Change University or Course on a UK Student Visa: New CAS and Visa Rules for Pakistani Students (2026)

Why is changing course in the UK so restricted?

Because your visa is tied to one sponsor and one course. Your university is a licensed student sponsor, and it assigned you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for a specific programme. The Home Office granted permission on that basis. If you want a refresher on what the CAS contains, our explainer on what a CAS letter is and how Pakistani students get one covers it.

Under rule ST 27.1 of Appendix Student, a Student must only study with the sponsor that assigned the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, with narrow exceptions such as studying at a partner institution. So a move to another university is not an administrative transfer. It is a fresh immigration decision.

The rules exist to stop the Student route being used as a way into the UK rather than a way to study. For a genuine student who has simply picked the wrong programme, they can feel harsh. They are still the rules, and the Home Office applies them.

Can you change course at the same university without a new visa?

Sometimes, yes. This is the most flexible option and the one to explore first.

Rule ST 27.3 of Immigration Rules Appendix Student lets you begin a new course with your current sponsor without a new visa only if the sponsor is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance, you have not completed your current course, the new course is not at a lower level, it is at degree level or above, it can be completed within your current permission, and the sponsor confirms it is related to your old course or supports your genuine career aspirations.

Broken down, every one of these must be true:

• The university is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance. Most UK universities are; many private colleges and language schools are not.
• You are mid-course. You have not already completed the course on your CAS.
• Not a step down. The new course is not at a lower level, with a narrow exception for leaving an integrated master's or PhD at the lower award.
• Degree level or above. Foundation or pre-degree courses do not qualify.
• It fits your current visa. You can finish the new course within the permission you already hold.
• The university signs off on the link. It confirms the new course is related to the old one, or supports your genuine career aspirations.

What this looks like in practice

A student on an MSc Data Science at a university in Manchester who wants to move to that university's MSc Business Analytics, starting in January and finishing before the visa expires, may well fit. The same student wanting to move to an MSc that runs eight months past the visa end date would not, because the course cannot be completed within current permission.

Can you move to a different UK university?

Only with a new visa, and where you apply from depends on whether you have finished your current course.

If you have completed your current course

You can usually apply from inside the UK with a new CAS from the new university, provided you meet the academic progress rule below. You can begin at the new university once you have applied, subject to the conditions in ST 27.1, while the decision is pending.

If you have not completed your current course

Rule ST 14.1 of Appendix Student says that a student applying for further Student permission from inside the UK must have successfully completed the course they were last granted permission for, unless an exception applies, such as progressing within an integrated master's or PhD programme. Changing university mid-course is not one of the standard exceptions. In practice that means you would normally leave the UK and apply from Pakistan with a CAS from the new university.

The exceptions in ST 14.4 are specific. They include a PhD student following their supervisor to another institution, a student whose sponsor has lost its licence, re-sits and repeated modules, and some medical intercalation cases. Read them on the official page before assuming you fit one.

If you are weighing several countries at once, our broader comparison of whether Pakistani students can change university abroad after starting gives the overview; this guide goes deeper into the UK rules. Australia handles this very differently, through the provider rather than a new visa. If you are comparing, our guide on changing university on an Australian student visa sets out the six month rule there.

What is the academic progress rule?

When you apply for a new Student visa from inside the UK, the Home Office wants to see that your studies are moving forward, not sideways. The GOV.UK extension page puts it in plain words: you will usually need to show your new course is at a higher academic level than your current one.

There are two main ways to meet it:

1. A higher level course. Bachelor's to master's, or master's to PhD.
2. A same-level course with conditions. Allowed only where the sponsor is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance, the course is at degree level or above, and the sponsor confirms the new course is related to the previous one or that the two together support your genuine career aspirations.

What does not pass: a second unrelated master's at a different university with no career logic, or a move down from a master's to a lower level diploma. These may still be possible from Pakistan, but each new application faces the genuine student assessment, and a pattern of course hopping is exactly what caseworkers look for.

How do you apply for a new visa for the new course?

Step by step from inside the UK (course completed)

1. Get an unconditional offer and a CAS from the new university.
2. Check the academic progress rule and the English requirement against the CAS.
3. Confirm whether you need to show maintenance funds (see the costs section).
4. Apply online before your current permission ends.
5. Pay the fee and the healthcare surcharge, then verify your identity.

Two timing rules catch people. The GOV.UK extension page says you must apply before your current visa expires and your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. The same GOV.UK guidance says you must apply within 6 months of getting your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.

Step by step from Pakistan (course not completed)

1. Tell your current university in writing that you are withdrawing, and keep the confirmation.
2. Leave the UK. Your old permission will usually be cancelled once the sponsor reports your withdrawal.
3. Get a new CAS. The new university will ask why you left your previous course; answer it honestly.
4. Apply from Pakistan with funds, TB certificate, English evidence and a clear explanation of the change.
5. Expect the genuine student test to focus on the switch.

Many students in this position also face a fresh intake date. Our guide to deferring your intake and what it does to the visa and money covers the knock-on effects on deposits and timing, and the article on UK and Canada student visa extensions explains the expiry deadline in more detail.

What other approvals might the new course need?

Changing the course can trigger requirements that did not apply to the old one. Check these before you commit.

ATAS clearance

Some postgraduate subjects in science, engineering and technology need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate. Rule ST 27.6 makes your study subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS, so a move from a course that did not need ATAS to one that does means getting a certificate before you start, even if no new visa is needed. ATAS checks can take several weeks, so build that into your start date.

English language level

A new CAS has to show how you meet the English requirement for the new course. If you are moving up to degree level from a lower course, the level required rises to B2 in all four components. Most students already on a UK degree meet this through their current study, but the new university decides how it assesses you and records it on the CAS.

Professional and course-specific conditions

Some programmes, such as nursing, teacher training or clinical courses, have their own entry checks and placement requirements. These sit with the university, not the Home Office, but they can delay a CAS by months.

Sponsorship letters

If a government or scholarship body in Pakistan funds you, it may need to approve the change. Rule ST 1.3 adds that if a government or international scholarship agency covered both your fees and living costs for a UK course you completed in the last 12 months, you must provide its written consent with the new application. Ask early; these offices are rarely quick.

How much does a change cost?

A same-sponsor change under ST 27.3 has no Home Office fee, though the university may charge different tuition. A new visa costs real money.

Visa fee

As of 11 November 2026, the GOV.UK Student visa page lists the application fee as £558 whether you apply from outside the UK or extend or switch from inside it, and you pay the same for each dependant. The Home Office fees table dated 8 October 2026 shows the same £558 figure for Student applications made inside and outside the UK.

Immigration Health Surcharge

As of 11 November 2026, the GOV.UK healthcare surcharge page charges students £776 per year of permission, with half that for any part year of six months or less. For a new 15 month master's grant, that typically means two years of charge if the grant runs past twelve months.

Maintenance funds

As of 11 November 2026, the GOV.UK Student visa money page asks for £1,529 per month in London or £1,171 per month elsewhere, for up to 9 months, unless you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date you apply. Students who leave and apply from Pakistan have to show funds again. Students applying in the UK after a year on a visa usually do not.

Hidden costs

• Tuition already paid. Refunds after enrolment are often partial or nil. Read the refund policy before you withdraw.
• New deposit. The new university will usually want a tuition deposit before issuing a CAS.
• Flights and rent. Leaving the UK mid-tenancy rarely ends the tenancy.
• Lost time. A missed intake can cost you a year.

Put together, a student who leaves mid-course and restarts elsewhere from Pakistan can easily spend more than the original first year's living costs again. A same-sponsor change can cost nothing beyond a fee difference.

How do your options compare?

What happens if you simply stop attending?

Your university is legally obliged to report it. Sponsors must tell the Home Office when a student withdraws, is withdrawn, or stops engaging. The Home Office can then cancel your permission, which shortens the time you are allowed to stay.

Students sometimes assume they can quietly drop out and use the remaining months on their visa to find another place. That rarely works. Your permission is likely to be cut short, and any new application must declare what happened. An unexplained gap or a withdrawal you did not mention weighs heavily on credibility later, including on future visit, spouse or study applications.

The better course is always to talk to the university's compliance team first, then decide, and to keep every email.

What does a realistic case look like?

This is an illustrative case, not a real client.

Hamza, from Faisalabad, starts an MSc Mechanical Engineering in Coventry in September 2026 on a visa running to January 2028. By November he realises his interest is in engineering management.

• Option A: His university offers an MSc Engineering Management, starting January 2027 and ending December 2027. It is degree level, the same level, related, and finishes inside his current permission. The compliance team confirms it can be done under ST 27.3. No new visa, no Home Office fee.
• Option B: A different university in Leeds offers him a place in January 2027. Because he has not completed his Coventry MSc, he would normally need to go back to Lahore and apply from there, paying the £558 fee, new health surcharge and showing maintenance funds again, while losing part of the Coventry fees already paid.

Option A is cheaper and faster. Option B may still be right if the Leeds programme matters to his career, but he should choose it knowing the full cost and the extra scrutiny it brings.

Which mistakes cause the most damage?

• Starting classes at a new university before applying. ST 27.1 limits where you can study.
• Assuming a "transfer" works like Canada or Australia. In the UK a new sponsor generally means a new visa.
• Letting the visa expire. Apply before it ends, or lose the right to apply from inside the UK.
• Using a CAS older than six months. It will not support the application.
• Choosing an unrelated same-level course without career logic that the sponsor can confirm.
• Hiding the withdrawal on the next application. Declare it and explain it.
• Forgetting dependants. A spouse or child on your visa is affected by every change you make.

For country background, our UK study visa hub brings the main UK guides together.

Frequently asked questions