United Kingdom — Study (Master's degree (usually one year) on a Student visa)

Main requirements

You need an offer from a licensed student sponsor and a CAS issued by the university. A master's usually needs a relevant four-year bachelor's. For example, Manchester asks Iranian graduates for at least 14/20 from state universities and 15/20 from private ones; Sheffield treats 14/20 as a 2:1 and 13/20 as a 2:2. Pre-Masters courses exist if your grades are lower.

Documents

Valid passport; CAS; bachelor's degree and transcripts with translations; English certificate if the university asks for one; proof of funds; ATAS certificate if your course needs it. Iran is not currently on the TB test country list.

Language

For degree-level study UKVI requires B2, and the university can assess your English itself. In practice most universities ask for IELTS Academic around 6.0 to 7.0 depending on the course.

Costs and proof of funds

Per the official source as of October 2026, the visa fee is £558. The immigration health surcharge for students is £776 per year and the total depends on visa length; a one-year master's gives a visa of about 17 months (course plus 1 month before and 4 after), so the IHS is about £1,164. International master's fees vary widely: for example, Bradford charges about £15,700 to £19,500 and SOAS London about £25,000 to £29,000; top universities charge much more for some courses.

Funds: you must show unpaid first-year tuition plus living costs. Per the official source as of October 2026, living costs are £1,529 a month in London and £1,171 a month outside London, for up to 9 months (£13,761 or £10,539). The money must be held for at least 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before you apply. Under Appendix Finance, funds are not accepted if UKVI cannot verify them or the institution isn't regulated in its country. The same rules set a separate conversion rate for Iranian rials (the monthly FCDO rate), so rial accounts are not banned as such, but many applicants show funds held outside Iran to reduce verification and sanctions risk. An official financial sponsor (a government, the British Council, a university or an international company) is also accepted.

Steps and timeline

IELTS and documents; university applications (usually autumn to spring for a September start); offer and deposit; ATAS if needed; hold the money for 28 days; CAS; online visa application (up to 6 months before the course starts) and biometrics. Decisions from outside the UK usually take 3 weeks.

Notes for Iranian applicants

ATAS: Iran is not an exempt nationality, so if your master's or PhD is in a sensitive science or technology area (many engineering, physics, chemistry, materials, aerospace, nuclear and similar subjects), you need an ATAS certificate before applying for the visa. It's free, but GOV.UK says it takes at least 30 working days (6 weeks) and can take longer from April to August. Without ATAS you cannot start the course, and for Iranians in sensitive fields refusal is a real risk. Your university states in the offer whether the course needs ATAS.

Where to give biometrics: visa decisions aren't made in Tehran, but GOV.UK's visa application centre finder lists Iran with a link to the VFS page, and Persian sources say the UK visa centre in Tehran (Heravi Center) has been taking applicants again since 21 June 2026. We couldn't open the VFS page itself, so check which centre the online form offers for Iran when you book. If Tehran isn't available, the nearby options are Istanbul and Ankara, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and Yerevan.

Because of banking sanctions, ask the university's finance office which payment methods it accepts before paying tuition or a deposit, and keep every receipt. Chevening is open to Iran, but applications are currently closed and no reopening date is announced; Chevening advises Iranian applicants to take independent advice on how taking part may be seen at home and not to publicise their application on social media. Men must sort out military service or get a study exit permit. Iran is not among the countries whose study visas were paused from March 2026 (Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, Sudan).

After arrival (work while studying, post-study stay, path to settlement)

On a full-time degree-level course you can work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time in vacations; self-employment is not allowed. Taught master's students cannot bring a partner or children (only PhD/research master's or government-sponsored students can). After graduating you can get the Graduate visa: 2 years if you apply by 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027. After that you need a work visa such as Skilled Worker; the settlement qualifying period is being reformed (the government proposes a 10-year baseline).