📚 Tier 4 Student Visa: Your Passport to Studying in the UK | Tier 4 学生签证：前往英国留学的"通行证"
If you are about to begin your studies in the UK, one document matters more than any other before you even board the plane: your student visa. Without it, your offer letter, your accommodation booking and your flight ticket are all meaningless. This guide explains the visa that was once called Tier 4, who needs it, what documents you must prepare, how much money you must show, and the mistakes that cause most applications to fail.
如果你即将赴英国开启留学生涯，那么在登机之前，没有任何一份文件比学生签证更重要。没有它，你的录取通知书、住宿预订和机票都毫无意义。本文系统讲解曾经被称为 Tier 4 的学生签证：谁需要申请、必须准备哪些材料、需要证明多少资金，以及导致大多数申请失败的错误。
1. What Is the Tier 4 Student Visa? | 什么是 Tier 4 学生签证？
Tier 4 was the name of the UK student visa under the old points-based system. Since 2020 the route has been renamed the Student Route, and on gov.uk it is simply called the Student visa. In everyday conversation, and in many older articles, people still say "Tier 4" - so if you see the term, it means exactly the same thing as the Student visa today.
Tier 4 是英国旧积分制体系下学生签证的名称。自 2020 年起，该路径被更名为 Student Route，在英国政府官网 gov.uk 上直接称为 Student visa（学生签证）。在日常交流以及许多较早的文章中，人们仍然说 Tier 4——所以当你看到这个说法时，它指的就是今天的学生签证，两者完全是一回事。
The visa is a points-based permission: you must score 70 points in total, and you score them by proving three things. There is no interview-only route and no "guaranteed" approval - every point must be backed by a document.
该签证采用积分制：你必须累计获得 70 分，而这 70 分来自三项证明。不存在"只靠面试就能过"或者"保证获批"的路径——每一分都必须有文件支撑。
| Requirement / 要求 | Points / 分值 | Evidence / 证明材料 |
| Course place with an approved sponsor / 获认可担保机构提供的课程名额 | 50 | CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) / 录取确认函 CAS |
| Financial requirement / 资金要求 | 10 | Bank statements, bank letters, sponsor letters / 银行对账单、银行证明信、资助信 |
| English language requirement / 英语语言要求 | 10 | SELT certificate or university assessment / SELT 考试成绩或学校评估 |
2. Who Needs It: Age, Course Level and the 18+ Rule | 谁需要申请：年龄、课程层级与 18 岁规定
If you are already 18 or over and you plan to study at a UK university, you must apply for a Student visa before you travel. There is no way to enrol on a degree course at a UK higher education institution as an international student without it, and you cannot apply for it after you arrive as a visitor.
如果你已年满 18 周岁，并且计划入读英国大学，那么你必须在出发前申请学生签证。作为国际学生，没有学生签证就无法在英国高等教育机构注册学位课程，也不能先以访客身份入境后再申请。
Students aged 16 and 17 can also apply, but they must provide written consent from a parent or legal guardian and evidence of suitable care arrangements in the UK. The same route covers degree courses, foundation years, pre-sessional English courses, and postgraduate study.
16 与 17 周岁的学生同样可以申请，但必须提供父母或法定监护人的书面同意，以及在英国适当照料安排的证明。同一条路径适用于学位课程、预科、课前英语课程以及研究生阶段的学习。
- You must have been offered a place on a course with a licensed sponsor (a UK institution holding a Student sponsor licence).
你必须已获得持牌担保机构（持有学生担保牌照的英国院校）的课程录取名额。 - You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English to the level the course requires.
你的英语听说读写能力必须达到该课程所要求的水平。 - You must have enough money to pay for your course and support yourself during your studies.
你必须有足够资金支付课程费用并在学习期间维持自己的生活。 - If you apply from outside the UK, you normally apply online in your home country before you travel.
若从英国境外申请，通常需在出发前于本国在线提交申请。
3. The CAS: Your Unconditional Offer and Proof You Meet Entry Requirements | CAS：无条件录取通知书与入学要求的证明
The single most important document in your application is the CAS - the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. Your university issues it only after you have accepted your offer and, in most cases, paid a tuition deposit. The CAS is not a paper certificate you print out; it is an electronic record with a unique reference number, and you must quote that number in your visa application.
申请中最重要的文件是 CAS（录取确认函）。大学通常只在你接受录取并（多数情况下）缴纳学费押金之后才会签发。CAS 不是一张需要打印的纸质证书，而是一份带有唯一编号的电子记录，你必须在签证申请中填写该编号。
Before issuing the CAS, the university must be satisfied that you meet the academic entry requirements - the equivalent of an unconditional offer, or a conditional offer where you have now satisfied every condition. This is why your transcripts, degree certificates, A Level or IB results, and reference letters are all part of the visa story, not just the admissions story.
在签发 CAS 之前，学校必须确认你已满足学术入学要求——相当于"无条件录取"，或者你的有条件录取现已满足全部条件。这正是为什么成绩单、学位证书、A Level 或 IB 成绩以及推荐信不仅属于申请环节，也是签证环节的一部分。
- A CAS is valid for six months, so do not delay your visa application after receiving it.
CAS 的有效期为六个月，拿到后不要拖延签证申请。 - Check your name, date of birth, course title, course dates and fees on the CAS statement carefully.
请仔细核对 CAS 上的姓名、出生日期、课程名称、课程起止日期与学费。 - If anything is wrong, ask the university's visa team to amend it before you submit - you cannot correct a CAS yourself.
如发现错误，请在提交申请前联系学校签证团队修改——你无法自行更正 CAS。 - You only need one CAS for one application; using an old or cancelled CAS will lead to refusal.
一次申请只需一份 CAS；使用过期或已取消的 CAS 会导致拒签。
4. The English Language Requirement | 英语语言能力要求
Living and studying overseas places real demands on your ability to communicate, so the visa rules include an English language requirement. For a degree-level course, you normally need to show English at CEFR level B2 in all four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
海外生活与学习对你的沟通交流能力有切实要求，因此签证规则中包含英语语言要求。对于学位层级课程，你通常需要证明英语在听说读写四项技能上均达到 CEFR B2 水平。
You can meet the requirement in one of several ways. The most common is a Secure English Language Test (SELT) taken at an approved test centre, such as IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert SELT or Trinity ISE. Alternatively, many universities are permitted to assess your English themselves, which is why some students are admitted on the basis of an internal test or an interview.
满足该要求的方式有多种。最常见的是在认可考试中心参加安全英语语言测试（SELT），例如 IELTS for UKVI、PTE Academic UKVI、LanguageCert SELT 或 Trinity ISE。另一种情况是，许多大学被允许自行评估学生的英语水平，因此部分学生可通过校内测试或面试满足要求。
- A SELT result is normally valid for two years from the test date.
SELT 成绩通常自考试之日起两年内有效。 - A standard IELTS Academic test that is not the UKVI version may be accepted by your university for admission but not for the visa - always check which version you need.
非 UKVI 版本的普通雅思学术类成绩可能被学校接受用于录取，但不能用于签证——务必确认你需要哪一种。 - Nationals of majority English-speaking countries, and some students who completed a degree taught in English, may be exempt.
以英语为主要语言国家的公民，以及部分以英语完成学位的学生，可能获得豁免。 - Some courses, especially pre-sessional English, have a lower required level - check the exact level on your CAS.
某些课程（尤其是课前英语课程）要求的水平较低——请以 CAS 上标注的具体等级为准。
5. Financial Evidence: Tuition Plus Living Costs | 资金证明：学费加生活费
Money is where most applications succeed or fail. You must show that you can pay your tuition fees for the first year of your course (or for the whole course if it lasts less than a year) plus your living costs for up to nine months. The living cost figures depend on where you study: London is more expensive than the rest of the UK.
资金是多数申请成败的关键。你必须证明自己有能力支付课程第一年的学费（若课程不足一年，则需支付全部学费），外加最多九个月的生活费。生活费标准取决于就读地点：伦敦高于英国其他地区。
| Where you study / 就读地点 | Monthly living cost / 每月生活费 | Nine-month total / 九个月合计 |
| London / 伦敦 | £1,483 | £13,347 |
| Outside London / 伦敦以外 | £1,136 | £10,224 |
These figures were increased in January 2025 and are revised from time to time, so always confirm the current amounts on gov.uk before you prepare your documents. A course in London technically means a course taught within the Greater London area, but if your university has campuses in several cities, the campus where you actually study decides the rate.
上述标准于 2025 年 1 月上调，并会不定期调整，因此在准备材料前请务必在 gov.uk 上确认最新金额。理论上，位于大伦敦地区内授课的课程属于"伦敦"，但如果你的大学在多个城市设有校区，则以你实际就读的校区为准。
- The money must have been held in your account (or your parent's or sponsor's account) for 28 consecutive days.
该笔资金必须在你的账户（或父母、资助人的账户）中连续存满 28 天。 - The 28-day period must end no more than 31 days before the date you submit your application.
这 28 天的截止日期不得早于你提交申请之日前 31 天。 - Bank statements, a signed bank letter, a building society passbook, or an official sponsor or student loan letter are all acceptable forms of evidence.
银行对账单、银行签字证明信、建房互助协会存折，或官方资助信、学生贷款证明均可作为有效材料。 - If the money is in a parent's account, you must also provide your birth certificate and a letter confirming the relationship and permission to use the funds.
若资金存在父母账户中，你还需提供出生证明，以及确认亲属关系并同意你使用该资金的证明信。 - Any tuition deposit or accommodation fee already paid directly to the university can usually be deducted from the amount you must show.
已直接向学校支付的学费押金或住宿费，通常可从需要证明的金额中扣除。 - All documents must be in English, or accompanied by a fully certified translation.
所有材料必须为英文，或附有完整的认证翻译件。
Total to show = Tuition fees for year 1 + (Monthly living cost × 9) − Amounts already paid
需证明总额 = 第一年学费 +（每月生活费 × 9）− 已支付金额
6. Visa Fees, the Health Surcharge and Realistic Budgeting | 签证费用、医疗附加费与预算规划
Beyond the money you must prove, you also have to pay money you will never get back. Two charges dominate: the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which gives you access to NHS services on the same basis as a UK resident.
除了需要"证明"的资金，你还必须支付一些不会退还的费用。其中两项最主要：签证申请费和移民医疗附加费（IHS）。缴纳 IHS 后，你在使用英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）时可享受与英国居民基本相同的待遇。
- Student visa application fee from outside the UK: around £524. Check gov.uk for the current fee.
在英国境外提交学生签证申请的费用约为 524 英镑。请以 gov.uk 当前费用为准。 - Immigration Health Surcharge: £776 per year for students, normally paid up front for the full length of the course.
移民医疗附加费：学生每年 776 英镑，通常需按课程总时长一次性缴清。 - Priority service: around £500 for a decision within about five working days; super priority is more expensive and faster where available.
加急服务：约 500 英镑，可在约五个工作日内出结果；超级加急费用更高，在可提供的地区速度更快。 - Other costs to budget for: TB test, English test, document translation, biometric enrolment and travel.
其他需列入预算的开支：肺结核检测、英语考试、材料翻译、生物信息采集和交通费。
A useful rule of thumb is that the total cash requirement for a one-year master's programme - tuition, living costs, visa fee and IHS - can easily exceed £40,000. Plan the timing of your funds well in advance, because money moved in just before the statement is printed will not satisfy the 28-day rule.
一个实用的经验法则是：一年制硕士项目的总资金需求——学费、生活费、签证费与 IHS——很容易超过 4 万英镑。请提前规划资金到位时间，因为在打印对账单前不久才转入的资金无法满足 28 天存款要求。
7. Additional Documents: Passport, TB Certificate and ATAS | 补充材料：护照、肺结核证明与 ATAS
On top of the CAS, the money and the English evidence, several other documents are routinely required. Missing one of them is enough to delay or refuse an otherwise strong application.
除 CAS、资金和英语材料外，通常还有若干其他文件是必须的。缺少其中任何一项，都足以让一份本来很有竞争力的申请被延误甚至被拒。
- A current passport or travel document with at least one blank page, valid for the duration
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