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Postgraduate Study

 

When Should I Apply

You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to six months in advance of your course start date, but you must have received a conditional offer of admission before you apply. You should check that your statement of research has been made available for you to view via your Self-Service account. If you cannot view your summary of research then please contact the relevant department directly before you apply. There is no charge for applying for an ATAS certificate.

Only YOU can apply for an ATAS certificate – the University cannot apply on your behalf.

To apply, you will need to complete and submit an online form, which can be found on the website of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

The details you will be asked to provide include:

  • CAH code3: The CAH3 code for the course. This can be checked on your offer letter.
  • Type of Study: You will need to tick 'Taught' or 'Research'. This can be checked on your offer letter.
  • Subject of Study: You must enter the name of the course you will study. This can be checked on your offer letter
  • Statement of research: You will be asked to enter a statement summarising your research (or core modules, for a taught MPhil), which has been agreed with your department. See below for more information.
  • Personal Statement of Purpose: See below for more information
  • Referees: You will be asked to provide the name and contact details for two referees to support your ATAS application.

Statement of Research

The statement will be viewable in your self-service account via the 'UK Immigration' link as soon as the department has provided it. In some cases, this will occur at the same time as or before your conditional offer is made. You should NOT write the statement of research yourself.

If you believe that you require an ATAS certificate and the ATAS statement of research is not in your Self-Service account please contact your department (not the Postgraduate Admissions Office).

Personal Statement of Purpose

The ATAS online form will also ask you to summarise why you are interested in the course subject you have chosen, and your future plans. All applicants will need to complete this section. If you will be doing an MPhil that contains taught modules, please ensure that you include in this section your intentions regarding the optional modules you will take, and the research project you will undertake. This does NOT commit you to taking those modules or carrying out that research project – it is simply an indication of your intentions at the time of writing. Please see departmental websites for information on course modules.