Visas
Short Term study in the UK
If you are from outside the UK, you will need to apply for a Visitor (Child) Visa.
If you are a national of one of the countries listed in Appendix 2 here, you will need to apply for and receive your visa before you fly to the UK. If you are a national of a country not on this list, you will be able to fly to the UK and be granted this leave on arrival. Please note that you will still need to bring the required documents (visa support letter from academic summer, financial evidence, etc.) to show to the border officer.
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your travel date to the UK. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks. You can also check the guide processing times to determine how long getting a visa might take in the country you are applying from.
Academic Summer is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) , so we can provide support for your visa. We provide a visa support letter to international students, and you should use this letter to apply for your visa at a Visa Application Centre in your country. In case an original visa support letter sent by a courier is needed, you will be charged £75. If an electronic visa support letter is sufficient, there are no charges.
How the admissions and visa process works:
If you are from outside the UK, you will need to apply for a Visitor (Child) Visa.
If you are a national of one of the countries listed in Appendix 2 here, you will need to apply for and receive your visa before you fly to the UK. If you are a national of a country not on this list, you will be able to fly to the UK and be granted this leave on arrival. Please note that you will still need to bring the required documents (visa support letter from academic summer, financial evidence, etc.) to show to the border officer.
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your travel date to the UK. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks. You can also check the guide processing times to determine how long getting a visa might take in the country you are applying from.
Academic Summer is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) , so we can provide support for your visa. We provide a visa support letter to international students, and you should use this letter to apply for your visa at a Visa Application Centre in your country. In case an original visa support letter sent by a courier is needed, you will be charged £75. If an electronic visa support letter is sufficient, there are no charges.
How the admissions and visa process works:
- First, you need to apply to Academic Summer programme here.
- You need to pay the initial payment of £500 in order to secure your place on the course.
- Once the deposit is received, you should request a visa letter that will be emailed to you. You will need to check it carefully and let us know if all provided details and information are correct.
- If required, you should apply for your Visitor visa (child) (see paragraph below on certain nationalities who do not need to apply in advance.) Click here for information about visitor visas, what documents to submit and how to apply. For more information, click here.
- Please note that you can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.
Long Term study in the UK
If you are aged between 4 and 17 and will study at an independent school in the UK from September, you can apply for the Child Student Visa.
If you have a place on a course at an independent school in the UK from September and plan to attend the Academic Summer course before the beginning of a school term, please contact us. If we have a partnership with your school, Academic Summer can be included in the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) as a Pre-Sessional course. Then your Student (child) visa will be valid both for Academic Summer course and your studies in the independent boarding school in the UK. Alternatively, you will need to apply for a Visitor Visa (Child) first to attend the Academic Summer programme. You will also need to apply for a Child Student Visa for your full-time studies.
You can find out more information about Child Student Visa here.
If you are starting a course with a boarding school in September and are joining Academic Summer for August only, you will be able to study with us on your Child Student visa. You will be granted your visa for one month extra before your main course starts in September, and your study with Academic Summer will be considered supplementary study. Therefore, no additional visa will be required for your course with us.
Similarly, suppose you have a current Child Student visa and want to study with Academic Summer during your summer break. In that case, this will be considered a supplementary study and you will be able to join us with no need for an additional visa.
Police Registration and BRP Collection on arrival in the UK
If you join us on a Child Student visa, you may be required to register with the police. This will be written in your entry clearance vignette if this is a condition of your visa. The staff at Academic Summer will assist you with your registration. The registration fee is £34.
Anyone coming to the UK for more than 6 months will be granted a 30-day entry clearance vignette visa and be required to collect their BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) when they arrive in the UK. There are different systems for doing this, depending on which boarding school has sponsored your visa. The staff at Academic Summer will liaise with your boarding school to help you with this when you arrive to receive your BRP for your full-length visa.