All About the CAS Letter for UK - Requirements, Processing Time, Sample

A CAS Letter is a very important document without which you cannot apply for a UK Student Visa. Your UK university issues a CAS letter only after you've accepted their admission offer and have paid the deposit in advance to lock your seat at the university.

The CAS letter is an electronic document that consists of a unique number and confirms your admission to a UK university. The CAS 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 apply for an extension of their current student 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 require the university to sponsor the student’s application for a student visa. Read further in this article to learn more about what a CAS letter. Read our UK student visa guide for all details about the student visa in the UK.

What is a CAS Letter and What is its Full Form?

The full form of CAS is Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. It is a secure, electronic record generated by your university and shared directly with the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). You cannot apply for a UK Student Visa without a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letter. A CAS Letter acts as your official sponsorship letter issued by the university. You must enter the unique 14-digit CAS reference number into your visa application form for it to be processed. 

This is generally released after the student accepts the unconditional offer letter issued by the university and pays the deposit amount described by the university in their offer letter. The university then releases the CAS letter - which can be used for the visa application process. You can check the differences between conditional and unconditional offer letter here. 

Now there are two terms used interchangeably among students and counsellors and our next section is added specifically to remove the confusion between these two for Indian students. 

What is the difference between a CAS Letter and a CAS Statement?

A CAS Letter is the formal, electronic document issued by your university that acts as your visa sponsorship. A CAS Statement is simply the email format of this document. All in all, they refer to the same document.

Here is a breakdown of all the CAS-related terminologies used in the process of receiving a CAS from your university👇

• CAS Letter: This is the overarching term for the digital record. It confirms you have an unconditional offer, have met all admission requirements and that the university is sponsoring your Student Visa application.
• CAS Statement: Your college will also send along the information they have used to generate your CAS, which is referred to here as "CAS Statement". Universities do not physically mail a paper letter. Instead, they send you a CAS Statement via email or display it on their internal portal. This statement contains all your course information, tuition fees paid and your unique CAS Number.
• CAS Number: This is the specific 14-digit code found inside your CAS Statement. You must type this exact code into the UKVI Student Visa Application portal to link your visa application to your university.

Meanwhile, you may also check what to expect from student life in UK. 

What Information Does the CAS Letter Contain?

The CAS letter you receive from your university usually contains the following information:

• Sponsor License Number (SLN) of the university where you intend to study
• Sponsor License Address
• 14-digit reference number for you
• Course Details: Official title, and start and end dates
• Qualifications which helped you secure a place in the university. Check Academic Transcripts required for studying abroad.
• Passport number and your name on your passport
• 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

Why is a CAS Letter Required?

CAS letter is required as it contains the unique 14-digit reference number - which you must enter while filling out your visa application form in order to link it with your university. Note that your CAS will be valid for a student visa application for six months from the date of issue. Although many universities in the UK send the CAS letter themselves, there are a few institutions that 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 your UK Student Visa application form. The visa official processing your application will check this number and the corroborating documents to confirm that you have an unconditional offer from the university.

Your college will also send you the information they have used to generate your CAS, i.e CAS statement, via email. The CAS statement is not required for your student 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 student visa application form. You may also read about CAS Shield for studying in UK.

The important thing to note is that you may obtain CAS from several different universities. However, before you apply for your student visa, you must decide which university you intend to study at 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 whose CAS you referred to in your visa application. In case there are any inconsistencies between the information used by the university to create the CAS and the information you provide on your visa application form, then your visa application could be refused.

You may also check: 

• Documents required for admission in the UK

• How to Apply to UK Universities Using the UCAS Application?

Sample CAS Letter for UK  

Below is a sample of the CAS letter UK that is issued by the universities to students as a confirmation of their acceptance to the university. 

You may also check - Best Short Courses in UK Universities 2026

What are the Requirements for Getting a CAS Letter?

To get your CAS issued, you typically need to:

• Have an unconditional offer from a licensed UK university
• Accept your offer and fulfil any pending academic or English language conditions
• Pay the required tuition fee deposit
• Pass any financial or credibility checks required by your institution

Note:- You must accept the final unconditional offer released by your university within the due time mentioned on the email containing the offer. 

What is Pre-CAS? Is it Mandatory for Indian Students?

Pre-CAS is a preliminary screening or interview conducted by a university before it issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letter to you. Though, as it is not mandated by the UK government, it is not mandatory for Indian students, and only a few universities ask for a Pre-CAS. Elite universities like the Russell Group Universities or universities processing students from "low-risk" nationalities often skip the Pre-CAS interview entirely and issue the CAS directly once the deposit is paid. 

So, whether you have to give a Pre-CAS interview depends entirely on which UK university you apply to. But, as of current times, as India’s overall student visa refusal rate has risen, many mid-tier and lower-ranked UK universities have made Pre-CAS screening compulsory for Indian applicants to avoid visa rejections. However, top-tier universities generally bypass it completely even now. 

How to Know if You Have to Take Pre-CAS?

You will likely not have a Pre-CAS interview if you are applying to highly-ranked and highly-selective institutions - including the Russell Group Universities. These universities assess your genuine student status directly from your heavy academic transcripts, Statement of Purpose (SOP) and Letters of Recommendation. They issue your CAS as soon as you meet their academic conditions and pay the tuition deposit.

You will have a mandatory Pre-CAS interview if you are applying to universities that recruit heavily through regional education agents or take a large volume of international applications. They use an online dashboard (like CAS Shield or Enroly) where you must pass an internal credibility interview before they release your 14-digit CAS number. Some examples of interview-mandatory universities are - the University of Lincoln (explicitly mandates a Pre-CAS video interview for Indian passport holders), the University of Chester and several mid-tier regional universities.

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, as they don't generate one on their own.
• 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 - and they must match with the information on your passport and with the information you fill out in your visa application form. 
• Candidates will also have to provide proof of sufficient funds, such as their bank statements, to cover their cost of studying and living in the UK. 
• After all the above steps have been completed and you've accepted the offer, your university will provide you with your CAS.

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, a TB certificate, and an ATAS certificate. After submitting these, they will obtain a link that will direct them to their CAS statement.
• Every 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.

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.

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