Study in the UK from the Middle East

• Respected degrees from universities known around the world and valued by employers across the region
• Shorter programmes — most bachelor's degrees take three years and most taught master's degrees one year
• Close to home — direct flights from across the Gulf and the Levant, and established Arab communities in UK cities
• Sponsor-friendly — UK universities are used to working with government and employer scholarship programmes
• Free admissions support with one dedicated counsellor and our free student portal

For a bachelor's degree, UK universities look at your secondary school certificate, such as the Tawjihi or a national secondary school certificate. Many students take a one-year foundation programme first, while students with A-levels, the International Baccalaureate or an American high school diploma with AP results may enter the first year directly. For a master's degree, universities look at your bachelor's degree, your GPA and your subject.

Requirements vary by university and course, so your counsellor checks them against your exact results.

Most UK universities ask for IELTS Academic or PTE Academic, and some accept other tests or an English-taught degree. If you are studying below degree level, such as a foundation year, you may need a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as IELTS for UKVI. If your score is a little below the requirement, a pre-sessional English course at your university can help you reach it before your degree starts.

Many students from the Middle East study in the UK with a government or employer scholarship. If you are fully sponsored by an official financial sponsor, such as your government, your sponsor's letter can usually be used as evidence of your funds for the visa, in place of bank statements. Your university will also need your sponsor letter before it issues your CAS.

We help you choose universities and courses that meet your sponsor's requirements, and prepare your documents in the order your sponsor and university need them. Many of our partner universities also offer merit scholarships for self-funded students.

After you accept an offer, your university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). You then apply for a UK Student visa, usually with:

• Your passport and CAS
• Proof that you can pay your tuition and living costs held for at least 28 consecutive days, or an official sponsor letter (citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE don't usually need to upload bank statements — see below)
• A tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, if you live in a country on the TB test list
• The academic and English documents listed on your CAS

You will also pay the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Under current rules, most students on taught master's courses cannot bring dependants; postgraduate research students (for example, PhD) usually can. Check whether you need a TB test on the GOV.UK TB test page.

Check the full, current requirements on the GOV.UK Student visa page before you apply.

Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates don't usually need to submit bank statements with a Student visa application. Students from the Middle East still need to show their English for the visa, through a test, their university's assessment or an English-taught degree.

• "Not usually" for bank statements means your nationality is on the UK's differential evidence list. You don't need to upload bank statements with your visa application, but you must still have the money for your tuition and living costs, and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may ask you for evidence after you apply.
• Already in the UK? If you have held a valid UK visa for at least 12 months when you apply, you don't need to prove your funds, whatever your nationality.
• English for your university is separate from the visa. For degree-level courses, your university assesses your English to at least CEFR level B2 and may still ask for a test such as IELTS, even if the visa doesn't.
• Other ways to prove English include an English GCSE or A-level, a UK degree, or a degree taught in English that Ecctis confirms is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree.

Check the official lists on GOV.UK: money you need for a Student visa and knowledge of English.

For Student visa applications submitted on or after 30 November 2026, you need to show £1,570 a month for living costs if you study in London, or £1,203 a month elsewhere in the UK, for up to nine months, plus any first-year tuition you have not yet paid. The visa application fee is £558 from outside the UK, and the Immigration Health Surcharge is £776 per year. Our UK cost guide has tuition ranges, living-cost budgets and worked examples.

Most students on a degree-level course can work up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time in official vacations. After you graduate, the Graduate route lets you stay and work in the UK for at least 18 months. Check the current rules on the GOV.UK Graduate visa page.