Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) is for students and postgraduate researchers from certain countries who are planning to study or research certain sensitive subjects at postgraduate level.

Find out if you need an ATAS certificate 

You do not need to apply for ATAS certification if you are a national of any of the following countries: 

• United Kingdom (or you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK) 
• Countries in the European Union (EU) 
• Countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) 
• Australia 
• Canada 
• Japan 
• New Zealand 
• Singapore 
• South Korea 
• Switzerland 
• The United States of America 

Your offer letter and your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) will confirm if your course requires ATAS.  

You can also find out whether your course requires ATAS by checking your course or programme’s Common Aggregate Hierarchy (CAH3) code. 

• If you are a taught postgraduate student or an undergraduate student studying a course with an integrated Masters, you can find your CAH3 code on the Course Search page for your course (in the ‘Applying’ section).
• If you are a postgraduate research student, you will receive a separate ATAS information sheet as part of your offer letter. This will confirm the details you need for your ATAS application.

If you have any further questions on whether your course requires ATAS, email the Admissions Enquiries team at study@leeds.ac.uk.

When to apply for an ATAS certificate 

If you are applying for a Student visa, you must obtain your ATAS certificate first. Do not submit your Student visa application before your ATAS certificate has been issued, as your visa application will be refused. 

If you are issued with a combined CAS to study a pre-sessional course and a degree programme that requires ATAS clearance, you must obtain your ATAS certifcate before applying for your Student visa for both studies.

If you are issued with a single CAS to study a pre-sessional course before your degree programme that requireses ATAS clearance, you need to apply for your ATAS certificate in good time to avoid the delay in starting your degree programme.

If you have any other type of time-limited visa (for example, Standard visitor, PBS dependants, Skilled worker) or are applying for asylum, you must obtain an ATAS certificate before you begin your studies.  

How to apply for an ATAS certificate

You must apply for your ATAS certificate on the GOV.UK website. It can take at least 30 working days (six full weeks) for your application to be processed. 

When your application is granted, your certificate will be emailed to you. There is no charge for this process. 

Your certificate will be valid for six months. If you change your course of study, research area, university or need to extend your studies, you will need to apply for another ATAS certificate. 

You will need to provide the following details with your ATAS application: 

• Your CAH3 course code and the name of your supervisor at the University of Leeds (if you are an undergraduate or taught postgraduate student find these details on the Course Search page for your course in the applying section). 
• If you are a taught postgraduate student – you must list all the compulsory and optional modules for your course. You can find a list of the modules for each course on Course Search and in the Module and Programme Catalogue. 
• If you are an undergraduate student studying an integrated Masters course – you only need to list your final year modules.
• If you are a postgraduate research student – you must enter your initial research area statement sent to you with your offer letter. 

Find more guidance on how to apply for an ATAS certificate and what information you will need to provide.

What to do if there are changes to your course 

Your ATAS certificate must match the details of the course you are studying. 

You must apply for a new ATAS certificate as soon as possible if any of the following changes occur: 

• Your course end date is extended by more than three months 
• Your course contents or research proposal change 
• Your supervisor changes 
• You need to apply for a new student visa and your previous ATAS certificate is no longer valid 

If there is a change to your course and you are not sure if you need to apply for a new ATAS certificate, please contact your school or email the Student Visa Advice team at StudentVisaAdvice@leeds.ac.uk.