How to Check a UK University's Student Sponsor Licence Before You Accept an Offer

TL;DR: Before you accept a UK offer or pay a deposit, check the university's student sponsor licence on the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors. Confirm the exact institution that will issue your CAS is listed for the Student route, note the register's last updated date, and search GOV.UK for any suspension notice. A university with a suspended licence cannot issue new CAS statements, and a visa application already in progress can be refused or put on hold.

On 30 September, the Home Office suspended Buckinghamshire New University's student sponsor licence with immediate effect. The Home Office gave no public reason. It was a reminder that a licence can change between the day you receive an offer and the day you apply for your visa.

You cannot control the Home Office's decisions. You can run a five-minute check on every offer, and repeat it before you pay.

Accepting a UK offer soon and want a second view on the university you have chosen? Check your eligibility with Prosper.

Why the sponsor licence matters to you

Only a licensed student sponsor can issue the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) you need for a UK Student visa. GOV.UK's guidance for students explains what happens when a provider's licence is suspended or revoked:

• If you are not yet in the UK, your visa application will be refused or put on hold, and you will need to find a new licensed provider and apply again, paying the visa fee and the healthcare surcharge again.
• If you are already studying in the UK and the licence is revoked, your permission can be cancelled. You then have 60 days to find a new sponsor and apply for a new visa, or leave the UK.
• During a suspension, current students can usually continue while their permission is valid, but the provider cannot sponsor new students.

A licence problem is rare, but close to an intake it can cost a whole semester.

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How to check a UK university's student sponsor licence

The Home Office publishes the register of licensed sponsors for students on GOV.UK as a spreadsheet. It lists every institution licensed to sponsor students, the routes it may sponsor and its sponsorship rating. Use it like this:

Step 3 is the one most applicants skip. A university brand and the company that holds the licence are not always the same thing. The name on your CAS is the name that matters.

What changed in how universities are measured

The Home Office tightened the basic compliance assessment for student sponsors. From June, universities started submitting under new metrics, and each sponsor will receive a red, amber or green (RAG) rating. ICEF Monitor reports that the bands between ratings are narrow.

You cannot use these ratings yet. UK Visas and Immigration has said individual sponsor RAG ratings will not be published on the register until every sponsor has received its first rating, and then all will be uploaded at the same time. The PIE News reports that this is expected after the final submissions in May next year.

Until then, the register, GOV.UK notices and a clear refund policy are your best checks.

What to do if a licence is suspended after you apply

• Do not pay more fees until the university confirms in writing what happens to your CAS.
• Ask for your deposit position in writing, including the timeline for any refund.
• Keep your documents ready. Your bank evidence, transcripts and English results can usually be reused for a new application, subject to the new university's rules and the dates they must cover.
• Choose a replacement carefully. Run the same five checks on the new university. Our guide to UK student visa refusal covers what you can control in a second application.

For the details of the Buckinghamshire case, see our update on the Buckinghamshire New University sponsor licence suspension.

Applying from Sri Lanka

Tuition deposits paid from Sri Lanka usually move by international bank transfer, which can take several working days to clear. Check the register before you send the transfer, not after, and keep the bank receipt. If you are also paying the immigration health surcharge, wait until the university has issued your CAS and you have checked the sponsor name on it.

FAQ

How do I check if a UK university can sponsor my student visa? Search the register of licensed sponsors: students on GOV.UK for the exact institution name and confirm it is licensed for the Student route.

What happens if my university's sponsor licence is suspended before my visa decision? GOV.UK says your application will be refused or put on hold, and you will need a new licensed provider and a new application.

Can I check a university's RAG rating? Not yet. UK Visas and Immigration will publish ratings for all sponsors at the same time, once every sponsor has received its first rating.

Do I lose my visa fee if the licence is suspended? A new application needs a new visa fee and healthcare surcharge. Ask the university in writing about its deposit refund policy before you pay.

Is a partner college covered by the university's licence? Not always. Check the sponsor name on your CAS and look that name up on the register.

How often is the register updated? The Home Office updates it regularly. Check the last updated date each time you look.

PS: A sponsor licence check takes five minutes and protects months of planning. If you want a counsellor to run these checks on your shortlist with you, check your eligibility with Prosper.

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