Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
To make a visa application under the Student Route, you need a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) from Bath Spa University.
What is a CAS?
A CAS is an electronic document that confirms that the University is willing to act as your educational sponsor. It contains an important CAS number that you'll need for your student visa application.
When your CAS number is included in your application, it allows the Home Office to access your information electronically. Your CAS will provide your personal details, details about your proposed course of study and any course related fees.
Documents listed on the CAS will need to be included with the visa application in addition to documents that you are required to provide to demonstrate how you meet the financial requirements.
When a CAS is issued, it will be valid for six months and it can be used for one student visa application only.
How do I obtain my CAS letter?
In order to begin the CAS request process, you'll need to have accepted an unconditional offer of study for your main academic course, and/or a pre-sessional English course (if applicable) and paid your deposit.
Once you've paid your deposit, you'll be entered into a system called ‘Enroly/CAS Shield’. The system will send you an email to set up a password and create an account, and from there you can upload all the required documents and add your details.
We'll be notified once you've completed each step. When you've completed the steps within Enroly/CAS Shield, we'll assess the documentation and information, and if all is in order, we'll then issue you your CAS letter.
If we're confident that you meet all the requirements for a student visa application, we’ll be able to issue you a CAS. To ensure you meet all the requirements, please see our student visa webpages for detailed guidance.
If you have any further questions about this process, please email internationaladmissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Once you've received an unconditional offer from Bath Spa University and paid your deposit, our system (Enroly/CAS Shield) will ask you to upload a number of documents that are required before a CAS letter can be issued.
Copies of the following documents are required before a CAS can be issued:
- Your passport
- Your educational certificates / qualifications used to gain your offer to study at the University
- Evidence of English language (or exemption of)
- Fully completed application form including statement of purpose
- Evidence that you meet the financial requirement. You’ll need enough money for your course fees, visa fees and enough money to support yourself while in the UK.
If you're a current student or a student returning from a break in your studies and you need to extend your visa, you can request a new CAS letter by completing a CAS Request Form.
Please submit your completed form to immigrationcompliance@bathspa.ac.uk. We will then assess your request and, if possible, issue you with a CAS which you can use to apply for a Student Route visa extension.
Please check the BSU Immigration Advice Service webpage for information on submitting a Student Route visa application.
Important things to note
If your studies are being funded (partially or fully) by a scholarship, international organisation or government, you'll need to inform us when you request your CAS.
Loan letters must state that the loan is offered in one of the following ways:
- provided by the national government;
- provided by the state or regional government;
- provided by a government-sponsored student loan company;
- part of an academic or educational loans scheme.
The University checks financial documents for many of its applicants to satisfy ourselves that your documents are in order to make a successful visa application. While visa refusals are rare, in our experience the majority of visa refusals are due to students providing inappropriate financial documents with their visa application.
The Home Office imposes specific financial requirements for student visa applicants and this is a good chance for us to identify upfront that your financial documents are appropriate for obtaining a successful student visa. We'll notify you if you need to provide us with financial documents when we assess you for a CAS.
If we request any information from you it's important that you supply the appropriate documents as quickly as possible to allow us time to review your documents. Any delay at this stage may cause a delay in the issue of your CAS. The financial documentation you provide to us is stored securely, never passed on to anyone outside the University and is only used for the purposes of conducting the financial document check for assessing you for a CAS.
The issuing of a CAS is at the University's discretion and we reserve the right not to issue a CAS under certain circumstances, including:
- there is insufficient time to make a successful student visa application
- you are unlikely to arrive before the latest course start date
- you have incorrect or insufficient funds to meet the requirements
- if documents submitted are deemed to be fraudulent
- your CAS request is submitted after the latest course start date deadline
- you have exceeded (or will exceed by the end of the course) the maximum time allowed on a student visa.
Please note that receiving a CAS from the University does not guarantee that you will be successful in securing a student visa.
Bath Spa University is not responsible for decisions made by the Home Office and is not liable for refusals and losses incurred.