Study for less than 6 months

If you are a visa national, you will need to apply for a visa before you come to the UK by following the steps:

• Complete the online application form. You will need to select 'short term study (up to 6 months)' as the main reason for your visit to the UK when you complete the application form.
• Pay the application fees which is currently £100 for a 6 month Visitor visa.
• Provide documents to show the reason for your visit (see Documents needed below).

If you are a non-visa national or EU/EEA/Swiss national, you do not have to apply for a visa before you travel to the UK - you can request entry as a visitor upon arrival. 

If you request to enter as a visitor upon arrival, you still might need to present all the documents to support your application to a Border Force Officer when you arrive in the UK. 

If you are a non-visa national from a specific country who can use the e-gates, you should still have these documents ready in case you are asked to present them. See Use of the e-gates and Documents needed in the sections below.

From October 2023, the ETA scheme will be gradually introduced in the UK for everyone who can travel to the UK as a visitor who does not need a visa. It will be mandatory to apply for the ETA prior to travelling to the UK.

The ETA gives you permission to travel, but it is not a permission to enter so you will still need to go through passport control, either by using the e-gates - if you are eligible (see section below, Use of the e-gates) - or with a Border Force officer if you are required to. 

You can apply for the ETA online on the Government website or via the UK ETA app. This will cost £10 per applicant and once approved, the ETA will last 2 years and you can use it to make multiple visits to the UK. 

If the ETA is refused, you will need to apply for a suitable visa such as Standard visitor visa or a Student visa. 

You don’t need to apply for an ETA if:

• you have a student visa, 

• you have another visa to enter the UK,

• or you have permission to live in the UK due to a different immigration status (eg. EUSS settlement). 

The Home Office will provide more information in due course. 

You can find more information on the GOV webpage Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or watch the video What is an Electronic Travel Authorisation?.

Documents needed with your Visitor visa application or when entering the UK as a visitor:

• We advise that you use your Oxford Brookes unconditional offer letter.
• Provide evidence that you have enough money to pay your tuition fees and you can support yourself while you are in the UK. As the UKVI does not give a specific amount, we suggest you use the Student visa maintenance requirements as a guide, which is £1023 per month of your course. If you have already paid your tuition fees or accommodation cost, you should show receipts as evidence. 
• Please see the Home Office’s guidance for supporting documents for full details of what you should provide with your application.

Non-visa nationals of the EU/EEA/Switzerland or Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA have the option of entering the UK via the e-gates if you have a biometric passport. If you enter this way, you automatically receive leave to enter the UK for 6 months as a visitor. You will not receive a stamp.

If you are from any of the countries listed above but do not have a biometric passport, you will need to see a Border Force Officer to enter the UK as a Visitor (see section above).

If you use the e-gates to enter the UK, you will need to keep documentation of your arrival into the UK as you will need to have a record of the date you entered. This could be your flight ticket/boarding pass/booking confirmation for the Channel tunnel. You will need to make sure you do not stay in the UK longer than 6 months after the date on this document. Please send this documentation to isct@brookes.ac.uk.