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 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, your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will also confirm whether or not your course requires ATAS clearance. You must obtain your ATAS certificate before applying for your Student visa. Your ATAS certificate must be valid on the date you submit your visa application. You will also need a new ATAS certificate if you are applying to switch to or extend your permission to stay as a Student in the UK. Do not submit your visa application before your ATAS certificate has been issued, as without it your visa application will be refused.

• If you are a Visitor or have any other type of time-limited visa or are applying for asylum, you must obtain an ATAS certificate before you begin your studies. You do not need ATAS if you have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK.

• If you are studying a pre-sessional course before you study a course that requires ATAS clearance, you must obtain your ATAS certificate before applying for the visa for your pre-sessional course.

How to apply for an ATAS certificate

You must apply for your ATAS certificate on the GOV.UK website.

ATAS applications take at least 30 working days (six full weeks) to process. Your application may take longer to process if is complex, or if you are applying between April and August, as more people apply during this period.

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

The 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.

Read the ATAS guidance in full before starting your application.

If you are studying towards a postgraduate qualification (including doctorate level), or if you are a visiting student researcher, you must select the option ‘Taught/research student’ at the start of the ATAS application.

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, you can find these details on the Course Search page for your course (in the ‘Applying’ section).
• details of what you will be studying in the UK:
  • 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 the 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.

Apply for a new ATAS certificate if there are changes to your course or research