Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

Guidance on obtaining your CAS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS PLANNING TO ENROL

You must meet the following important deadlines:

APPLICATION DEADLINE - can be found here.

You are advised to submit your application in good time to be considered for September enrolment

DEPOSIT DEADLINE - Deposit deadlines are here.

Deposit payments must CLEAR the university’s account by 5 PM (UK Time) on the deadline day. For more information, please visit our Deposit Deadline FAQs

DOCUMENT DEADLINE - 20th August 2025 (POSTGRADUATE ONLY)

This deadline applies to documents required to satisfy your offer conditions and your CAS. You must ensure all documents are submitted by this date. – You can see the offer of your conditions on your offer letter via the apply systems and you can see exactly which documents are required for your CAS when you receive your CAS Shield invite (see below for more information).

If the above deadlines are missed, your application will be deferred to the next available intake. You are responsible for ensuring you have taken all of the above steps in time.

What is a CAS?

International students applying for a Student Route visa will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number. This number confirms to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that you have been accepted to study at a valid UK university. We generate a CAS by inputting all the necessary information into the UK Government Sponsor Management System. It is important that the information we input about you and your course is correct as we cannot change it once your CAS number has been generated by the UKVI (though we can add a Sponsor’s Note in exceptional circumstances).

Please note: you do not need to have received your CAS statement before you start preparing for your Student Route visa application. The University’s International@CampusLife team have put together a comprehensive guide to to help and support you with this.

Obtaining your CAS

Steps on obtaining your CAS number/statement from Swansea University

CAS Checklist
1. Complete the CAS Shield application All offer holders will receive an invitation to CAS Shield, an online self-service system that enables you to provide all the necessary information to receive your CAS. Your personal details on CAS Shield will be pre-populated with the information you have provided on your application. Please make sure to check the accuracy of this information. You will be asked to upload documents as part of the CAS Shield process. The information required will depend on your personal circumstances. Do not email documents to us as this will cause delays. All information regarding your CAS should be uploaded to the CAS Shield system. When completing your CAS Shield record, please ensure: You include a CV/Resumé covering all possible gaps in previous study. All English Language tests are within date. Your Pre-CAS Questionnaire in CAS Shield is fully completed, has sufficient information and is written in your own words - the use of AI tools and/or copying directly from other sources is not allowed. Your passport has 6 months validity from the course start date. To help avoid any future delays in obtaining your CAS and Student visa, please ensure you complete all required steps of your CAS application as soon as possible. You must provide all the necessary information and supporting documents by the published deadlines at the top of this page. If you have any queries about your CAS or the CAS Shield process, please use the messaging functionality on CAS Shield as this will allow us to deal with your queries more quickly.
2. Accept an unconditional offer of study If you have been given a conditional offer, you will need to meet the terms of your offer before a CAS can be issued.
3. Pay your deposit/provide sponsor letter All self-funded International students are required to pay a deposit of £4,000 which goes towards your course tuition fees. Details on how to pay can be found below. You must make your deposit payment by the relevant deadline - for more information, please read our Deposit Deadline FAQs. If you have received sponsorship to cover your tuition fees and have been awarded a full scholarship from an external source approved by Swansea University, you will need to provide a financial guarantee letter from your sponsor. Fully sponsored students do not need to pay a deposit. Financial Sponsorship letter: your financial sponsorship letter must name Swansea University as your chosen institution and must be from an ‘official financial sponsor’, i.e. His Majesty’s Government, your home government, the British Council or an internationally recognised company, organisation, University or Independent School. Other types of sponsor, such as family members, will not be accepted by UK Visas and Immigration as evidence of sponsorship. OR you have provided us with confirmation that you have obtained a US Federal Loan. (You would not normally have to pay a deposit if you are receiving financial support from an official sponsor or from a US Federal Loan.)

CAS Checklist

1. Complete the CAS Shield application

All offer holders will receive an invitation to CAS Shield, an online self-service system that enables you to provide all the necessary information to receive your CAS. Your personal details on CAS Shield will be pre-populated with the information you have provided on your application. Please make sure to check the accuracy of this information.

You will be asked to upload documents as part of the CAS Shield process. The information required will depend on your personal circumstances. Do not email documents to us as this will cause delays. All information regarding your CAS should be uploaded to the CAS Shield system.

When completing your CAS Shield record, please ensure:

You include a CV/Resumé covering all possible gaps in previous study.
All English Language tests are within date.
Your Pre-CAS Questionnaire in CAS Shield is fully completed, has sufficient information and is written in your own words - the use of AI tools and/or copying directly from other sources is not allowed.
Your passport has 6 months validity from the course start date.

To help avoid any future delays in obtaining your CAS and Student visa, please ensure you complete all required steps of your CAS application as soon as possible. You must provide all the necessary information and supporting documents by the published deadlines at the top of this page.

If you have any queries about your CAS or the CAS Shield process, please use the messaging functionality on CAS Shield as this will allow us to deal with your queries more quickly.

2. Accept an unconditional offer of study

If you have been given a conditional offer, you will need to meet the terms of your offer before a CAS can be issued.

3. Pay your deposit/provide sponsor letter

All self-funded International students are required to pay a deposit of £4,000 which goes towards your course tuition fees.

Details on how to pay can be found below. You must make your deposit payment by the relevant deadline - for more information, please read our Deposit Deadline FAQs.

If you have received sponsorship to cover your tuition fees and have been awarded a full scholarship from an external source approved by Swansea University, you will need to provide a financial guarantee letter from your sponsor. Fully sponsored students do not need to pay a deposit.

Financial Sponsorship letter: your financial sponsorship letter must name Swansea University as your chosen institution and must be from an ‘official financial sponsor’, i.e. His Majesty’s Government, your home government, the British Council or an internationally recognised company, organisation, University or Independent School. Other types of sponsor, such as family members, will not be accepted by UK Visas and Immigration as evidence of sponsorship.

OR you have provided us with confirmation that you have obtained a US Federal Loan.
(You would not normally have to pay a deposit if you are receiving financial support from an official sponsor or from a US Federal Loan.)

Once the above steps have been completed the Admissions Office will prepare your CAS statement. CAS Processing times can vary - please see our FAQs below for more information. If all of the requirements are met by you promptly, and we are not required to chase you for additional information, you can expect to receive your CAS sooner.

Remember that you do not have to wait for your CAS before you start your visa application preparation and process. As well as having a CAS number, you will need to prepare additional Student Route visa documents and complete an online Student Route form before you can book an appointment at your local visa centre. For some students this can take several weeks so make sure you are starting all your preparations as early as possible. Please see our complete guide to Making a Student Route Visa Application Overseas to help you. If you are already in the UK, you should read the guide to Extending your Student Route Visa in the UK.

We will e-mail you or your designated agent a copy of your statement containing your CAS number. You will not need an original copy of the letter for your visa application.

Please note: your CAS is valid for 6 months from the date of issue and you can apply for your visa as soon as you receive it.

What we will list on your CAS statement

Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number;
Your personal details (full name, nationality, passport number);
Swansea University’s Sponsor License Number (SLN);
Swansea University’s ACL: Alternative Collection Location code (this code must be entered on the Student Route visa form to ensure your visa card is sent to the University and not a UK Post Office)
Details about your course (course name and level, start and end dates, mode of study);
Finances (tuition fees, amount of deposit paid or the name of your sponsor);
Details of the documents we saw when we made your offer (you must include these documents, including any English translations, with your visa application as they will be checked by the UKVI caseworker);
Details of any previous study undertaken in the UK (where relevant);
ATAS statement (if required), see the FCO website for more details;

Paying your deposit

For information about deposit payments please see Deposit Deadline FAQs - Swansea University

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I receive my CAS?

Once your offer is Unconditional, all CAS Shield steps have been adequately completed, and your deposit has cleared, the Admissions Office will prepare your CAS statement. CAS processing times may be increased during peak times so we advise you to complete everything as early as possible. As a general guidance, we aim to process your CAS within:

May: 3-5 working days

June: 5-7 working days

July: 7-10 working days

August or later (prior to deadline): 10 or more working days

Please note that we cannot begin working on your CAS statement until all the above requirements are met, and we may need to contact you for further information upon review of your documents which can result in delays.

Remember: you do not need your CAS to start preparing for your Student Route visa application.

Can I have an update on my CAS? When will I receive my CAS Shield invitation? Will I receive joint CAS? What is the deadline? How do I apply for my visa? Where can I find more information on ATAS?

Get Visa and Immigration Advice

International@CampusLife

Our trained immigration advisors are on hand to help you through the visa application process.

They can also assist with any queries about being an international student in the UK that you might have.