General admissions FAQs
International applicants
Undergraduate
Your CAS will be issued no sooner than three months before the official start of your programme. We will then issue your CAS as soon as we are able to, providing that you:
- Hold an unconditional offer
- Have chosen us as your firm choice on UCAS
- Have provided a clear copy of your most recent passport (we will request this through Surrey Self-Service if we do not have this already)
- Have successfully completed the CAS request form
- Have a valid ATAS certificate (if required).
It can take time for your deposit to clear in the University’s bank account, or for us to check your sponsor details, so please allow plenty of time.
We recommend that you do not arrange your visa appointment until you have received your CAS.
For further details, please see: Student Route CAS issuing policy for applicants (PDF).
Postgraduate and postgraduate research
Your CAS will be issued no sooner than three months before the official start of your programme. We will then issue your CAS as soon as we are able to, providing that you:
- Hold an unconditional offer
- Have firmly accepted your offer by paying your deposit (usually £2000) towards your tuition fees (or provided satisfactory evidence of sponsorship)
- Have provided a clear copy of your most recent passport (we will request this through Surrey Self-Service if we do not have this already)
- Have successfully completed the CAS request form
- Have a valid ATAS certificate (if required).
It can take time for your deposit to clear in the University’s bank account, or for us to check your sponsor details, so please allow plenty of time.
We recommend that you do not arrange your visa appointment until you have received your CAS.
For further details, please see: Tier 4 sponsorship and CAS issuing policy for applicants.
In certain circumstances, we will issue a single CAS to applicants taking a pre-sessional English language course immediately before their main course of study. Please see point 11 of our Student Route CAS issuing policy for applicants (PDF) for further details.
The score or level of English language required varies between courses. Please visit the individual undergraduate course, postgraduate course or postgraduate research course pages to see specific entry requirements.
The qualifications we accept as evidence of English language ability are available on our English language requirements page.
If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, we will still require suitable evidence of English language proficiency. In certain circumstances for postgraduate students, this may include previous study in the UK. Detailed information is available on our English language requirements page.
If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, we will still require suitable evidence of English language. We are able to accept some High School qualifications in place of an IELTS, however. Detailed information is available on our English language requirements page.
If you intend to study on one of our pre-sessional English language courses and you require a Student visa, you will usually need to provide a UKVI IELTS Academic which is a UKVI approved Secure English Language Test (SELT). The grades required are detailed on our pre-sessional English pages.
If you are applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree-level course, we can use our own method of assessing your language level. For full details of the English language qualifications we can accept, please see our international applicants pages.
If you intend to study on one of our pre-sessional English language courses and you require a Tier 4 (General) Student visa, you will usually need to provide a UKVI IELTS (Academic) which is a UKVI approved Secure English language Test (SELT). The grades required are detailed on our pre-sessional English pages.
If you are applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree-level course, we can use our own method of assessing your language level under our Tier 4 Sponsor status. For full details of the English language qualifications we can accept, please see our international applicants pages.
You will need to retake the IELTS test until you meet the English language requirements for your chosen course. Your scores in each sub-skill need to meet the criteria, as well as the overall score.
No, we can only accept one complete IELTS result as evidence that the English language requirements have been met, so you will need to retake your IELTS.
Yes, we can consider TOEFL providing it meets the English language requirements for your chosen course. More information on TOEFL and our other English language requirements is available on our English language requirements page.
If you have taken or are taking non-UK based qualifications, please check our international students pages for information on the entry requirements from your country. If your country isn’t listed, you can contact the Admissions team for more information.
Undergraduate pathway programmes
Yes, you can choose to study an International Foundation Year for progression to an undergraduate degree, in one of the following routes:
- Business, Economics, Law and Social Sciences International Foundation Year
- Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences International Foundation Year
- Life Sciences International Foundation Year
Postgraduate pathway programmes
Yes, you can choose to study a Pre-Masters programme, for progression to a postgraduate degree, in one of the following routes:
- Health and Medical Sciences Pre-Masters programme
- Management, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism Pre-Masters programme
- Engineering Pre-Masters programme.
These courses are provided by the University of Surrey International Study Centre and offer the opportunity to study on the University of Surrey campus. With successful completion of a pathway programme, students can progress to study a degree at the University of Surrey.
Find out how to apply for one of these programmes or apply directly via the online application form on the University of Surrey International Study Centre website.
Registration and becoming a student
When you have an unconditional, firmly accepted offer (either selecting us as such through UCAS for undergraduate students, or by paying your deposit or providing proof of sponsorship); you have completed your CAS request form; and your fee status confirmation, we will start to prepare your new student records. Approximately four weeks before your programme starts, you’ll be sent a series of Welcome emails, inviting you to visit our webpages for new starters. Welcome activities for new students take place the week before teaching begins (see key dates).
Welcome activities for new students take place the week before teaching begins (see key dates). Welcome emails, inviting you to visit our webpages for new starters, will be sent to you roughly four weeks before the start of term.
You should keep an eye on our accommodation pages for when applications open, which is usually around March or April.
Our key dates page contains a full list of semester dates.
Registration begins the weekend before the Induction/Welcome week, and for most of our taught programmes, we require applicants to have registered in-person by the end of the second week of teaching. For Research programmes, more flexibility is available, when approved by your supervisor.
Our key dates page contains a full list of semester dates.
Our key dates page contains a full list of semester dates, which also include the next few years.
The main accommodation arrival date is the weekend before Induction Week. Further details on preparing for your arrival are available on our accommodation pages.
On completion of your online registration, you will be given the option to activate your SurreyLearn account.
Visiting the University
What | When | Who |
Open daysThe best way to see the University is to come to one of our undergraduate open days, as this will give you the chance to really get to know Surrey. You will have the opportunity to attend subject talks and tours, speak to academics, see the campus, student accommodation and Surrey Sports Park. You could also explore Guildford and the local area once you’ve finished. For more details and to book your place, take a look at our open days pages. | Before applying | Undergraduate |
Offer holder eventsIf you receive an offer during the peak undergraduate application period, you’ll be invited to an offer holder event between November and April. These are another excellent way to see the University and department you will be joining. Offer holder events offer many of the benefits of an open day, with the added opportunity for a more subject-specific day geared towards your particular area of study. These days are very popular so we recommend booking your place as soon as you are invited (through Surrey Self-Service) as they fill up quickly. If you have applied for one of our interviewing courses (such as music, theatre or dance related courses) you may be invited to attend an interview/offer holder event which, while including a selection element such as a group or individual interview, will also give you the chance to learn more about the course, the facilities and campus, and to determine whether the course is the right choice for you. | After applying | Undergraduate |
Campus toursOur guided campus tours run every Wednesday and last approximately one hour. Take a look at our campus tours page and be sure to book your place on the tour in advance. If you’d like to see an academic from your department of interest before or after your campus tour, please let us know what date you have booked the tour, with as much notice as possible, so that we can try and arrange a meeting for you. Please note we are not able to guarantee a meeting, but you would be welcome to visit our Admissions team to talk to an Admissions Adviser instead, if an academic is unavailable. Campus tours do not include the GSA building and it is not possible to arrange a meeting with an academic from GSA. If you are a potential applicant for one of these courses you can visit the ground floor of the GSA building yourself (where there is a coffee shop) to get a feel for the place, and can arrange to meet an Admissions Adviser who can give more information about the application and audition process. Self-guided campus toursIf you are unable to make one of our Wednesday guided campus tours, you can also do a self-guided campus tour, which will enable you to take yourself around campus. You can download the self-guided tour, or collect a printed copy of the brochure from reception on the ground floor of Senate House, Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 5:30pm. It is advisable to follow the tour between 9am and 5pm when most University facilities will be open for you to see. You won’t be able to see inside a student study bedroom on this tour, but you can download the accommodation brochure and view a virtual room tour instead. | Anytime | Undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research |
Our open days usually take place in June, September and October. Take a look at our campus tours page and be sure to book your place on the tour in advance.
General questions
Your university number is a seven-digit number that starts with a six. You will be able to find this in the email you were sent after you submitted your application.
Please check your spam/junk folder, although depending on your email provider, you may not be able to find the emails. If you can't find the email, please contact us at admissions@surrey.ac.uk.
If you have forgotten your password you can reset it by entering your university number and date of birth.
Please click on the help button on the Surrey Self-Service log-in page, for instructions on what to do next.
The University of Surrey’s UCAS code is S85.
The University of Surrey’s UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN) is 10007160.
Tariff bearing qualifications are listed on the UCAS website in their tariff tables. Many UK and international qualifications do not have UCAS points attributed to them so we are not able to advise on how many tariff points those qualifications are worth.
The University of Surrey does not make offers in terms of UCAS Tariff points, but in terms of actual grades.
The University offers free language courses through our Global Graduate Award in Languages and the programme is open to all students at the University. This allows you the opportunity to study a language alongside your main degree course. For more information please visit our Global Graduate Award pages.
Students from the Isle of Man are charged the home fee for undergraduate courses due to an agreement that the Island authorities have with the UK government. This agreement does not extend to postgraduate students, so we do charge international fees for postgraduate courses.
Our Employability and Careers pages offer advice on looking for jobs and careers both during and after your studies.