attendance, for example, when you are preparing to resubmit outstanding assessments, writing up your dissertation, or if you have a period of non-attendance before your exam resits. If there is no timetabled attendance, the Visa Compliance team is not able to issue a CAS.

If you are a PhD student, the rules are different. Submit a CAS request for a decision on whether you can obtain a CAS for any extended write-up periods.

If you are not making another immigration application, you must leave the UK before your Student visa expires. You may be able to complete your course from overseas or return to the UK on a Standard Visitor visa if you have exams to sit.

If you have a valid Student visa but you are not attending your course for some time, for example, you interrupted your course, have gaps in timetabled attendance or have deferrals/referrals to complete, Student visa sponsorship may be withdrawn by the University, which is then reported to the Home Office. This may lead to your Student visa being curtailed/cancelled. Please see a later section on what to do if your visa is reported for non-attendance.

If you have not been in timetabled attendance for more than sixty days, you will normally be expected to leave the UK when you are not attending and before your curtailed/cancelled visa expires. In order to return to your studies once attendance resumes, you will need to request a new CAS (subject to eligibility) and apply for a new Student visa from your home country.

The University may require evidence that you have returned home before issuing a new CAS for a Student Visa. Always seek advice if you will not be attending timetabled classes for a period of time.

Here are some examples of when this scenario may apply to you:

  • You deferred your modules and have no classes to attend for a period of time.
  • You are a module retriever, but you only have timetabled attendance in semester one, and your student visa continues past semester one.
  • You have to repeat a module in semester two, but you have no attendance in semester one.
  • You have interrupted your studies.
  • You are waiting for the outcome of an academic appeal.

If the University has reported you or will be reporting you to the Home Office, please make an appointment with Student Advice to discuss your options. If you leave the UK in the time between the University reporting you and your Student visa being curtailed or expiring, you should not expect that you can return to the UK on your current Student visa.

If you defer your modules with attendance and require more time on your Student visa to complete your course, you will normally need to request a new CAS, and you may be asked by the Visa Compliance team to apply for a new Student visa from outside the UK.

If as a result of deferring your modules, you have no timetabled attendance for over sixty days during term time, the sponsorship of your current Student visa may be withdrawn, which may result in your visa being curtailed (cut short). If you then have timetabled attendance on your deferred modules, you will need to obtain a new CAS and apply for a new Student visa from your home country in order to return to your course.

Please note: if you defer your dissertation module, you will not normally be able to receive a CAS which covers the dissertation write-up period. This is likely to affect your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa.

As you will not have timetabled attendance as a result of deferring your assessments, you will not be able to receive a new CAS and extend your Student visa for the period of your assessments. If your Student visa expires before the assessments take place, you may need to consider if you can complete your course remotely or whether you need to return to the UK on a Standard Visitor visa to take any exams.

If your award is not confirmed before your Student visa expires, you will unfortunately not become eligible for the Graduate Route visa.

I am a Master’s degree student

If you no longer have any classes to attend, you cannot extend your Student visa for the repeat dissertation period. You should leave the UK before your visa expires and organise to complete your submissions remotely. Speak to Student Advice to understand how this impacts your Graduate Route visa eligibility.

If you have mandatory attendance as a part of the module, submit a CAS request to see if you are eligible for a visa extension.

If you are retaking modules with timetabled attendance and the classes take place after your visa expires, you are likely to be eligible for a new CAS to extend your visa.

If your classes end before your visa expires, you will normally not be able to extend your visa.

If you are eligible for a CAS, you may be asked to leave the UK and apply for your Student visa from overseas. This will be the case if you had no attendance in the semester preceding your module repeat or if you have deferrals only.

Example 1

Tomas started his course in September 2024. His course ends in September 2025. However, he now needs to repeat a module in semester 1, starting in September 2025. As his visa is valid until January 2026, it still covers the repeat semester, and he won’t be able to extend his visa.

Example 2

Anna is studying the same course as Tomas, but her repeat is in semester 2, from January 2026. Her visa doesn’t cover the repeat, so she will need a new CAS to apply for a visa. However, because she doesn’t have any classes in semester 1 of the academic year when she’s repeating, she will need to apply for her new visa from outside the UK. This is due to the gap in attendance.

Example 3

Raj is studying the same course, but he has modules to retake in semester one and semester 2. His visa doesn’t cover semester two, and he doesn’t have any semesters without attendance. He will need to request a CAS and will be able to apply for a visa extension in the UK.

Unfortunately, a CAS cannot be issued for a period when attendance is not required. If you have assessments only, you will not be able to get a CAS to extend your visa. You should leave the UK before your visa expires and organise your submissions from overseas.

If you have resits for which you need to be in the UK, or if you wish to attend your Graduation ceremony, you may be able to apply for a Standard Visitor visa instead. You can only apply for this visa from outside the UK. You should obtain a letter supporting your application from the University. Please contact the Student Centre to request this.

I am a Doctoral student

If you need more time to complete your course, please speak to the Graduate School for academic advice and submit a CAS request form to decide whether you can obtain a new CAS for any extended wrap-up periods.
 

I received a new CAS – what happens next?

Once you receive a new CAS, it is your responsibility to apply for your Student visa. However, we are here to help you if you need any advice or assistance.

If you are applying after a semester or a year without timetabled attendance, you will normally be required to apply for your Student visa outside the UK.

If you are eligible to extend your Student visa in the UK, please make sure you submit your application before your current Student visa expires.

Please make sure that you have your documents ready and that you meet the financial requirement.

Your new Student visa should be valid until the CAS end date and an additional period of the same duration as with your previous visa. 

Normally, this will be an additional four months, although it will be shorter if your original course was under twelve months long. If you spot any errors on your visa, do discuss this with Student Advice.

What to do if your Student visa has been reported to the Home Office due to non-attendance

When you have an extended period of non-attendance during term time, including when you interrupt your studies or have a semester without timetabled attendance, the Visa Compliance team will normally withdraw the sponsorship of your Student visa.

Withdrawing the sponsorship means that the University informs the Home Office that you are no longer in attendance and, as a result, the Home Office is likely to curtail (cut short) your visa.

If this is the case, you will receive an email from the Visa Compliance team informing you that the sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn. Following this, your visa is likely to be curtailed to sixty days (leaving you with sixty days to leave the UK or seek advice on how you can remain in the UK if you cannot leave). The Home Office will normally notify you via email or letter when they curtail your visa. However, you should not wait for this notification before taking further action. Instead, you should seek further advice on your options as soon as you are informed of the withdrawal of sponsorship by the University. Otherwise, you may unintentionally overstay your visa and there may be further complications.

If Visa Compliance withdraws the sponsorship of your visa whilst you are overseas, you should not attempt travelling back to the UK with your Student visa as you may be denied entry.

Please get in touch with Student Advice if the sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn. We offer online appointments, so you can also speak to us if you are overseas.