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UK Student visa refused: review or reapply

A refused Student visa can be challenged by administrative review because Appendix Student is on the list: £80, 28 days if you applied from outside the UK, 14 days if you applied in the UK. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies that was used in a refused application cannot be used again (ST 7.2), so applying again needs a new CAS from the university. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan are barred from applying for entry clearance as a Student.

A Student visa refusal is stressful because a course start date is waiting. The remedies run on a different clock from the course: an administrative review can take a year, while a new application can be decided in weeks but needs a new document from the university.

This guide explains the points a Student refusal is written against, the visa brake on four nationalities, the money rules with worked arithmetic, the remedies and deadlines, and why a used CAS cannot simply be sent again. It uses GOV.UK's Student visa pages, Appendix Student, Appendix Administrative Review, the explanatory memorandum to HC 1691, the fee table and the Immigration Health Surcharge page, all read on 9 October 2026. It explains how the rules work. It does not say what you should do.

What a Student refusal is written against

Appendix Student sets out the requirements. A Student applicant must be awarded all 70 points (ST 6.1): 50 for study, which depends on a valid Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and the course, qualification, level and place-of-study requirements; 10 for the financial requirement; and 10 for the English language requirement. Beyond the points, three other requirements stand alone:

  • Suitability. The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability (ST 2.1), and if applying in the UK must not be in breach of immigration laws or on immigration bail (ST 2.2).
  • Genuine student. ST 5.1: "The applicant must be a genuine student."
  • Tuberculosis screening where Appendix Tuberculosis applies (ST 3.2), and ATAS where Appendix ATAS applies (ST 8.4). GOV.UK says you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate if you are studying or researching sensitive topics at RQF level 7 or above.

A refusal letter will cite the paragraph numbers. The first job is to match each reason to one of these headings, because a review looks at the same paragraphs and a new application has to deal with them.

The application itself has validity requirements (ST 1.2): the fee and Immigration Health Surcharge paid, biometrics given, a passport or travel document provided, and a CAS reference number issued no more than 6 months before the application date. An application that fails validity can be rejected as invalid and not considered, which is a different outcome from a refusal.

The visa brake: four nationalities

Paragraph ST 3.3 says a person "must not be applying for entry clearance as a Student as a national or citizen of" Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan.

The explanatory memorandum to the Statement of Changes HC 1691 (5 March 2026) explains the policy. It states that the Home Office will refuse Student visa applications from main applicants who are nationals of those four countries, that Skilled Worker applications from Afghan main applicants will also be refused, and that this "will come into effect from 26 March but will not affect applications made before 26 March". The memorandum's impact assessment refers to an "18-month visa brake". The Rules text of ST 3.3 as read on 9 October 2026 states no end date, so the position at any later date is a matter of checking Appendix Student itself.

Two things follow from the text. The paragraph is about applications for entry clearance, meaning applications made from outside the UK. And it is about nationality, so it is not a question about the quality of the evidence. An administrative review asks whether the decision maker applied the Rules correctly (AR 3.1), and the rule being applied here is the one in Appendix Student. If your nationality is on the list and your letter cites ST 3.3, it is worth reading the letter closely with someone who can interpret it before spending time or money on a response.

Funds: the arithmetic

The financial requirement is one of the commonest places for a refusal. GOV.UK sets out the pieces.

Course fee. You need enough to pay for your course for 1 academic year (up to 9 months), and the amount appears on the CAS. The CAS must state accommodation costs and fees, and any payment already made, so the requirement can be worked out (ST 7.5).

Living costs ("maintenance"). £1,529 a month for up to 9 months for a course in London, or £1,171 a month for up to 9 months for a course outside London. "London" means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. Multiplied out, that is £13,761 for a 9-month London course (9 × £1,529) and £10,539 outside London (9 × £1,171), in addition to the course fee still due.

Family members. If dependants apply with you, the requirement is higher. GOV.UK gives £845 a month (up to 9 months) per dependant for London courses and £680 for courses outside London, which is £7,605 and £6,120 for 9 months respectively. Dependants can only come if you are a government-sponsored student starting a course longer than 6 months, or a full-time postgraduate student on a course at RQF level 7 or above lasting 9 months or longer; for postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, it must be a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) or a research-based higher degree.

How long the money must be there. At least 28 days in a row, and the end date of the 28-day period must be within 31 days of the date you apply. GOV.UK's example: if you apply on 1 January, the funds must have been in your account for the 28-day period ending on 1 December at the latest. This is a rule that catches people who move money close to the application date.

Loans and sponsors. If you rely on a student loan or financial sponsorship, you need evidence from the loan or sponsorship company, and if the loan does not cover a partner or child, you must show you have money for them instead.

People who have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the application date do not need to prove the course-fee or maintenance funds again.

The CAS: why it cannot be sent again

The CAS is a reference number your education provider issues once it offers you a place. You must enter it on the application and apply within 6 months of receiving it (GOV.UK). ST 1.2(d) repeats the 6-month rule. ST 7 then sets rules about the CAS itself:

  • ST 7.1: it must have been issued by a student sponsor whose licence is still valid when the application is decided;
  • ST 7.2: it "must not have been used in a previous application which was either granted or refused (but could have been relied on in a previous application which was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn)";
  • ST 7.3: the sponsor must not have withdrawn the offer after issuing it.

ST 7.2 is the rule that changes the options after a refusal. A refused application uses up that CAS. A new application needs a new CAS, issued by the university, which has to be willing to issue one and to say what the position is on the course start date. The fee table lists a CAS fee of £55. An application can be made no more than 6 months before the course start date for entry clearance (ST 4.1) or 3 months for permission to stay (ST 4.2), and an in-UK application must be for a course starting no more than 28 days after the previous permission expires (ST 4.3).

An administrative review, by contrast, looks at the original application and so the original CAS. If the review succeeds, the decision is withdrawn and reconsidered (AR 5.1(a)).

Review or new application: the timing problem

Appendix Administrative Review lists Appendix Student in AR 1.1, so a Student refusal can be reviewed. The details are in our administrative review guide:

  • £80, online only;
  • 28 calendar days from receiving the notice if you applied for entry clearance from outside the UK; 14 days if you applied in the UK for permission to stay; 7 days if detained (AR 2.6);
  • if you applied from outside the UK you must be outside the UK to ask (AR 2.9), and if you applied in the UK you cannot ask from outside it (AR 2.15);
  • the review is of the original application and mostly on the original evidence (AR 3.2, 3.3);
  • GOV.UK currently says it "can take 12 months or more to receive the result".

A new application can be made at any time but comes with two consequences. Under AR 4.4, it ends a pending review: the review is treated as withdrawn the day before the new application. And it needs a new CAS (ST 7.2) and a new visa fee. GOV.UK gives decision times of usually 3 weeks outside the UK and 8 weeks inside.

Set a 12-month possible review time next to a course start date, and the tension is clear: a review often cannot be decided before the course starts, while a new application can be. Which is open depends on the reasons for refusal, whether the university will issue another CAS, and whether the intake can be deferred. The rules do not choose for you.

What it costs to apply again

The Student visa fee is £558 whether you apply from outside the UK or extend or switch inside it. The Immigration Health Surcharge for students is £776 a year (£776 is also the rate for under-18s and Youth Mobility applicants). So for a visa of one year the visa fee and surcharge come to £558 + £776 = £1,334, and for a three-year course £558 + (3 × £776 = £2,328) = £2,886. These figures exclude the course fee deposit, the funds you must hold and any English test. The surcharge is charged per year of the stay (the part-year rules are on the IHS page).

On refusal, the IHS page says you get a full refund of the surcharge, usually within 6 weeks, and if you appeal or ask for an administrative review the refund comes up to 6 weeks after the review or appeal is dismissed. You repay it if a review succeeds after you were refunded. The visa application fee is not listed as refundable on the pages read.

Add the English language requirement: a CAS must show how it was met, and GOV.UK says you can usually prove English through a qualification from a UK school begun under 18, a degree taught in English (with an Ecctis assessment if it is not from a UK institution), or a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider. If you study at degree level or above, your higher education provider can assess your English itself, which may mean a different test. The pages list countries whose nationals do not need to prove English.

If you applied from inside the UK

For a Student extension or switch refused inside the UK, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 may extend your existing permission, but only if you applied before it expired. The extension lasts while the application is undecided and while an administrative review of the decision could be sought or is pending, and it lapses if you leave the UK. GOV.UK's Student page adds that if you applied for an administrative review because your application was refused, you can stay in the UK until you get your review decision.

Once no review is pending and the time to ask has passed, Part Suitability matters: SUI 11.4(a) treats overstaying as a breach of immigration laws, with exceptions in SUI 13.1, including a new application made within 14 days of the refusal or of a review concluding. ST 2.2 requires a person applying for permission to stay not to be in breach of immigration laws unless the Exceptions for overstayers apply. Also relevant is the 28-day course-start rule in ST 4.3: a new course must begin within 28 days of the previous permission expiring.

Leaving the UK to apply again from abroad ends any section 3C leave and ends a pending administrative review (AR 4.3).

When people use a regulated adviser

Student refusals are time-pressured, and advisers are most often asked to read the refusal letter against the Appendix Student paragraphs, to check the funds evidence against the 28-day rule, and to prepare an administrative review within its deadline. GOV.UK's adviser guidance says an IAA Level 2 adviser can have a visa application decision reviewed; solicitors can also do so. A typical engagement is set out in a written client care letter covering the work, the fee and what is excluded.

Only the university can say whether it will issue a new CAS or defer a place, so that conversation sits alongside any legal step.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

Can I ask for an administrative review of a Student visa refusal?

Yes. Appendix Student is on the list in Appendix AR 1.1. The fee is £80 and the deadline is 28 days if you applied from outside the UK, 14 days if you applied in the UK and 7 days if you were detained. GOV.UK says results can take 12 months or more.

Can I use the same CAS after my Student visa is refused?

No. Paragraph ST 7.2 says the CAS must not have been used in a previous application that was granted or refused. It can be relied on again if the earlier application was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn. After a refusal you need a new CAS from the university.

How much money do I need for a UK Student visa?

Your course fee for the first year (up to 9 months) as stated on the CAS, plus £1,529 a month for up to 9 months for a London course or £1,171 a month outside London. The money must be held for 28 days in a row ending within 31 days of the application.

Which nationalities cannot apply for a Student visa from outside the UK?

Paragraph ST 3.3 bars applications for entry clearance as a Student by nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. The explanatory memorandum to HC 1691 says this applies from 26 March 2026 and does not affect earlier applications.

Do I get the healthcare surcharge back if my Student visa is refused?

Yes. GOV.UK says the full Immigration Health Surcharge is refunded if the application is refused, usually within 6 weeks. If you appeal or ask for an administrative review it comes up to 6 weeks after that is dismissed. The application fee is a separate payment.

How long does a UK Student visa decision take?

GOV.UK says usually within 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK and within 8 weeks if you apply from inside the UK, with a faster service available in some cases.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • UK visa refused: appeal, administrative review or reapply? — Your refusal letter says whether you can ask for an administrative review (£80; 14 days in the UK, 28 days outside, 7 if detained) or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (£82 or £144; 14 or 28 days). Appeals are only for refused protection or human rights claims and a few other decision types. Making a new application withdraws a pending administrative review.
  • Administrative review of a UK visa refusal — Administrative review is a Home Office check of whether a refusal was caused by a caseworking error. It costs £80 and must be requested online within 14 days if you were in the UK, 28 days if you applied from outside, or 7 days if detained. It only covers routes listed in Appendix AR, usually ignores new evidence, and GOV.UK says results can take 12 months or more.
  • Section 3C leave: your status while a decision is pending — If you apply to extend or change your UK leave before it expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends that leave on the same conditions until the application is decided, and while an appeal or administrative review is possible or pending. It does not apply to late or invalid applications, and it ends if you leave the UK.
  • The 2026 UK visa brake: who it affects — Since 26 March 2026, entry clearance applications for a Student visa are refused for main applicants who are nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan, and Skilled Worker applications for Afghan nationals. Other routes and nationalities are not affected, existing visas stay valid, and the Home Office describes the brake as an initial 18-month measure that will be reviewed.
  • UK Student visa cost: fee, health surcharge and funds — A UK Student visa costs £558 plus the health surcharge at £776 per year, and you must also show funds for your course fee and living costs: £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 elsewhere for up to 9 months. Those monthly figures rise on 30 November 2026.
  • Graduate visa: 2 years now, 18 months from 2027 — The Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, with 3 years for a PhD. The application fee is £937, plus the health surcharge, and it is the date of application that decides the length.