What is CAS Letter?

The CAS letter is an electronic document that consists of a unique number and confirms your admission at a UK university. This letter is issued by the host university after the student accepts their unconditional offer and makes some payment towards their course. The CAS letter is required when applying for a UK student visa; however, it may also be used by existing students when they wish to aply for an extension of their current visa validity period.

To apply for a CAS letter, you may have to fill out an acceptance form, deposit the acceptance fee and complete a pre-CAS letter. A CAS number is required due to the norms set up by UK immigration which need the university to sponsor the student’s application for a student visa. Read forth this article to learn more on what is CAS letter. 

What is CAS Full Form?

CAS full form is Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies which is applicable only for UK universities. Once UK universities send in their confirmation for admissions to the student, the student can then go forth with their student visa process. 

Why is CAS Letter Required?

You must have a CAS before applying for the UK Student Visa (Tier 4 General). CAS is an electronic document issued to you by the college or university that you have chosen to study at. Your CAS will be valid for student visa application for six months from the date of issue. Although many universities in the UK send the CAS letter themselves, there are few institutions which will need you to apply for the CAS number. 

Your institution will also send a unique reference number that will match up with your CAS. You must mention this reference number on the Tier 4 visa application form. The visa official processing your application will check this number and corroborating documents to confirm that you have an unconditional offer from the university.

Your college will also send along the information they have used to generate your CAS. This is called a 'CAS statement' and it is sent to you by email. The CAS statement is not required for your Tier 4 visa application but it gives all the information about your course and sponsor and some information about the money that you need to complete your Tier 4 visa application form.

In case there are any inconsistencies between the information used by the university to create the CAS and the information you provide on your application form, then your visa application could get refused.

Also Check:

• Documents required for admission in UK

• How to Apply to UK Universities Using UCAS Application?

What Information Does the CAS Letter Contain?

The CAS statement gives you the following information:

• 14-digit reference number for the CAS
• Sponsor License Number (SLN) of the university where you intend to study
• Sponsor License Address
• Qualifications which helped you secure a place in the university
• Start and end dates of your course
• Passport number and your name on your passport
• Title of the course
• Tuition fees for the first year or the entire course.
• Any tuition fees that you have already paid to the university
• Any accommodation fees that you have already paid
• Assessment of your English language ability i.e. IELTS or TOEFL scores

The important thing to note is that you may obtain CAS from several different universities. However, before you apply for your Tier 4 student visa you must decide which university you intend to study and use the CAS from that university in your application. Once you do that, any other CAS you have been issued will become 'obsolete'. This means that you will not be able to use them for the visa application. When your student visa has been granted and you enter the UK, you must study at the university/college that issued your CAS.

Also Read: Best Short Courses in UK Universities 2024-25

How to Get a CAS Letter?

In order to obtain a CAS letter you first need to apply for admission to universities or colleges in the United Kingdom. Once you've completed the application form and made the final submission, follow the below-mentioned steps:

• If you fulfil all the criteria set by your target university, an offer letter will be sent to you which you will have to accept. The letter will contain details regarding the confirmation of your acceptance, your programme, and programme duration. You may also be instructed to deposit an amount. Some institutes may also send you the link to the CAS request form.
• For the CAS letter, you may be asked to provide your personal details such as your name, birth date, passport details, selected course details, course duration etc. Provide all the information accurately.
• Candidates will also have to provide proof of sufficient amount of funds such as their bank statements for covering their cost of studying and living in the UK. 
• After all the above steps have been complete and y ou've accepted the offer, your university will provide you with your CAS.

What is a Combined CAS Number?

This is a CAS number which is issued to those students who will be pursuing more than one course together at the same university. Through a combined CAS number, students can apply for one visa which will permit them to stay in the UK till both their courses are complete.

General CAS Letter Issuing Procedure

Here is the procedure 

• An email will be sent by the UK university to the email ID provided by the student for the purpose of admission.
• They will then have to log in to the provided link in the email.
• An option will be displayed to the student on the screen to check his/her CAS statement.
• At times, students may be required to request a CAS number. For this purpose, they will have to upload documents such as financial evidence, academic certificates, TB certificate, and an ATAS certificate. After submitting these they will obtain a link which will direct them to their CAS statement.
• Evert relevant detail related to the student’s admission will be there in the CAS statement. A student may also have to provide some extra information here and verify all the details provided by him/her.
• In case of any error in the CAS statement, the student will have to send an email to the admission executives regarding the same, along with the rectifications.
• After all the details are submitted, students will receive one more email regarding the final CAS statement and CAS number.

Read more articles related to getting admission to UK universities:

• Study in UK: Documents required for applications
• Study in UK: Student account of application and admission process
• Steps to UK college admissions: Enrolment Timeline to plan your applications
• Difference between the Undergraduate application process to US and UK universities

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