International Application FAQs

We are currently experiencing extremely high volumes of applications from students who want to join us for this next intake. Decisions on new applications are currently taking between 7-10 working days. Please do not chase us for decisions; refer to your agent portal for updates. Payments take 3-10 working days to be accredited to student accounts. Once the payment has been confirmed, CAS takes 3-5 working days. If the financial documents have not been provided, these will be requested.

Thank you for your application to BCU. We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible. We will respond to your application within the published UCAS decision deadlines if you have applied using UCAS. If the university requires any further information or for you to attend an interview, audition, or portfolio review in support of your application, we will send you an email with further details to the email address listed in your application. You can also check for outstanding actions via your mySRS portal.

If you have applied to BCU via UCAS, you can withdraw your application to BCU on UCAS. If you have applied to BCU but are not using UCAS, please get in touch with International Admissions, who will withdraw your application.

Further details of outstanding actions can be found on your mySRS portal. Please refer to the More Information tab, where details of the required documents and help guides can be accessed.

If you are considering taking a year out before coming to the University, we will gladly consider your application for deferred entry. You can only postpone your application for one academic year. You must have met the entry requirements in the year in which the application was made.

If you would like to be considered for deferred entry, please get in touch with International Admissions. More information on deferring your offer for this year.

Birmingham City University will ask you to upload information to support your application. Once you have logged in to your mySRS BCU Applicant Portal, you will be presented with your actions and help on how to do this. Please refer to your MySRS portal help guide section for more information.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we cannot provide feedback. Most unsuccessful decisions will be based on not meeting our entry requirements, so please refer to the course profiles on UCAS (B25) or the BCU website. If you attended an interview or audition and did not receive an offer, we can provide feedback upon request.

UCAS application – Please update these via your UCAS account; this will automatically update your details with BCU.

Direct application to BCU – please contact International Admissions to confirm the change to your details.

If you have made an error on your application or have forgotten to include a qualification, please get in touch with International Admissions with details of the required changes. If a decision has already been made on your application, BCU would be willing to reconsider it, provided it is clear why the original information was omitted or incorrect.

Please read carefully the information we have sent. See further portfolio guidance.

Check the size and format, and submit your work as one PDF or PowerPoint file. Try to compress the file if the size is the issue. Your digital portfolio should be no more than 10MB. Alternatively, email your portfolio to us, including your BCU ID number and the course you applied for.

Yes. Certificates and further information will be requested via email, asking you to upload relevant documents to your BCU mySRS portal should this information be required.

If you have realised something is incorrect after submitting your application form, such as academic details, email us your Applicant ID number so we can update this for you.

Please contact International Admissions, who will review your application and advise whether the course change will be possible.

This is an additional check carried out by BCU, so there is nothing that you are required to do about this outstanding action. Once we have completed this check, we will mark it as Passed or Failed.

Unfortunately you will not be able to request a letter confirming your student status until the programme has commenced, you will also need to be fully enrolled on the programme. Once you are fully enrolled and on the course, you will be able to obtain a letter confirming your student status through your school office. If you require a letter for applications such as your student finance, your BCU offer letter is all you require.

All conditions must be met by the 31 August.  Some courses conditions will required at an earlier date.

All our course fees and options are listed under individual course pages. We also include information about any additional costs you must budget for courses. If you receive an offer from BCU, the course fee will be provided in your offer email. 

Please refer to our dedicated scholarships webpage for more information.

You will be expected to apply as an adult student under the Student Visa if you are coming to the UK for your post-16 education.

If you currently live in your home country, you must apply for entry clearance before coming to the UK. You can apply to a British diplomatic post in the country where you usually live, often through a commercial company called a visa application centre.

As a sponsored student, you must follow the conditions of your Student Visa. The latest Student Visa information and immigration rules from the British Government can be found on the Government website.

Six months is the minimum course duration if you want a Student Visa. If your course is under six months, you may wish to enter the UK on the ‘Visitor visa’ route.

You can apply for this type of visa if you are 18 years old or over and want to study in the UK for up to six months.

You must apply for your visa/entry clearance before you leave home, as you will need to show your passport, with the correct stamp, to the immigration officer when you arrive in the UK.

You will receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number from the University once you have paid the required deposit and shown us your bank statement (if requested).

You must pay your deposit as soon as possible, allowing the University time to create your CAS number and get it to you. If you delay paying your deposit, this will delay your visa application, which may result in you being late for the course and risk being refused entry for this academic year. You will then have to return home and wait until the following year to commence your studies.

You must submit your application for entry clearance no more than three months before the course start date.

If you apply too early, your CAS will be deemed invalid, and your application will automatically be rejected.

When applying for entry clearance, you must pass a points-based assessment and score 40 points to qualify for entry to study.

Points are obtained as follows:

30 points for a CAS number

You will receive this number from Birmingham City University once you have paid your deposit.

10 points for maintenance

Money to cover fees and living expenses.

You must obtain a new visa to study with us and get a CAS. If you are currently studying at an FE college or private provider, please note you cannot apply for your new visa here in the UK; instead, you must go back home and apply there. The same applies if you have not completed or failed your studies elsewhere.

The university has a visa service (the Batch System) open for international students who are already in the UK and can apply for their new visa here. As part of this service, we will give you all the advice you need on your new visa application, and we will help you fill in the forms and even send the application off for you. What’s more, this service is completely free.

This means that once the CAS is ready, we will send this to our Student Affairs department, and an International Student Advisor will contact you to agree on a time for you to complete your visa application with them.

When you are putting together your visa application, you will need to ensure you have the following money available:

• One year’s tuition fee – minus any money paid to the University
• One year’s living expenses – £9,207
• You must show these funds for at least 28 days before we issue your CAS.
• The funds should be either in your bank account or your parents’. If the money is in your parents' names, you must also include a birth certificate and a letter from them stating you have the right to use these funds with your visa application.
• Do not take this money out of the bank account while you wait for your visa, as the UKVI may check with the bank to see if the money is still there.
• The bank statements you send must not be dated more than one month from submission.
• We require certain students to show us their financial evidence before we will issue your CAS.
• We appreciate the sensitive information that bank statements contain. However, we assure you that any data received will be treated with the strictest confidentiality and will not be accessed by anyone other than the International Office staff.

Many students will be interviewed as part of the Student Visa application process to provide further assurance that applicants granted a visa; do intend to study in the UK. Get further information on student interviews from the Government.

For most students, the Government expects that this interview will be around five minutes long and will be conducted via a video link with a specialist team who will be based in Sheffield, UK. The interview will focus on your reasons for studying in the UK.

The kinds of questions you may be asked are:

• What research have you undertaken regarding where to study
• Why have you chosen the UK
• Why you chose BCU (instead of other UK universities)
• Why do you have gaps in your education
• What modules will you be taking
• How will your UK studies help your career development

Find out more about credibility interviews

The UKVI website contains information to help you.

Once accommodation applications are open, if you have accepted a firm course offer with Birmingham City University, you will then be sent an email with a link to the accommodation portal to make an application.

All first-year, full-time home, EU, and international students are guaranteed University accommodation if they firmly accept an offer in the main application cycle and apply by the deadline.

Please view the appropriate portfolio for your academic year intake. If medical or mobility factors have a bearing on your accommodation needs, please provide full details and supporting evidence at the time of application to enable us to allocate appropriately. You may also wish to contact the Enablement and Wellbeing Team at Student Affairs for advice and assistance or call +44 (0)121 331 5588.

To register and apply for accommodation, you will need to use your University Application number/Student ID (it has eight numeric characters):

• Register in the Accommodation Portal

• Select your Application Pathway that is relevant to your Campus

• Where required, please select your accommodation preferences and contract length which is suitable for your course

• Please use the Additional Information section to advise us of any requirements relevant to your room's allocation.

Note: to avoid any delay, please ensure you frequently check the progress of your application.

• Birmingham City University is your insurance choice
• You have not yet accepted your course offer
• You have used an incorrect University Application Number - some students assume the UCAS ID is the same as the University Application Number, but this is not case.
• Your details are not on the University's admissions system. You may have entered your details incorrectly - If you need assistance, please get in touch with Accommodation Services.

Your University Application Number should be on your offer email. It comprises eight unique numbers, which should be on your Birmingham City University Course Offer. If you are unable to locate this number, please get in touch with Accommodation Services. 

Please allow up to 30 minutes to receive the email and check your spam/junk emails. If you have still not received the email, contact Accommodation Services.

Please see individual accommodation location pages for prices.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition that causes significant difficulties in your day-to-day life, you must contact Accommodation Services as soon as possible to discuss your specific requirements. We will not be able to offer you a room until we confirm that reasonable adjustments can be made.

We may be able to offer you accommodation for the duration of your course, but due to possible changes in the portfolio, this may not be the same accommodation each year. If you have a personal support worker enabling you to live independently at the university, we can also provide a room for them (the full cost of this room is applicable). Please also inform the Enablement and Wellbeing Team of your medical condition.

We aim to provide accommodation for semester students, but this is subject to availability.

If you are a clearing or late applicant we cannot guarantee University accommodation, we will aim to provide you with you University Accommodation (subject to availability). Otherwise, we will assist you in finding alternative accommodation with a University-approved provider.

You must apply online if accommodation is required by early September 2024.