Study in UK / Visa Roadmap
Check the UK Licensed Student Sponsor Register Before You Pay
A UK Student visa CAS only counts from a licensed student sponsor. Check the GOV.UK register before you pay a deposit. No unofficial pass-mark tables. Not legal advice.
Updated 2026-08-27 · 1,237 words · Zinjet editorial
Quick Summary Matrix
| Check | Why it matters | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed student sponsor | CAS is worth 50 of 70 Student visa points only if the sponsor is licensed | GOV.UK register |
| CAS age | GOV.UK: issued within the last 6 months | Student visa |
| Legal name | Marketing brand ≠ register row | School offer letter + register spreadsheet |
| Pay a deposit | Only after the live row exists | Your bank, not the counsellor’s WhatsApp |
| Pass marks / BCA | Home Office rules, not Zinjet tables | Sponsor guidance |
Zinjet is not UKVI. This page explains the official check. Confirm on GOV.UK.
Related: UK Student visa requirements 2026 · Study in the UK from Nigeria.
Why this check exists
A UK Student visa needs a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). GOV.UK awards 50 of the 70 points for a valid CAS from a licensed student sponsor, issued in the last six months. The other 20 points are funds (10) and English (10) — see the requirements guide.
Without a licensed sponsor, those 50 points are zero. A pretty offer letter on Instagram is not a licence.
Official register (spreadsheet, updated by the Home Office):
Register of licensed sponsors: students
How to check (five minutes, every time)
- Open the GOV.UK register. Download the current file — do not reuse last month’s screenshot.
- Search the school’s legal name, not only the marketing brand or the pathway college’s nickname.
- Confirm the licence type covers Student sponsorship and is current (not revoked, not “worker only”).
- Note the sponsor licence number if the file lists it. Keep it next to the offer.
- Only then pay a deposit or accept an offer that requires money.
- Check again when the CAS arrives. Names get added and removed.
Zinjet does not mirror the register. We will not email you a “safe list.”
Legal name vs brand
Group universities, embedded colleges, and franchise campuses often trade under a different public name. If search fails:
- Ask admissions for the legal entity on the CAS and the sponsor licence number.
- Search that entity on GOV.UK.
- If they refuse to give a licence number, treat that as a stop, not a negotiation.
Compliance is UKVI’s job, not a sales script
Licensed sponsors must meet Home Office rules, including the Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA). Pass rates, refusal-rate ceilings, and enrolment thresholds live in Student sponsor guidance.
Zinjet will not invent a 2026 pass-mark percentage. Unofficial blogs recycle last year’s numbers. If a counsellor says “this school always gets visas,” ask for the live register row, not a PDF from 2023.
If a sponsor falls out of compliance, UKVI can restrict or revoke the licence. That is why you re-check when the CAS is issued, not only when you paid the first deposit.
How this sits next to the 70-point visa
| Points | What | Your job |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | CAS from licensed sponsor, last 6 months | Register check + CAS field match to passport |
| 10 | Maintenance funds | Funds playbook |
| 10 | English | CEFR level on GOV.UK for the course level |
A perfect funds file does not rescue a CAS from an unlicensed school.
Step-by-step with money
- Shortlist UK programmes.
- For each school, run the register check before you pay an application fee to the school if that fee is non-refundable and large.
- Meet academic conditions (language, transcripts). Those are school rules.
- Receive a CAS. Cross-check name spelling, course dates, fees paid, and sponsor licence number against the register and your passport.
- File the Student visa on GOV.UK. Any CAS mismatch is a classic delay or refusal trigger.
Refusal and money-loss patterns we see in counselling (not visa decisions)
These are process failures, not Zinjet “scores”:
- Deposit paid to a pathway brand that is not the licensed entity on the CAS.
- CAS issued, then the group moves you to a partner campus that is not on the register.
- Counsellor shows a screenshot of the register from another year.
- “Skilled Worker sponsor” confused with “Student sponsor.”
- Paying “visa processing” to a third party who is not the school and not UKVI.
Zinjet cannot recover a private deposit. The register check is cheaper than a dispute.
Real-world scenarios
Nigeria applicant, January intake
You have an offer in October. Check the register in October and when the CAS lands in November. Peak autumn updates happen. Do not fly on a PDF from WhatsApp.
Embedded college feeding a university
The college and the university may be different legal entities. You need the CAS-issuing sponsor on the register, not the brand you liked on Instagram.
School listed on Zinjet
Catalog presence means we list a programme with tuition/intake when the school provided them. It is not a UKVI licence. Still check GOV.UK.
Checklists
Before any deposit
- Live GOV.UK spreadsheet opened today
- Legal name found
- Student sponsor type confirmed
- Licence number stored with the offer
- No pressure to pay “today or lose the seat” before that check
When the CAS arrives
- Register still shows the sponsor
- Name, dates, fees, licence number match the CAS
- CAS date is within 6 months of the visa application you will file
How the register file is organised (so you do not search wrong)
GOV.UK publishes a spreadsheet. Columns typically include organisation name, location, and licence type. Student sponsors and worker sponsors can appear in related Home Office publications — use the students register for CAS.
Search tips:
- Try the name on the offer letter letterhead, then Companies House style legal name if that fails.
- Watch for
Ltd,University of,College of, and city suffixes. - Embedded colleges: search both the college and the university. The CAS tells you which one is the sponsor.
- If the file has a “type” or “category” column, you want Student, not only “Higher Education.”
Save the file with the download date in the filename (register-students-2026-08-27.xlsx). If UKVI later queries “did you check?”, you have a dated copy. That is not a legal shield; it is good hygiene.
What a CAS must match
From the Student visa 70-point system (see the requirements guide):
- Your name as in the passport
- Course title and dates
- Fees and what you have already paid
- Sponsor licence number
- Issued within 6 months of the visa application
A licensed sponsor that issues a sloppy CAS still costs you a refusal. Fix the CAS with the school before £558 leaves your card.
If the licence is revoked after you paid
Contact the school in writing. UKVI has processes for students already holding CAS or visas when a sponsor fails — those processes live on GOV.UK, not in this paragraph. Do not pay a second “rescue agent.” Get started if you want Zinjet to help you read the next official page.
How Zinjet fits
We do not issue CAS. We do not host the register. We do not sell “visa guarantee.”
Related resources
- Official register: licensed sponsors: students
- Official visa: Student visa
- Official rules for schools: Student sponsor guidance
Frequently asked questions
What is a licensed student sponsor?
A school UK Visas and Immigration has licensed to sponsor Student visa applicants. GOV.UK publishes a register of licensed sponsors for students. A CAS from a school that is not on that register will not support a Student visa.
Where do I check the register?
On GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors: students. Search the school’s legal name. Zinjet does not host a copy of the register.
Does a Zinjet programme listing mean the school is a licensed sponsor?
No. Catalog presence is not a UKVI licence. Always check the official register before you pay.
What are sponsor pass marks?
Sponsors must stay inside UKVI compliance rules, including the Basic Compliance Assessment. Those thresholds are set by the Home Office and change. Zinjet does not republish unofficial pass-mark tables — read the current Student sponsor guidance on GOV.UK.
The marketing brand and the legal name differ. Which do I search?
Search the legal name on the GOV.UK register. Marketing brands, pathway logos, and group names can differ. If you cannot find the legal name, ask the school for the sponsor licence number before you pay.
Can a CAS arrive from a school that later loses its licence?
Licences are added and removed. Check the live register when you pay and again when the CAS is issued. Zinjet does not mirror historical rows.
Is this the same as a Skilled Worker sponsor licence?
No. Student sponsorship and worker sponsorship are different UKVI licences. A school that sponsors students may not sponsor workers, and the reverse.
Not legal advice. Immigration rules change. Confirm every figure on the official government page before you submit. Official United Kingdom student visa guidance