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Short-Term Study Visa UK Guide

If you want to study a short course in the UK without the full Student visa process, the Short-term study visa or a Standard Visitor visa may cover it. This guide covers eligibility, costs, limitations, and how it compares to the full Student visa.

Checked 2 September 20267 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Student & Graduate
Reading time
7 min
Last checked
2 September 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • Short-term study visa: English language courses only, longer than 6 months and up to 11 months.
  • It costs £228, plus £776 Immigration Health Surcharge.
  • Any course of 6 months or less uses a Standard Visitor visa at £135, with no Immigration Health Surcharge.
  • No work permitted. No extensions. No switching. No dependants.
  • No Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies needed — but you need a course acceptance letter.

The Short-term study visa is only for English language courses that last longer than 6 months and up to 11 months. It costs £228. Any other short course, and any course of 6 months or less, uses a Standard Visitor visa at £135. Both are simpler than the full Student visa but carry real restrictions: no work, no extensions, and no switching.

Which Visa Covers a Short Course

GOV.UK splits short study into two visas, and which one you need depends on the course:

  • A course of 6 months or less, in any subject. You apply for a Standard Visitor visa. This also covers a short research programme, study linked to a conference, or short training.
  • An English language course that lasts longer than 6 months and up to 11 months. You apply for the Short-term study visa. The course must be English language only, with no other subjects, at an accredited institution.

If your course is longer than 11 months, or is longer than 6 months and is not an English language course, or you want to work while studying, you need a full Student visa.

On the Short-term study visa you can stay for the length of your course plus 30 days, as long as the whole stay is no more than 11 months.

Requirements

  • Aged 16 or over. Applicants under 18 need permission from a parent or guardian, and travel and accommodation arranged in advance.
  • Acceptance on a course. You need a letter from your UK institution confirming your acceptance on the course, the course name, dates, and cost.
  • Financial evidence. You must show you can pay for your course, support and house yourself without working or claiming public funds, and pay for your return or onward journey. Support from relatives or friends can count. Bank statements from the last 3 to 6 months are typically expected.
  • Intention to leave. You must prove you will leave the UK when your course finishes. Evidence of ties to your home country (job, property, family) helps.
  • Tuberculosis test. Required if you are from a listed country and applying for the Short-term study visa.

Unlike the full Student visa, you do not need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, do not need an approved English language test, and do not need to meet the set monthly maintenance amounts.

Costs

  • Short-term study visa, English language course of 6 to 11 months: £228, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £776 for a course of this length
  • Standard Visitor visa, course of 6 months or less: £135, with no Immigration Health Surcharge

Both are cheaper than a full Student visa, which costs £558 plus £776 a year of Immigration Health Surcharge. See our visa fees guide for a comparison.

Restrictions

The Short-Term Study visa has several important restrictions:

  • No work. You cannot work in any capacity, including volunteering in a work-like role.
  • No extension. The visa cannot be extended. You must leave when it expires.
  • No switching, and no change of course. You cannot switch to another visa category from inside the UK, and GOV.UK says you cannot change your course while you are here. To continue studying you must return home and apply for a full Student visa.
  • No dependants. You cannot bring family members on this visa.
  • NHS access depends on which visa you hold. On the Short-term study visa you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, so you can use the NHS. On a Standard Visitor visa you do not pay it and are not covered in the same way, so travel insurance matters.

Short-Term Study vs Full Student Visa

  • Cost: £228 plus £776 Immigration Health Surcharge, against £558 plus £776 a year for the Student visa.
  • Flexibility: the Student visa allows work, extension, switching, and dependants. The Short-term study visa allows none of these.
  • Process: the Short-term study visa is simpler: no Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, no approved English test, no set maintenance amounts.
  • Duration: the Short-term study visa is capped at 11 months, including the extra 30 days. The Student visa covers the length of the course.

If you are studying a degree, or any course over 6 months other than an English language course, you need the full Student visa. For more on document preparation, see our documents checklist.

How to Apply

  1. Complete the online application on GOV.UK. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.
  2. Pay the visa fee of £228 and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
  3. Book and attend a biometric appointment at a visa application centre.
  4. Submit your documents (acceptance letter, financial evidence, travel plans).
  5. Wait for a decision. GOV.UK says this usually takes 3 weeks. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

Next Steps

Related guides:

Questions and answers

What is a Short-Term Study visa?

The Short-term study visa is for an English language course that lasts longer than 6 months and up to 11 months. It is separate from the full Student visa and has fewer requirements but also fewer rights. For a course of 6 months or less, in any subject, you use a Standard Visitor visa instead.

Can I work on a Short-Term Study visa?

No. GOV.UK says you cannot work or carry out any business on a Short-term study visa. This includes paid and unpaid work, work experience, and work placements. If you need to work while studying, you need a full Student visa.

How much does a Short-Term Study visa cost?

The Short-term study visa costs £228, and you also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £776 for a course of this length. A course of 6 months or less uses a Standard Visitor visa instead, which costs £135 with no Immigration Health Surcharge.

Can I extend a Short-Term Study visa?

No. GOV.UK says the Short-term study visa cannot be extended and you cannot change your course while you are in the UK. You cannot switch to a full Student visa or any other visa from inside the UK. You must leave the UK when your visa expires.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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