What is a CAS? The UK CAS letter, CAS interview and timeline explained

For most Indian students heading to the UK, the email that matters most after the offer is the one with the CAS. Without it you cannot apply for a Student visa, and until it arrives everything else, from flights to accommodation, is on hold. It is also a step that often runs late, because many universities now run deposits, bank checks and interviews before they issue it.

The rules below come from the Immigration Rules and the Home Office’s guidance to universities; deposits, deadlines and timings are from university pages, checked in October 2026.

What is a CAS?

A CAS, or Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, is an electronic record your UK university creates on the Home Office system to confirm it is sponsoring you for a course. GOV.UK says your university “will send you a reference number (called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)) once they’ve offered you a place”, and that you need it before you can apply for your visa. The Home Office describes it as “not a paper certificate or document but a virtual document, like a database record”.

What you receive is a CAS statement, usually a PDF or an email, with a unique reference number. That number, which Sheffield Hallam describes as “a unique 14-digit reference number”, is what you type into your visa application. Sheffield says you do not need a paper copy, because the number links to the record on the Home Office database. The university issues the CAS, not UK Visas and Immigration, and only once your offer is unconditional.

What is on a CAS statement?

The Immigration Rules require the CAS to show your course, its level and where you will study, the fees and any payment already made, the cost of any university accommodation, and how you meet the English requirement. Coventry lists what its CAS statements contain:

• Your CAS number, name and passport number.
• Course title, start and end dates, and the university’s sponsor licence details.
• The qualifications used to make your offer, and academic progression.
• Your English language level.
• Tuition fees, payments made and any scholarship.

Other fields appear depending on the university and your course: a latest date to arrive, accommodation fees paid, whether you need an ATAS certificate, and details of any agent the university used to recruit you, which universities must record. Glasgow’s field-by-field guide is a useful reference.

Exeter adds two useful details: for September courses its CAS start date is nine days earlier, because it includes the arrivals weekend and welcome week, and it does not list academic grades on the CAS.

What do you need to do before a university issues a CAS?

Coventry’s list is typical: you must have accepted an unconditional offer, met all its conditions and paid your deposit. For Indian students most universities now add some or all of these:

• A tuition fee deposit. The amount varies widely (see the table below).
• Passport details, which Leicester needs before it can request your CAS.
• Bank statements showing the money for your visa. UWE may ask for more evidence about newly opened accounts or deposits from unknown sources, and if it is unsatisfactory this “could result in us not issuing a CAS and withdrawing your offer”.
• A pre-CAS interview, often a recorded video. LJMU’s is “mandatory” for Indian applicants, and if Ulster invites you to an interview, it issues a CAS only once it is “complete and successful”. Our credibility interview guide covers the questions.
• ATAS clearance for some science and engineering courses. Exeter and Liverpool will not issue the CAS until it is granted; Sheffield issues it first but you need ATAS before you apply for your visa.

In our view, one reason for these checks is how universities are now judged. A university that sponsors students must keep its visa refusal rate below 5%, with at least 95% of sponsored students enrolling and 85% completing (90% from June 2027), or face Home Office action, from a 12-month action plan to, in serious cases, losing its licence. City St George’s lists “mandatory pre-CAS credibility interviews”, extra bank checks and higher deposits among the measures it uses to stay within those limits.

How long does it take to get a CAS?

Once every condition is met, usually within a week. These are the timings universities publish:

The Home Office sets no earliest date for a university to issue a CAS. Because a CAS lasts six months and you cannot apply for the visa more than six months before your course starts, the universities we checked start issuing between three and six months before the course.

What are the CAS deadlines for January and September 2027?

For January 2027, the deadlines are close. Derby wants the deposit by 16 November 2026 and all documents by 19 November, and its last day to issue a CAS is 26 November 2026. Liverpool John Moores’ CAS issuing deadline for January 2027 postgraduate courses is 30 November 2026, and its applications close on 30 October. Sheffield’s general rule is that you must apply for your CAS at least three weeks before your course starts if you are outside the UK.

September 2027 deadlines are not out yet. Greenwich publishes its deposit, CAS and arrival deadlines around six months before the intake, so expect them from about March 2027. Our January 2027 intake guide and 12-month master’s timeline show how the dates fit together.

Why is my CAS letter late?

In the universities’ own words, the usual reasons are:

• Busy periods. Exeter warns of “delays in the peak summer period”.
• Your payment has not cleared. International transfers can take up to 10 working days to reach the university.
• Missing or weak documents, or the interview. Derby says timing depends on “the quality of the documents submitted, successful completion of your interview or further immigration history required”.
• Extra immigration checks, for example after an earlier refusal; Derby lists “further immigration history” among the causes.

In our experience the fastest fix is to check the university’s portal for an outstanding task before emailing, and to send bank statements that meet the visa rules the first time.

How long is a CAS valid?

Six months from the day it is issued, not from your course start date. GOV.UK says you “must apply for your visa within 6 months of receiving your CAS”, and the Home Office’s guidance to universities says an unused CAS then expires. Separately, you cannot apply for the visa more than six months before your course starts. From India, a decision usually takes three weeks. A CAS does not guarantee a visa; it is one of the two core documents, with your passport, that every application needs; our visa documents checklist covers the rest.

How does the CAS change the money you need to show?

For the visa you must show the outstanding course fees as stated on the CAS, plus living costs for up to nine months, held for 28 days. Anything you have already paid the university and that appears on the CAS comes off that total. For applications from 30 November 2026, living costs are £1,203 a month outside London and £1,570 in London; if you apply before 30 November 2026, the current rates of £1,171 and £1,529 apply.

If a payment is missing from the CAS, ask the university to update it, or provide a receipt from the university, which the rules also accept. A deposit for university accommodation can also be counted, up to £1,529, or £1,570 for applications from 30 November 2026. Our UK visa bank balance guide explains the 28-day rule in full.

What if there is a mistake on your CAS?

Get it corrected before you apply. Westminster says you “must have these details corrected before applying for your student visa to avoid a refusal”, and Ulster asks students to email it immediately. Most corrections do not need a new CAS: Liverpool updates the Home Office record electronically and “the existing one is still valid”, and Exeter adds a sponsor note if, for example, you get a new passport. A fee update can take at least five working days.

Can you reuse a CAS after a visa refusal?

No. The rules say a CAS “must not have been used in a previous application which was either granted or refused”, though one used in an application that was withdrawn or rejected as invalid can be used again. After a refusal you need a new CAS, and universities decide case by case whether to give you one:

• Northumbria may issue a new CAS after a refusal on financial grounds, with fresh bank evidence, but says it is “unlikely” after a refusal on credibility grounds unless an administrative review succeeds.
• Sheffield Hallam issues a CAS to an applicant “on two occasions only”.
• Ulster considers a new CAS only once you have sent the full refusal notice.

At Westminster and Manchester, the deposit is refundable after a refusal unless it was for fraud, but check the time limits: Derby wants a request within 14 days of being told of the change. Our UK visa refusal guide covers the refusal letter and administrative review.

What if you arrive late, defer or change university?

• Late arrival: your CAS may show a latest arrival or enrolment date. Northumbria says do not travel after the last date of enrolment on your CAS, and Westminster withdraws the CAS if you do not enrol.
• Deferring: you will need a new CAS for the new start date. Manchester carries your deposit over, but if the deposit has risen you pay the difference first.
• A withdrawn CAS: a university can withdraw a CAS you have not yet used, and the Home Office says it will “automatically refuse any application supported by that CAS”.
• Changing university: a CAS belongs to one university, so a new university means a new CAS and a new visa application.

Do you need your CAS again for the Graduate visa?

Yes, the number. When you apply for the Graduate visa after your course, GOV.UK asks for “your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from when you applied for your Student visa”. Keep the CAS statement safe; if you lose it, your university should give you the number on request. Our Graduate visa guide explains the rest.

Which CAS myths should you ignore?

How can we help?

Bring your offer letter and bank statements to a free profile evaluation, and we will check what your university needs before it issues the CAS and whether your funds meet the visa rules.