Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

Guidance on obtaining your CAS

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).

Once you have met a number of conditions, including accepting an unconditional offer, we will have the information we need to generate a CAS number for you. You will be sent a CAS statement that will confirm your CAS number as well as further details about your course, fees and the evidence we have used to assess your suitability for the course.

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

We will email you a statement containing your CAS number within 6 months of the start date of the course once you have fulfilled all of the requirements on the checklist below. We are unable to issue you a CAS until you have provided us with these, so please make sure you have completed all the steps as soon as possible to help us to get a CAS to you quickly:

CAS Checklist
1. Been made an unconditional offer of a place If you have been given a conditional offer, you will need to meet the terms of your offer before a CAS can be issued.
2. Accepted your offer
3. Returned your Previous Study Questionnaire Previous Study Questionnaire If you have previously studied in the UK, please provide a CAS letter or letter of enrolment from the previous institution (include start and end dates and details of any gaps in study) as well as a copy of the visa(s) you had to study during this time. The “Intention to Study” questions should be completed as fully as possible. This will also help prepare you for a Credibility Interview should you need one as part of your visa application process. We understand that you may not know your exact UK arrival date yet, so an approximate date is satisfactory. If you prefer, it can remain blank and you let us know as soon as you know, as this will enable us to support you with your arrival. If you have completed an older version of the questionnaire you will also be asked to complete a separate Visa questions for student's pre CAS declaration.
4. Provided a recent reference or complete a short interview At least one reference is required from all international students that apply for a CAS statement. This is a letter from your personal tutor or a previous teacher which explains your skills and experience in relation to the course you are applying for. If you have submitted a suitable reference during your initial application then we can use this for your CAS statement. Please see the information below regarding acceptable reference letters. If you are not able to provide a recent reference letter, we are happy to complete a short interview with you over Zoom. Please email cas.admissions@swansea.ac.uk for further guidance. Acceptable reference letters A reference letter must be written in English and provided on official letter headed paper. References also need to be signed by the referee, either by hand or electronically. We cannot accept references on a plain Word document. Alternatively, you can ask your referee to complete a Postgraduate Reference Form. We can also accept references in the form of an email. However, this must come from the referee’s official academic or professional email address (e.g. jane@swansea.ac.uk). We cannot accept references from personal email accounts, such as a Hotmail or Gmail account. References should be academic in nature and cover your most recent period of study. If your application was accepted on the basis of your work experience, then we will accept a reference from your employer in lieu of this. The reference must have been written recently. Where you have deferred your application or have not been in education or employment for a significant period then we may accept an older reference. Please email cas.admissions@swansea.ac.uk for further guidance. References must be unique and the body of the reference cannot refer to an institution other than Swansea University. Please note – We are unable to contact referees on behalf of students, therefore it is your responsibility to obtain a reference and send it directly to us as part of your application for a CAS statement. A reference is required even if this was not part of your original offer conditions.
5. Sent clear, colour copies of your certificates and transcripts which were used as part of your application Details of these will be listed on your CAS and so must also be provided at your visa application.
6. Sent a clear copy of your passport
7. Sent your English Language test results (if appropriate)
8. Paid a deposit or sent a sponsor letter You must pay a minimum deposit of £2000 or provide us with a copy of a letter from your official financial sponsor* responsible for paying your fees and/or your maintenance.* 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. Her 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. Been made an unconditional offer of a place

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

2. Accepted your offer

3. Returned your Previous Study Questionnaire

Previous Study Questionnaire

If you have previously studied in the UK, please provide a CAS letter or letter of enrolment from the previous institution (include start and end dates and details of any gaps in study) as well as a copy of the visa(s) you had to study during this time.

The “Intention to Study” questions should be completed as fully as possible. This will also help prepare you for a Credibility Interview should you need one as part of your visa application process.

We understand that you may not know your exact UK arrival date yet, so an approximate date is satisfactory. If you prefer, it can remain blank and you let us know as soon as you know, as this will enable us to support you with your arrival.

If you have completed an older version of the questionnaire you will also be asked to complete a separate Visa questions for student's pre CAS declaration.

4. Provided a recent reference or complete a short interview

At least one reference is required from all international students that apply for a CAS statement. This is a letter from your personal tutor or a previous teacher which explains your skills and experience in relation to the course you are applying for. If you have submitted a suitable reference during your initial application then we can use this for your CAS statement. Please see the information below regarding acceptable reference letters.

If you are not able to provide a recent reference letter, we are happy to complete a short interview with you over Zoom. Please email cas.admissions@swansea.ac.uk for further guidance.

Acceptable reference letters

A reference letter must be written in English and provided on official letter headed paper. References also need to be signed by the referee, either by hand or electronically. We cannot accept references on a plain Word document.

Alternatively, you can ask your referee to complete a Postgraduate Reference Form. We can also accept references in the form of an email. However, this must come from the referee’s official academic or professional email address (e.g. jane@swansea.ac.uk). We cannot accept references from personal email accounts, such as a Hotmail or Gmail account.

References should be academic in nature and cover your most recent period of study. If your application was accepted on the basis of your work experience, then we will accept a reference from your employer in lieu of this.

The reference must have been written recently. Where you have deferred your application or have not been in education or employment for a significant period then we may accept an older reference. Please email cas.admissions@swansea.ac.uk for further guidance.

References must be unique and the body of the reference cannot refer to an institution other than Swansea University.

Please note – We are unable to contact referees on behalf of students, therefore it is your responsibility to obtain a reference and send it directly to us as part of your application for a CAS statement.

A reference is required even if this was not part of your original offer conditions.

5. Sent clear, colour copies of your certificates and transcripts which were used as part of your application

Details of these will be listed on your CAS and so must also be provided at your visa application.

6. Sent a clear copy of your passport

7. Sent your English Language test results (if appropriate)

8. Paid a deposit or sent a sponsor letter

You must pay a minimum deposit of £2000 or provide us with a copy of a letter from your official financial sponsor responsible for paying your fees and/or your maintenance.

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. Her 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 all of these documents have been received, and your deposit payment has cleared, the Admissions Office will prepare your CAS statement. A CAS statement can take up to 10 working days following receipt of all the above mentioned documents. However, if all of the above requirements are met by you quickly, and we are not required to chase you for additional information, you can expect this time to be significantly reduced.

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 appropriate), see the FCO website for more details;

Paying your deposit

Apply system

If you have made an application through the Apply system, you can pay your deposit using the following instructions:

Log into the Apply System
Under current applications, locate the course you are applying for and select the CAS checklist to the right of the course name
Under the checklist on the left-hand side, select Make Payment
Select your payment option and follow the on-screen instructions

If you have not submitted an application via the Apply system, for example if you are a UCAS applicant, you can use this Direct Link to make the payment.

Bank transfer

You can make your payment by bank transfer into Swansea University’s bank account. Please note that these payments can take between 10 and 15 days to clear, so your CAS statement will take longer to prepare.

Full details on how to make a bank transfer are on our Finance pages.

You must quote your student number when making a payment (the number on the top of your offer letter) or we may not be able to match your deposit to your application. Please also quote the word "Tuition".

Financial Sponsor or Government Loan

If a government or company is paying your fees you should ask them for a letter confirming this (see section entitled ‘Steps on obtaining your CAS number/statement from Swansea University.’). 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. Unfortunately we do not accept parents or family members as sponsors and these are not acceptable for visa purposes.

Debit Card

Debit card payments can be made over the phone by calling MyUniHub on +441792 606000. We do not accept credit card payments by telephone from new International students. We do not accept American Express, Diners Club and NatWest Bank Solo debit cards.

Other payment methods

Please refer to our Finance pages for the full list of available payment methods.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I receive my CAS?

Once all of these documents have been received, and your deposit has cleared, the Admissions Office will prepare your CAS statement. Our aim is to issue your CAS statement within 5 working days of the requirements being met. However, we cannot begin working on your CAS statement until all requirements are met, and we may need to contact you for further information. During peak periods a CAS statement can take up to 10 working days to be issued. Therefore, you are encouraged to provide the necessary documents as early as possible.

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

Will I receive joint CAS?

We are able to issue a joint CAS for students, covering a single pre-sessional English course and degree course, provided they meet the following eligibility criteria:

Level 1 Pre Sessional (11 Weeks)

Minimum overall score of 5.0; and
Minimum of 4.5 in one component and 5.0 in the remaining components

Level 2 Pre Sessional (9 Weeks)

No more than 0.5 below overall programme requirement; and
No component score below 5.0; and
No more than two components with a score of 5.0

Level 3 Pre Sessional (6 Weeks)

Already met the writing requirement for the programme and are no more than 0.5 below in any other component/overall requirement; or
Already met the overall English requirement and are no more than 0.5 below in writing

In addition to the above requirements, applicants must also have met all other requirements for their chosen programme.

What is the deadline?

There is no specific cut-off date for issuing CAS statements. The deadline for submitting documents will depend on the latest enrolment date of your course, as well as the visa processing times.

Visa applications made outside the UK should be processed within 15 working days. Priority and super priority services may also be available in your country. You should contact your visa application centre to confirm availability. More information can be found on the UK Government website.

We strongly encourage you to send the required documents as soon as possible. This is to avoid any delays and give us sufficient time to process your application. Please note that CAS statement can take up to 10 working days from the date that all required documents have been submitted.

How do I apply for my visa?

The University’s International@CampusLife team has trained immigration advisors to help our students. They have produced full and comprehensive guides to help you prepare for your visa application and to assist you through each step of the application process. Alternatively, some students may need to look at the information on Extending your Student Route visa within the UK. You should start preparing for your visa application as early as possible.

Do I need a Secure English Language Test (IELTS for UKVI)?

Students studying below degree level may need to take a government approved Secure English Language Test called an IELTS for UKVI. For more information check our How to Apply pages or our IELTS for UKVI flowchart.

Where can I find more information on ATAS?

You can find more information on ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) on our visa application pages or via the FCO website.

I have a query

If you have any questions on how to receive your CAS statement then please email cas.admissions@swansea.ac.uk.

You can also download our CAS Issuing Policy for more detailed guidance.

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.