Students may be able to work while studying, but the Student visa does not provide one universal weekly allowance. Your entitlement to work depends on your course level, whether you study full-time, and the type of higher education institution sponsoring you. This guide summarises the published position for application planning; the Immigration Rules and current GOV.UK guidance remain authoritative.
Which course type determines your limit?
The Immigration Rules, Appendix Student, paragraph ST26.1, sets different employment conditions for different study routes. Check the exact course level, study intensity and sponsor arrangement rather than assuming that every UK degree produces the same result.
- Full-time degree-level or above study: If sponsored by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance, you may work up to 20 hours per week during term-time. The same limit applies where an overseas higher education institution sponsors you to undertake a short-term study abroad programme in the UK.
- Full-time study below degree level: If sponsored by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance, you may work up to 10 hours per week during term-time.
- All other study: The rule states that no employment is permitted. This expressly includes all part-time study; there is no smaller part-time working allowance.
The two hourly figures are point limits, not ranges. Their measurement cycle is a single term-time week, not a month, tax year or whole-course total. The 20-hour limit does not include the separate outside-term-time permission described below, while the 10-hour limit applies only to the specified full-time below-degree route.
What changes outside term-time?
For the two eligible full-time categories, ST26.1 permits full-time employment outside term-time. The provision does not express this as another numerical weekly limit, so it would be unsafe to convert “full-time employment” into a particular number of hours. It also does not list the applicable term dates in the quoted wording. Confirm the term-time period for your course with your provider rather than estimating it from the overall course dates.
Outside-term-time permission does not extend to part-time or other “no employment” study. Nor does it provide pre-course work permission. The GOV.UK Student visa overview allows a limited arrival period before a course starts, but permission to be in the UK is not permission to work. You cannot rely on the outside-term-time rule to work before your course has begun.
Paragraph ST26.2 provides a separate route for work related to a work placement assessed as an integral part of the course. The placement must fall within that course-based category; an employer describing an arrangement as a placement does not by itself make it eligible. Ask the course provider to confirm the placement’s assessed status and the requirements it must meet. This provision should not be treated as a general exemption from the visa’s other work restrictions.
What restrictions apply within the weekly limit?
The GOV.UK Student visa overview states that you cannot claim public funds, including benefits, or pensions. It also says that you cannot work in certain jobs. These job restrictions apply separately from the numerical cap: remaining within the weekly limit does not make a prohibited role permissible. Check the current “what you can and cannot do” section of the GOV.UK Student visa guidance before accepting a role.
The overview expressly lists working as a student union sabbatical officer as something a student can do. However, that permission does not by itself remove the employment limit in ST26.1. Do not assume that the job title creates an exemption from the applicable term-time restriction.
Your ability to work is also separate from your academic obligations. A university may raise a disciplinary issue where participation in the course falls short. The weekly work figure is not a conversion rule for missed classes and does not determine the immigration consequences of a particular attendance problem. Check current university and immigration guidance separately.
How does the visa interact with your course and employer?
The employment condition forms part of the Student visa grant and is classified by study route, not by employer, job title or contract. Your course level, full-time status and sponsor arrangement determine which ST26.1 limit applies. A job offer cannot turn part-time study into an eligible work route or raise the immigration limit.
If any of those course details change, do not carry the previous limit forward automatically. Confirm the new position with the education sponsor and check the current GOV.UK Student visa guidance. This is particularly important if the sponsorship arrangement changes, because the wording of the degree-level route includes specific sponsor categories.
For an applicant applying from outside the UK, the earliest application point is six months before the course starts. This is a point lead time measured backwards from the start of the course, not a range, processing time, visa duration or work start date. Applying that early does not give an applicant permission to work while waiting for the course to begin.
The Student visa application cost from outside the UK is £558. This is a point charge per application, not a monthly, annual, tax-year or course-year allowance. The published guidance does not attach it to a weekly-hours calculation. Use the live GOV.UK Student visa page as the fee authority when applying.
A practical sequence for checking your position
Before accepting work, work through the following checks:
- Confirm your course level, whether it is full-time and the identity of its sponsor.
- Match those details to the exact ST26.1 category. If a defining full-time or sponsor condition is not met, do not apply the nearest-looking hourly limit.
- Establish the applicable term-time period and keep the eligible term-time work within the relevant weekly ceiling.
- Decide whether the activity is ordinary employment or a work-related placement assessed as an integral part of the course.
- Check the current prohibited-jobs guidance and the restrictions on public funds and pensions.
- Keep immigration permission, university requirements and tax treatment as separate questions.
Working and tax are separate issues
Permission to work under the Student visa is not automatically a tax exemption. Earnings from work in the UK may be taxable, so check your own position and how you are paid, including through PAYE or self-assessment.
The GOV.UK guidance titled Tax on income in the UK explains that tax can depend on UK tax residence and that taxable income is usually reported through a Self Assessment return. Use the relevant GOV.UK guidance to check your circumstances and any separate National Insurance position rather than inferring either from your visa or weekly hours.
Frequently asked questions
Does every degree-level course allow 20 hours per week?
Only the qualifying full-time degree-level-or-above routes in ST26.1 do. The sponsor arrangement must also fall within the specified categories; a job offer cannot change the applicable immigration limit.
Does part-time study allow a smaller number of working hours?
No. All part-time study falls within the “no employment permitted” category. The 10-hour term-time limit applies only to the specified full-time below-degree route.
What changes outside term-time?
Students on the two eligible full-time courses may undertake full-time employment outside term-time. Part-time and all other non-eligible study routes do not receive that permission, and the provision does not provide a second weekly figure.
Does every placement count as an integral work placement?
No. ST26.2 refers to work-related placements assessed as an integral part of the course. Confirm that assessment and its requirements with the course provider before relying on this provision.
Can I work if I arrive before my course starts?
No. Early arrival is permission to travel within the stated window, not permission to work. The outside-term-time provision should not be treated as a pre-course work allowance.
How early can I apply, and what is the fee?
An applicant outside the UK can apply as early as six months before the course starts. The stated Student visa application fee is £558 per application; neither applying early nor arriving early creates a right to work before the course begins.