Today, Harbin Starr will explain what CAS is when studying in the UK.
According to the regulations of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), from February 22nd, 20 10, all students who intend to apply for a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK must provide a CAS- confirmation certificate issued by their guarantor (that is, an educational institution in the UK).
For students studying in British universities, CAS is the electronic admission notice of British universities, which is a special electronic reference number issued by British universities to students. The course information corresponding to the electronic reference number is unique, that is, one CAS corresponds to one course. CAS is one of the necessary materials for applying for a study visa in the UK, including the applicant's personal information, study background and related electronic coding information of British universities. After obtaining the CAS number, the visa officer can query the relevant information of the applicant online.
CAS replaced the original paper visa letter, and students only need to provide a CAS number to complete the UK study visa. Universities usually send CAS numbers to students by e-mail, so CAS is also called E-CAS.
The validity period of CAS number is 6 months, and the number of CAS numbers issued by each school is limited. Therefore, schools must strengthen the trial of students' applications to ensure that students who have obtained CAS are students with real learning purpose and sufficient learning ability.
What's the difference between CAS and British university OFFER?
British university Offer is an intention of the school to accept students' applications. After students submit their application materials to the school, those who meet the admission conditions can get an Offer. CAS is a confirmation letter issued by the university to students after they accept the Offer from the British university and pay the first tuition advance to the school, so as to keep their degrees.
To obtain CAS, two conditions need to be met:
1. The Offer of a British university is still valid when the tuition fee is paid (it is generally required to be confirmed within 4-6 weeks);
2. There are still vacancies in the majors that have applied for tuition fees (British universities adopt the principle of first-come-first-served confirmation, and it doesn't matter whether they apply in the morning or evening, the key is when to confirm).
Just because you get an Offer from a British university doesn't mean you are admitted to the school. Only by paying tuition fees in exchange for CAS can we be sure to be admitted in the true sense. The school has the right and possibility to give the degree to other students before they get the Offer, but they didn't get CAS.
How to accept an Offer from a British university in exchange for CAS?
The university's admission notice will clearly inform the steps to accept the Offer. Students usually only need to complete two things:
1 Fill in the acceptance form and sign it;
2. Pay the first tuition advance (payment method can be selected: international wire transfer, money order or credit card).
Students will submit the admission notice together with the payment voucher of the advance payment, and the school will change it into a CAS statement for you, so that the students' degree can be confirmed and they can apply for a student visa.