Working whilst studying

As a student visa holder if your course is degree level, you will normally be allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during holiday periods.

The University recommends that you do not work more than 15 hours per week during term time to enable you to focus on your studies.

What is term time?

Term time refers to the period when you are required to do academic work such as attend lectures and tutorials; prepare for and sit exams/re-sits; do coursework; write a dissertation or a thesis.

Vacation/Holiday times

You can work fulltime during the official vacation periods. However, in some cases these may depend on the course that you are studying.

You also cannot work fulltime on weekends or bank holidays as these are different from official vacation periods.

Undergraduate students usually have vacation periods at Christmas/New Year, Easter and the summer break. Vacation periods for some courses e.g. Nursing will be at different times of the year. Please check these with your academic school.
Postgraduate taught students have a vacation period at Christmas/New Year and Easter, but not the summer break, as this is when they are expected to write a dissertation or work on a project. Vacation periods for some courses e.g. Nursing will be at different times of the year. Please check these with your academic school.
Postgraduate Research (PhD / MPhil) students have a vacation period at Christmas/New Year plus a 35 days’ annual leave. This means unlike undergraduate and taught masters students; research students do not get 3-week Easter break and summer vacation periods.

Working after course completion

Your student visa is granted for the full duration of your course plus an additional period (usually 2 or 4 months), which is referred to as the ‘wrap up period’. See table below for detail of the length of visas.

Course length	Wrap up period
12 months or longer	4 months after course end date
6 - 12 months	2 months after course end date
Less than 6 months	7 days after course end date
Pre-sessional course (less than 6 months)	1 month after course end date

As an undergraduate or postgraduate taught student, once you have reached the official end date of your course and you have handed in all your work and completed assessments, the student visa rules allow you to work full-time during the wrap up period at the end of your visa.

The formal end date for Postgraduate Research (PhD / MPhil) students will be after you have completed all academic work e.g. submitted your final corrections after your viva examination.

Important: Please note, following your results or academic outcome if you are required to repeat modules/year, undertake further corrections, or resubmit your thesis, you must switch back to 20 hours per-week working.

Applying for the Graduate Route visa

Please note whilst you are permitted to work fulltime after the official end date of your course, you cannot apply for the Graduate Route visa at this stage because “successful completion of course” is a requirement for this visa scheme. You must therefore wait until your results or academic outcome has been released confirming that you have successfully completed the course for which your student visa was granted. Following your results, the Immigration & Compliance team will notify the Home Office of your course completion at which point you will receive a formal email confirming the same. You must not submit your visa application before receiving this email.

Completing course earlier than expected

If you finish your course earlier than expected, the Immigration & Compliance team will inform the Home Office of your early completion date at which point you will receive a formal email confirming the same. Following the University’s report, the Home Office will curtail or shorten your student visa. The Home Office usually notifies individuals via email or letter to inform them of their visa curtailment that is done as per the standard wrap up period outlined in the table above. For example, for courses lasting 12 months or longer, the revised visa expiry date will be 4 months after your early completion date. This means you may work fulltime for 4 months following your early completion date.

What type of work is not allowed?

Student visa holders are prohibited from working in the following categories:

self-employment e.g. freelance writing, freelance photography, private tutoring or selling goods or services directly to an end customer.
engaging in a business activity e.g. setting up a business as a sole trader or under a partnership, holding 10% or more share in a company.
a permanent full-time job.
professional sportsperson including as a sports coach.
be employed as an entertainer.
work as a doctor or dentist in training, unless you are on the foundation programme.

If you are unsure about your work rights, you must contact the Immigration & Compliance team or attend one of the Immigration Drop-in Sessions so we can advise you further.

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