Applying for an ATAS certificate

Students wishing to study certain undergraduate courses at Loughborough University may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate

What is ATAS?

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study at postgraduate level or an undergraduate course with an integrated masters year in certain sensitive subjects. The subjects are those where students’ knowledge could be used in programmes to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery. These students must apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before they can study in the UK.

Do I need ATAS?

If you need to apply for an ATAS certificate, this will be included as a condition in your offer communication.

Students who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate.

Find out if you require an ATAS certificate

Courses that are included in the scheme can be found here. You will need to obtain an ATAS certificate before applying for a student visa or extension if you plan to study one of these courses. Certain key pieces of information are required in order to apply for your ATAS certificate, such as the CAH3 code and course duration - both are available on the dedicated support webpage. Please note that UCAS course codes are different to CAH3 codes.

ATAS also require information on the modules contained in the course for which you have an offer.

How to apply for ATAS

You can apply for ATAS online, free of charge, once you have received your official offer email from Loughborough University - we recommend doing so as soon as you receive your offer. If you have any questions about applying for ATAS, contact the Admissions office by email or phone or visit the official Government website for details.