CAS Shield for UK: All you need to know

CAS Shield is an online, interactive and secure data-gathering platform used by UK universities to verify and process the documents of international students who have received an offer to study in the UK. Think of it as a pre-screening system to ensure your documentation aligns perfectly with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations. Students upload all of their information and important documents on this platform. CAS Shield will be auto-populated with information about the candidate and the candidate's programme that he/she provided at the time of application and he/she has to check this for accuracy. The information provided by you must be correct; otherwise, your visa may be refused.

How to Check Your CAS Shield Status?

Once your draft CAS is ready, you will receive an email from the university to check and confirm the details of your draft CAS. You need to visit the OSIS (Online Student Information System) and check the information. After confirming the details, you need to approve the draft CAS.

What is Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies?

A CAS letter is an electronic statement that includes information about you and the programme you are going to study and it helps in the visa and immigration process. It includes your unique 'CAS number' - which is a unique reference number - to be used at the time of visa application. The university will send your CAS statement via email once you meet the requirements to be issued a CAS.

Here's a slight difference between the CAS Letter and the CAS Shield: CAS Shield is the online portal where you upload your documents and request your document review, while a CAS Letter is the final official document and unique number the university gives you after you pass those checks. 

Requirements to Access the CAS Shield Portal 2026-27

To unlock access to the CAS Shield system, applicants must first clear several entry benchmarks established by their chosen university in the UK. These requirements are listed below. 

1. An Unconditional Offer Letter - It is the single most important application document required for both accessing CAS Shield and applying for a UK study visa. Remember, you cannot request a CAS using a conditional offer. All academic transcripts, references, and backlogs must be resolved. 
2. Tuition Fee Deposit - As the university releases the offer letter, students are required to accept it by paying a deposit amount, which will be deducted from their first year's tuition fees. So, this is also a requirement for getting a CAS letter and for accessing the CAS Shield platform. 
3. Proof of having Maintenance Funds: To pass the CAS Shield automated financial check, you must prove you hold £1,529 per month if studying inside London, or £1,171 per month if studying outside London, for 9 months.
   • Note - Your accumulated maintenance funds + any outstanding tuition fees must sit untouched in an approved bank account for a minimum of 28 consecutive days.

Documents to Upload on the CAS Shield Platform

Indian students must upload the coloured scanned copies of the following documents on the CAS Shield platform.

1. Valid passport
2. Academic Transcripts
3. English language test scores, like IELTS/TOEFL/PTE
4. TB Test Certificate
5. Financial documents like bank logs, fixed deposit certificates, scholarships or a formal Education Loan Sanction Letter in the student’s or parent’s name
6. Your complete immigration history including - full documentation regarding any past global visa refusals or travel history to the UK/Schengen zones.

After you submit all your documents, you may also be required to take up a pre-CAS credibility interview. This interview aims to bring out more information on your decision to study at the particular university in the UK. After this, once all your documents are verified and your credibility interview is also approved, you will receive an email from your UK university including your CAS Letter. Following this, you can proceed to apply for the UK student visa.  

This was all about the CAS Shield UK. If you wish to study in the UK, get in touch with Shiksha's Counselling Services for free.