Study with us Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS): information for students

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study (or continue study) at Masters or Doctoral level or work as a researcher in certain sensitive subjects.

You will need an ATAS Certificate if:

You are studying a relevant Masters or Doctoral level course or undertaking relevant research. You won’t need an ATAS certificate for a Bachelor’s degree, but some undergraduate students in Science and Engineering who are studying towards a Masters (some MEng or MSci students) may need a certificate

and

You are not an exempt nationality (you can check the list of ATAS exempt nationalities)

and

You need a student visa, or have another visa with a time limit (for example as the spouse of a student), or you are an asylum seeker

You do not need to apply for ATAS if you have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK.

The ATAS application can take eight weeks or longer to process. We recommend that you apply for ATAS as soon as you know you will need a certificate and allow three months for this process, especially if you will be applying for a visa extension in the UK. The application is processed by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO will not “fast track” an application for ATAS.

If you need a Student Visa

If you are applying for a student visa or an extension of your visa, and your course requires an ATAS certificate, you will need the certificate before you submit your visa or visa extension application. If you received an ATAS certificate when you started your course and are now applying for a visa to extend your studies, you will need to apply for a new ATAS certificate.

How do I know if my course requires ATAS?

When you know which course you’ll be applying for, you can check whether you need an ATAS certificate on the UK Government's Academic Technology Approval Service web page.

You will need to know the CAH3 code for your course – if you are an applying for a course with us, you can find the code in your Pegasus application, in the Application Summary section.

If we issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for a Student visa, we will include the ATAS requirement and CAH3 code in your CAS.

How to apply

Please read the information on the UK Government ATAS web pages carefully.

Please ensure that the course, passport and personal details you provide on your ATAS form match the details on your Strathclyde offer letter and/or CAS. If any of the details we hold are wrong, please contact us to correct this.

The FCO has also provided some advice to help ensure there are no delays to your application. Please read and follow this guidance and ensure that you apply as a student rather than a researcher

Research students

The ATAS requirement and CAH3 course code will be included on your CAS. You can also find your CAH3 in the Application Summary section of your Pegasus application if you’re applying for a new course with us.

You will need to provide a statement of your research. You should agree this statement with your supervisor and enter it exactly on the ATAS form, using the wording agreed with your supervisor.

Masters level courses (postgraduate)

The following programmes require an ATAS certificate. You will need to provide a list of the modules you will be studying. You can look up the regulation number in the Programme Regulations for details of the modules for each programme listed below.

Department of Chemical & Process Engineering

  • Advanced Chemical & Process Engineering
  • Engineering/Chemical & Process Engineering/Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Awards

Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering
  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering with Aerospace
  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering with Energy Systems
  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering with Materials
  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering with Power Plant Technologies
  • Engineering/Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering/Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Awards

Department of Physics

  • Advanced Physics
  • Applied Physics
  • Optical Technologies
  • Nanoscience
  • Science/Physics/Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Awards

Faculty programmes

  • Sustainable Engineering: Chemical Processing
  • Sustainable Engineering: Renewable Energy Systems & the Environment
  • Engineering/Faculty Programmes/Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Awards

Undergraduate Integrated Masters applicants (MEng & MSci)

If you’re applying for an undergraduate integrated Masters programme listed below or a visa or extension of stay to complete the masters year, you will need to apply for ATAS you need to include a list of your final year modules in your ATAS application.

You can look up the Programme Regulations for details of the modules for each programme listed below.

Department of Physics

  • MPhys Physics
  • Science/Physics/Undergraduate (UG) Awards

Department of Chemical & Process Engineering

  • MEng Chemical Engineering
  • Engineering/Chemical & Process Engineering/Undergraduate (UG) Awards

Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

  • MEng Aero-Mechanical Engineering
  • MEng Mechanical Engineering
  • MEng Mechanical Engineering with Aeronautics
  • MEng Mechanical Engineering with Financial Management
  • MEng Mechanical Engineering with International Study
  • MEng Mechanical Engineering with Materials Engineering
  • Engineering/Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering/Undergraduate (UG) Awards

Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering

  • MEng Electrical & Mechanical Engineering
  • MSc Renewable Energy & Decarbonisation Technologies
  • Engineering/Electronic & Electrical Engineering/Undergraduate (UG) Awards