Applying for your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

Before applying for your visa (or a visa extension) you will need a CAS statement from Loughborough University as your sponsoring institution.

To be issued with a CAS, you need to pay a deposit of £2,500. You are strongly encouraged to pay this deposit as early as you can to secure your place with us and allow us to issue your CAS to you as soon as you have met all your offer conditions and been firmly accepted.

Note: no deposit is needed from research (PhD) students.

Students starting their master's study in September/October 2024 who pay their CAS deposit by 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a VIP package which will include the following:

  • Preferential reservation of University accommodation (provided you meet all conditions of your offer and are firmly accepted by 31 July).
  • For students on our East Midlands Campus in Loughborough: either a £100 discount on a hall place; OR £100 to use either at our campus catering facilities or for use towards the cost of Loughborough Sport membership.
  • For students on our London campus: £100 to use at our on-campus catering facilities.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the CAS deposit?

You will need to pay £2,500 to confirm you will be studying at Loughborough University and want us to issue you with a CAS. This deposit will be credited to your student account as a first payment of your tuition fees.

What is the deadline for paying the deposit?

The first deposit deadline is 30 June 2024. If your deposit is received by the University by this date, you will be eligible for the VIP student package outlined above. Note, there are a limited number of rooms on the Loughborough campus for postgraduate taught students, so the accommodation guarantee is restricted to students who meet all the conditions of their offer and are firmly accepted by 31 July. Accommodation cannot be guaranteed after this date, but it is likely there will be availability. 

If you are not able to pay your deposit by 30 June, it must be received by the University by 30 August 2024 if you will be applying for your visa from overseas, and 6 September 2024 if you are applying to extend your visa from within the UK. If you pay your deposit after 30 June 2024, you will be issued with a CAS but you will not be eligible for the VIP package.

You should note that the deposit funds will need to be in the University’s account by the above dates. The payment process can take up to four days to process so you should account for this when initiating your payment.

If you are not able to pay your deposit by the above deadlines, the University may still issue you with a CAS if you have a genuine reason why your deposit was delayed, you can provide evidence of this, and can confirm that you will make a Priority visa application.

Can I pay the deposit if I have a conditional offer?

If you wish to pay your deposit by 30 June to take advantage of the VIP package, you may pay it if you have either a conditional or unconditional offer. If you have a conditional offer, you will be able to book your accommodation once you have met all the conditions of your offer and you have been firmly accepted. Your CAS will be issued to you at this point.

Please note that you cannot change your programme after you have paid the deposit, so if you pay it while you are still holding a conditional offer, you should make sure that the programme you pay a deposit for is the one you wish to study. You should also be confident you can meet the conditions of your offer in full and are able to travel to the UK.

If you do not pay your deposit by 30 June, you may still pay it if you are holding a conditional offer, and your CAS will be issued to you once you have met all the conditions of your offer and you have been firmly accepted.

Can I pay more than £2,500?

You can pay as much as you would like, up to the maximum amount of your tuition fee. However, please remember that the deposit will only be refunded for the reasons outlined below, so you should only pay it if you are certain that you wish to study with us and need a CAS for that purpose.

Is my deposit refundable?

The CAS deposit will be refunded to you under the following situations:

  • You request a refund within 14 days of it being paid, in which case it will be refunded in line with the United Kingdom's Consumer Contracts (Information Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.
  • Your visa application is refused, provided it is not refused by the UKVI on the grounds of deception, fraud or lack of credibility on your behalf; or because you failed to follow UKVI guidance whilst applying for your student visa. You will be required to provide the visa refusal document to us before a refund will be considered.
  • If you pay your deposit while you are holding a conditional offer, and you subsequently are not able to meet the conditions of your offer and we reject your application. This will require you to send us evidence that you have not been able to meet our offer conditions. If you have not met the English language condition of your offer, you must provide evidence that you have attempted to meet this condition before the start of term, for example, by taking a language test after the date the deposit was paid.
  • There are very exceptional circumstances which mean you are not able to take up your place of study at the University. These may include a serious illness or accident suffered by yourself; the death of a close family member; a travel ban or another unexpected circumstance. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis and evidence of your situation will be required.

Refund requests should be made by 31 October for programmes with a September start date, and 28 February for programmes with a January start date.   

Successful deposit refund requests will be refunded via the route it was originally paid only and cannot be paid into or transferred into another account. Refunds will take up to six weeks to be processed.

If you request a refund of your CAS deposit, we will assume that you no longer wish to study with Loughborough University and your offer and CAS (if already issued) will be withdrawn.

Your CAS deposit will not be refunded to you under the following situations:

  • You are found to have omitted significant information, made false or misleading statements, and/or provided fraudulent or plagiarised information at any time during the admissions or visa application process.
  • You simply change your mind about studying at Loughborough University after paying your deposit.
  • You are successful with your visa application, register with the University and either fail to start the programme, or withdraw from your studies at a later date.  In this case, any additional payments you have made to the University over and above the deposit amount will be refunded.
  • You delay applying for your visa beyond the point at which it is reasonable to expect a successful outcome in time to start your programme, resulting in the University withdrawing your sponsorship.
  • If you choose to defer your entry to the following year, your deposit will be deferred as well, and will not be refunded.

Requests for a refund of your CAS deposit should be made via this form here.

How do I pay the deposit?

Your deposit can be paid quickly and securely using the University's Flywire account, by logging in to the application portal, clicking on the programme that you wish to study with us and following the link to the deposit payment page. 

I'm a sponsored student, do I need to pay the deposit?

If your tuition fees are being paid by an external sponsor (such as your employer or a government organisation) and you have already provided proof of this, you do not need to pay a deposit. If the University is unable to verify either your sponsor or your financial support, you will still be asked to pay a CAS deposit before your CAS is issued to you. This will either be set against your accommodation fees, or returned to you once your sponsor has paid your tuition fees in full.

More information on providing evidence of sponsorship can be found here. Students whose tuition fees are paid by an external sponsor are not eligible for the VIP package.

I'm a US student, do I need to pay the deposit?

If you are funding your studies with a US Federal Loan or a Sallie Mae Loan, you do not need to pay a deposit. You will not be eligible for the VIP package.

I am doing an English language pre-sessional programme - do I need to pay a CAS deposit?

You will be required to pay a CAS deposit before the start of your pre-sessional programme, to confirm your commitment to the programme. If you are attending a campus-based pre-sessional programme, you should ensure you pay the deposit by the published deadline so we can issue you with a CAS in time for you to obtain your student visa and travel to the UK for the start of the programme. 

If you plan to study the online pre-sessional programme, you are still required to pay your CAS deposit before the start date of the programme to confirm your commitment. Your CAS will be issued to you when you have successfully completed your pre-sessional studies to allow you to obtain your student visa an advance of travelling to the UK for your degree.

What happens when I have paid the deposit?

If you have met the conditions of your offer, are firmly accepted and the start date of your programme is less than four months away, we will start to prepare your CAS. You should note that the payment process can take up to four days to process through Flywire and be received by the University, so you should account for this when expecting your CAS.

If you are still holding a conditional offer when you pay your deposit, your CAS will be issued to you once you have met all the conditions of your offer, you are firmly accepted, and the start date of your programme is less than four months away.

Can I change my programme after I have paid my deposit?

No, your deposit is linked to the programme and the information on the CAS. You cannot change your mind after you have paid the deposit, so you should make sure that the programme you pay a deposit for is the one you wish to study.

How quickly will I get my CAS?

Your CAS will be produced and emailed to you up to five working days after your deposit has been received by the University. We will issue your CAS to you as quickly as possible.

My visa interview is in three days, I need my CAS urgently

Get in touch with us and send us evidence of your visa appointment date. We will do our best to fast-track your CAS if there is a genuine reason why you need it quickly. 

What is the latest date I can pay my deposit?

Please see our Key deadlines page for the date by which you must have paid your deposit.

Questions about your CAS?

If you have any questions about your CAS, you can contact our admissions team.

Further information about your CAS can be found on the International website.