Nationals of some countries do not necessarily need to apply for a Visitor visa before travelling to the UK to study for six months or less. Please visit the and refer to 'Appendix 2 - Visa National List'. If you are of a nationality that is not listed, it would not be compulsory for you to apply for a Visitor visa before you travel. Instead, when you arrive at the port of entry, you can explain that you have travelled to the UK to study and you may be asked to supply evidence of this, for example, your University offer letter. It is therefore important to ensure that you carry this documentation with you in your hand luggage. If you are not sure whether or not you will need to make the visa application before you travel, then you can use the 'Do I need a visa?' service on the UKVI for more help.
If you do this, it is also very important to check that the Border Force Officer has granted you the correct type of endorsement stamp in your passport before you leave the Officer's desk. It may cause problems with your registration at ºÚÁÏÍø if you are mistakenly granted leave to enter the UK under another category.
Although not compulsory for non-visa nationals, we do still recommend that you apply for the Visitor visa before you travel to the UK (permission to enter). This reduces any risk of you experiencing any problems at the UK border. You will still need to apply for entry clearance (visa) before you travel if you are going to study an English@ºÚÁÏÍø course that is between six and eleven months in duration, and use the Short-term Study route.