Tier 4 - Students - Sponsorship Eligibility
Tier 4 - Students - Sponsorship Eligibility
Tier 4 – Students – Sponsorship Eligibility
About Educational Provider If the sponsor is an educational institution, then it must show that: you have been inspected, audited or reviewed by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) or its devolved equivalents, the Independent Schools Inspectorate or the Quality Assurance Agency; or you hold valid accreditation from an accreditation body approved by Home Office. The courses you run for adult international students will also need to lead to a qualification approved by Home Office and any courses provided for children will need to be taught in line with the National Curriculum, the National Qualifications Framework or approved by Ofsted.
Accreditation for private providers
If you are a private education provider, you will need to show that you hold valid accreditation from an accreditation body approved by Home Office in the list below, or that you have passed an inspection by Ofsted. Accreditation UK – a British Council scheme which offers an accreditation service for English language schools; BAC – the British Accreditation Council – which offers a more general accreditation service to cover a wide range of different educational establishments and their courses; and ASIC – the Accreditation Service for International Colleges – which also offers a general accreditation service to cover a wide range of different educational establishments and their courses.
What publicly funded institutions must show?
Publicly funded institutions must already submit themselves to a system of public inspections conducted by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), and its devolved equivalents. Institutions in the higher education sector must submit to reviews by the Quality Assurance Agency. If you are a publicly funded institution, you will need to show that you have undergone such an inspection or review but you will not have to undergo any additional accreditation before you apply. These reviews give Home Office the appropriate assurance that you are a genuine provider of education.
Independent schools
Limited concession to overseas higher education institutions
Approved qualifications
- validated by Royal Charter; or
- awarded by a recognised body on the recognised bodies list operated by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
- recognised by one or more recognised bodies by a formal articulation agreement with the awarding body; or
- approved at level 3 or above in the National Qualifications Framework operated by the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority; or
- approved at an equivalent level in the Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework; or
- approved at an equivalent level by the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales; or
- approved at an equivalent level by the Council for Curriculum, Examination and Assessments (CCEA) in Northern Ireland; or
- as an overseas qualification, is one on which UK NARIC is able to advise on its validity, with a level equivalent to level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework.