How to apply

If you’re planning to study in the UK, you’ll be sure of a friendly welcome. There’s an application process for international students and we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Choose your course

Check our course pages to find out what courses we offer in your area of interest. Once you’ve selected a course, you’re ready to start the application process.

How to apply for undergraduate courses

Contact one of our approved overseas education representatives in your country
Use the ‘apply now’ button on the undergraduate course pages to apply through UCAS. (Visit the UCAS website for more information). To do this, you'll need:
- UCAS course code - you’ll find the four-digit code (e.g. P500) on the course page or on the UCAS website.
- An institution code for the university – it's S72 for University of Staffordshire.

How to apply for postgraduate courses

Contact one of our approved overseas education representatives in your country.
Apply directly from the course pages using the ‘apply now’ button.

**International Deadlines for January 2025 entry (excluding MSc Nursing Practice)**
Recommended deadline for standard applications	2 December 2024
Deposit payment deadline	6 December 2024
Completion of Pre-CAS requirements	13 December 2024
Latest date for CAS Issuance	20 December 2024
Arrival Date (Standard)	27 January 2025
Arrival Date (MA Social Work)	13 January 2025

**International Deadlines for MSc Nursing Practice**
Recommended deadline for standard applications	20 September 2024
Deposit payment deadline	11 November 2024
Completion of Pre-CAS requirements	25 November 2024
Latest date for CAS Issuance	2 December 2024
Arrival Date	6 January 2025

Preparing your documents

It is important that you prepare the documents you need to upload as part of your application to study with us. This will enable us to swiftly make a decision about your application. It is a good idea to take a look at the course entry requirements and your country page to ensure you know what is required.

Academic Documents: clear copies of all official certificates and transcripts relating to your previous academic studies.
Passport: Upload a clear copy of the personal details page of your passport.
English Language: provide evidence of your English Language qualification. Please refer to our English Language Requirements page for more information.
CV and Employment Reference: if you completed your studies some time ago, providing a CV and work history evidence would help us assess your application.
Previous UK visas and visa refusals: providing copies of your previous UK visas, such as those relating to previous UK study, and any visa refusals (UK and worldwide) is essential as this could impact on your offer to study and your Student Visa application.

Personal Statement guide

Your personal statement should be approximately 500 to 1000 words long and tell us about who you are and why you want to study the course. It should also tell us more about why the course will assist with your aspirations, why you have chosen to apply to study with us and why you have chosen to study a course in the United Kingdom.

The following websites have helpful tips for writing your personal statement:

What to consider

Why do you wish to study the course?
Why have you chosen to apply to University of Staffordshire?
Why have you decided to study in the UK?
How will this help with your long-term career aspirations?
Why do you believe you are qualified to study this course?
What do you intend to do once you have achieved your qualification?
What have you been doing since you completed your last qualification?

What not to include

Do not lie or exaggerate.
Never use an online template or another person's statement.
Be sure to check for spelling and grammar mistakes before submitting.

Your offer

Receiving an offer

Following your successful application, you’ll receive your offer letter by email. This can be conditional or unconditional.

Conditional

This is an offer on condition of providing additional information – this could be missing information or subject to receiving qualifications and grades. All the conditions of your offer are listed in your offer letter. If you’re unsure about what any of your conditions mean, please contact International Admissions.

If you don’t meet your offer conditions, don’t worry. We may be able to offer you a place on alternative programme, so it’s still important to send your results to us as soon as possible.

Unconditional

An unconditional offer means that you have met all the academic requirements for your course. Once you’ve accepted your unconditional offer, you can start applying for on-campus accommodation. There may be a few additional checks, which we’ll need to undertake before we send your CAS. You can find more information about the requirements in the next section.

Accepting an offer

To accept your offer, you’ll need to log on to your application portal – either with University of Staffordshire or UCAS Track, depending on how you applied.

Next steps

Once you have received your Unconditional Offer, you will need to pay your deposit to secure your place. We proudly partner with Convera to offer you a simple, secure, and smart way to pay your fees online.

Learn about how to use Convera

At this point, you will be issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) which confirms you have been accepted onto a course.

If you are travelling alone, our University managed accommodation offers modern accommodation on or near campus. To find out more please visit our Accommodation pages.

If you are travelling with dependents, University approved private rented accommodation is available. GreenPad lettings is a service run by the Students' Union and they offer a range of private houses to suit all budgets. For more information please visit our Private Landlord Accommodation page on our website.

Choosing your visa

You will need to apply for a visa that is appropriate for the type of study you have applied for.

Visitor visa

If the course you’ve applied for involves a period of study in the UK for less than six months, you can apply for a Visitor Visa. To check whether you meet the Home Office requirements please see the guidance on Visitor Visas on the UKCISA website.

Please note that your offer letter is not the same as a Visitor Visa invitation letter and you cannot use the offer letter as part of your entry clearance visa application. Your Visitor Visa invitation letter will be sent to you by email.

If you have any questions about the Visitor Visa process please email int-admissions@staffs.ac.uk

Student Visa

For courses running longer than 6 months you will require a Student Visa to study with us in the UK. To apply for a Student Visa you will require a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) issued by the University. If you would like to find out more about eligibility and requirements on the Student Visa route, please visit UKCISA who have lots of helpful advice and guidance.

Informing the University of your Visa Decision

It is really important that you keep the University up to date with the progress of your visa application, visa decision outcome and your travel plans.

You will find a link to a form in the in the email sent with your CAS so that you can inform us of your visa outcome. If you need to inform us about the progress of your visa application, including any correspondence from the UKVI in relation to your application, or your travel plans, you can email visacompliance@staffs.ac.uk and the team will be happy to support you.

Please be aware that you need to arrive at the University by the latest start date stipulated on your CAS. If you are unable to make this, you should contact visacompliance@staffs.ac.uk as soon as possible to discuss your options. Please do not travel to the UK if you will arrive after this date, and if you arrive at the University after this date you will not be permitted to enrol and will be asked to leave the UK with immediate effect as your sponsorship will have been withdrawn.