UK Student Visa Work Hours: What 20 Hours a Week Allows

TL;DR: On a UK student visa at degree level or above, you can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time in official vacations. Below degree level, the limit is 10 hours. A week runs Monday to Sunday, unpaid work counts, and some jobs are not allowed at all, including self-employment. Master's students have fewer vacation weeks than most expect, because the summer dissertation counts as term time.

Part-time work is one of the first things students ask about, and one of the easiest rules to break by accident. Whether you apply from Sri Lanka or anywhere else, UK student visa work hours follow the same rules, and your visa itself states how many hours you may work.

The limit matters because breaking it can put your visa, and future UK applications, at risk. Knowing exactly what counts makes it easy to stay inside it.

Planning to study in the UK and wondering how part-time work fits your budget? Check your eligibility with Prosper.

How many hours you can work

The limit depends on your course level. For a student at a university or other higher education provider with a track record:

Your visa shows whether you can work and the weekly limit that applies to you. Check it when it arrives and follow that figure.

Want a view on how much of your living costs part-time work can realistically cover?

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What counts toward the 20 hours

A few details catch students out:

• The week is fixed. UK Visas and Immigration defines a week as Monday to Sunday. You cannot average hours across two weeks.
• All jobs add up. If you have two part-time jobs, the total must stay within the limit.
• Unpaid work counts. Unpaid employment and most voluntary roles count toward your hours. Only true volunteering, with no contract and nothing beyond reasonable expenses, sits outside the limit.
• Course placements are separate. A work placement that is assessed and an integral part of your course does not count toward the weekly limit.

Vacations are shorter for master's students

This is the rule most master's students misread. Full-time work is allowed only in your university's official vacations.

For undergraduates, that usually includes a long summer break. For a one-year taught master's, the official vacations are usually only the Christmas and Easter breaks. The summer months are spent on your dissertation, so your university treats them as term time, and the 20-hour limit still applies.

Check your university's published term dates before you agree to extra summer shifts.

Work that is not allowed

Even within your hours, some work is off limits on a student visa:

• Self-employment or running a business, including gig work and work for your own clients
• A permanent full-time job
• Work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
• Work as an entertainer

A permanent part-time job is fine, as long as the hours stay within your limit.

After your course ends

Once the course end date on your CAS has passed, you may work full time until your visa expires, but you still cannot take a permanent full-time job on that visa. To keep working longer, you would need a different visa, such as the Graduate visa. Our guide to the UK Graduate Route explains what it allows.

Do not count on work to fund your visa

Part-time earnings cannot replace the funds you must show for your visa. The Home Office checks that the full amount sits in your account before you apply. See our guide to the UK student visa cost for what you must pay and show. We tell every student the same thing: treat work as help with day-to-day costs once you are settled, never as the plan that pays for the degree.

Applying from Sri Lanka

• Build your UK budget in pounds. Part-time pay is earned in pounds, while savings brought from a Sri Lankan account move with the exchange rate, so leave a margin.
• The funds you show for the visa, whether in your own or a parent's Sri Lankan bank account, must be in place before you apply, without relying on future UK earnings.

FAQ

How many hours can I work on a UK student visa? Up to 20 hours a week in term time at degree level or above, and up to 10 hours below degree level. You can work full time in official vacations.

Can master's students work full time in summer? Usually not. On a one-year taught master's, the summer is dissertation time and counts as term time, so the 20-hour limit applies.

Does volunteering count toward my hours? Unpaid employment and most voluntary work do. Only true volunteering, with no contract and no payment beyond expenses, does not.

Can I do gig or delivery app work? Not as self-employment. Self-employment, including gig work, is not allowed on a student visa.

Can part-time work count toward the visa funds? No. The funds must already be in your account for 28 days before you apply.

PS: Part-time work helps with living costs, but the plan that matters is the one that gets your visa approved and your course finished. If you want your budget and funds checked before you apply, check your eligibility with Prosper.

Check your eligibility ›