ATAS Clearance
ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme)
ATAS is designed to provide additional security checks on international students who study certain courses. ATAS clearance is a mandatory requirement for all international students to study any of the subjects listed below at Solent University (CAH codes included):
Courses requiring ATAS
Research courses
- CAH10-01-01 MPhil/PhD General Engineering
- CAH10-01-01 PhD General Engineering
- CAH10-01-01 MPhil General Engineering
Please note, it is not possible to list all research courses which require ATAS. If while assessing your subject area it is determined that you will require an ATAS certificate we will inform you as part of the Admissions process.
Taught courses
- CAH07-01-01 MSc Applied Acoustics
All students studying one of the above-listed courses whose nationality is outside the EEA (European Economic Area), America, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, or Switzerland, irrespective of country of residence at the point of application will require ATAS
When is ATAS clearance required?
A CAS, required to support a Student visa application cannot be issued until Admissions receives confirmation that ATAS clearance has been granted. The ATAS application will take a minimum of 20 working days so please allow sufficient time to receive the certificate and the CAS before applying for your visa. For the purposes of a visa application, an ATAS certificate is valid for up to six months.
International students who do not require a CAS must have their ATAS clearance prior to enrolling at the University.
We recommend you submit an online ATAS application as soon as you receive a conditional offer (for the purpose of a visa application, the certificate is valid for 6 months).
How to apply
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for issuing ATAS clearance certificates, and its website explains the process. The information you require to complete the application is contained in the relevant course programme specification documents.
You will receive an ATAS certificate by email (check your inbox and spam regularly), which you will need to show as part of your student visa application. Please also send your ATAS certificate to admissions@solent.ac.uk as soon as you receive it.
Current students
If you need to make a new Student visa application to extend your course in the UK you must make a new ATAS application each time and clearance must be granted before a new CAS can be issued.
You will also need to make a new ATAS application if you change your area of research or switch to one of the courses listed at the top of the page, that requires ATAS.
On receipt, please send your ATAS certificate to pbi@solent.ac.uk