Extending Your UK Student Visa for a Second Degree: What Changes

If you are staying in the UK to continue studying — moving from an undergraduate degree to a master's, or a master's to a PhD, at the same or a different university — you will need to extend your Student visa before your current one expires. It is a fresh application, not an automatic renewal, and it comes with its own checks.

The "academic progression" rule

UKVI's key test for anyone extending their Student visa to study a further course is academic progression — your new course must generally be at a higher level than your previous UK qualification (for example, bachelor's to master's, or master's to PhD). Extending into a course at the same or a lower academic level is only accepted in specific circumstances, such as:

• The new course directly complements your previous one (for example, a related professional qualification).
• You are moving from a course you did not complete for a genuine reason, and the new course is a reasonable substitute.
• Your new institution has provided a credible explanation on your CAS for why the progression rule does not strictly apply.

What you need for the extension application

1. A new CAS from your new (or continuing) university, listing the new course, fees and dates.
2. Proof of funds for 28 consecutive days, covering the new course's remaining fees and living costs — your previous application's funds do not carry over, even if they came from the same account.
3. Updated English language evidence, if your previous evidence has expired or your new course requires a different level.
4. ATAS certificate, if your new subject requires one — check this fresh for the new course, as it is not automatically carried across even within the same university.

Timing your application

Apply as soon as your new CAS is issued — you can apply from inside the UK up to three months before your new course starts, and you can normally continue studying and working under your current visa conditions right up until a decision is made, provided you applied before your current visa expired. Leaving it until the last few weeks risks a gap if UKVI needs extra checking time.

Financial evidence: what's different this time

Even if you showed funds for your previous course without issue, the extension application requires a fresh 28-day holding period against the new course's costs. If your parents are sponsoring you again, the same rules on relationship proof and account ownership apply as the first time — see our 28-day financial rule guide for exactly how the calculation works, since fee and living cost figures will likely have changed.

Staying with the same university vs moving

Staying at the same university is often more straightforward administratively, since your student record and previous compliance history are already known to them. Moving universities for a master's or PhD is completely normal too, but build in extra time for your new institution to process your application and issue a CAS, particularly if you are applying close to the intake deadline.

For the wider visa picture, see our UK Student Visa complete guide, and if you are also considering your options after this next degree, our Graduate visa route explained is worth reading in parallel. Our arrival packages and UniLife support are available again for your new course start, and the parent portal keeps family updated through a second (or third) UK arrival.