The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

What is ATAS?

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) is for security clearance from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for courses where students’ knowledge could be used in programmes to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery. 

You may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you are studying for a Masters or DPhil in certain science subjects, mathematics, engineering, technology or medicine or a 4 year undergraduate Masters in Physics or Materials. This will also apply if you are coming as a visitor, or Recognised Student, in a subject area that requires ATAS. A list of subjects and areas that require ATAS is in the section ‘Courses that require ATAS’ below. 

For contracted researchers, i.e. employees, ATAS is also required for some job descriptions and you should contact the HR department for advice. 

Exemptions

If you are a national of an EU country, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America you do not need an ATAS certificate.

If you have indefinite leave to remain or pre-settled or settled status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme you will not need ATAS. If you are studying on a visa type that allows study without an ATAS condition or you are exempt from Immigration Control you will not need ATAS. 

Dual nationals

If you are a dual national who holds one of the nationalities listed above then you will be exempt from the ATAS requirement. However, if you are applying for your visa using a passport of a non-exempt country, you will need to make sure that you provide proof of your exempt nationality by uploading a copy of your valid passport for the exempt nationality as well and you should ask your department/college to include a note on your CAS so that it is clear when you make your visa application why you are not including an ATAS certificate. The Home Office advises that when your visa is granted you should add your exempt nationality passport to your eVisa. 

Courses that require ATAS

If you are offered a place at Oxford your college (for undergraduates) or department (for postgraduates) will advise whether you need ATAS.

For a list of courses at Oxford that require ATAS at postgraduate level, read the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) section on the Graduate Admissions website.

For undergraduates, the only courses that require ATAS are the 4-year undergraduate masters courses in these subjects: Materials; Physics; Physics and Philosophy and Mathematical and Theoretical Physics. 

ATAS and your visa application

If you are applying for a Student route visa for an ATAS subject then you will need an ATAS certificate to include with your visa application.

If you are coming as a Standard Visitor for a short period of study or research requiring ATAS then you must have the certificate before you start the study or research. Although under the Immigration Rules an ATAS certificate is not a requirement for a Standard Visitor visa application, in practice you will need to apply for it before you come to the UK because of the long processing times and because if you correctly indicate on your Visitor visa application that you will be coming for a period of study, you will need to indicate whether you need, and have obtained an ATAS certificate. 

Other visa types that allow study subject to the ATAS condition, for example, a Dependant visa, will also need ATAS approved before you can start studying but not before you can make the visa application. If you are unsure whether your non-Student visa type requires ATAS, contact us at [email protected] for advice. 

Managing the timings and prepare in advance

This can be a very lengthy process so please read the information in the 'When should I apply?' section below carefully and plan to do this well in advance.

How do I know if I need to apply?

Your offer letter will explain if you need to apply for ATAS and it will also be stated in your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) email. The CAS number is required for your visa application and will only be issued when you have met all of your academic and financial conditions but you can apply for ATAS before you get your CAS. Your college (for undergraduates) or department (for postgraduates) will issue you with an ATAS letter to use for your ATAS application.

You can also check the list of graduate courses that need ATAS on the Graduate Admissions website.

For undergraduates, the only courses that require ATAS are the 4-year undergraduate masters courses with these titles: Materials; Physics; Physics and Philosophy and Mathematical and Theoretical Physics. 

If you will be studying a subject requiring ATAS on a visa type other than Student, for example as a Dependant, you will still need to have an ATAS certificate before you can start study even though it was not a requirement for your visa application.

When should I apply?

Before you can apply for ATAS, you will need your offer letter and ATAS letter containing essential information about your course, the course start and end dates and a subject code (CAH3 code) that you must use for the ATAS online application. For postgraduate research students this should also include an agreed research statement from your supervisor, for undergraduate students it will include a list of course modules from your college.

You do not need to wait until your offer is unconditional to apply and you can apply before your CAS is issued to save time. ATAS applications can take a long time to be processed: expect at least 30 working days (6 weeks), or longer during the busy period from April to September, and there is no priority service. Some applications may take several months. Where possible, you should aim to apply before 15 May at the latest for an October course start date.

If you are approved for ATAS clearance you will receive a certificate by email that is valid for six months to use with a visa application. You can apply for your Student visa once you are within six months before your course start date if applying outside the UK, or 3 months if applying in-UK where allowed, for a new/second course or to complete a started course.

You will need your ATAS certificate before you can apply for your Student visa so it is best to apply as soon as possible but within the timeframes explained above and with the official information provided by your department or college.

For in-UK applicants, note that you must not overstay the end of your existing visa without having submitted a new visa application, so if you are waiting for ATAS and running out of time, contact us for advice at [email protected]

It is free to apply for an ATAS certificate. You must make sure you have received your ATAS information in your offer letter or a separate ATAS letter from your department or college before you begin. 

You must use the research statement (agreed with your supervisor) or list of modules provided in your ATAS letter in your application. 

Do NOT amend the research statement or write your own version. If you have made a mistake, contact the department immediately for advice. 

The application is in 10 sections and will take about 45 minutes to an hour to complete. You can save the form as you progress and return to it later if necessary.

Starting off:

• Due to an ongoing technical issue, you should not use a Gmail address for your ATAS application. Use an alternative email address instead as there is a problem with sending certificates to Gmail addresses.
• Read the guidance on this webpage before you begin: Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 
• Follow the information provided in your ATAS letter along with the guidance below for help with further sections.
• Start the application form here
• Select the CAH3 code provided by your department or college in your ATAS letter
• For the question:
  "Are you a taught / research student or are you a researcher?"
  You MUST select ‘taught / research student’
  DO NOT select Researcher as this is only for employees taking up a paid research position

Check everything very carefully before you submit the final application as the ATAS team would need to email you about any errors which may cause a delay. If you think you have made an error on an application you have submitted, please do not submit a new application; read FAQ 2 below, ‘What should I do if I realise I have made a mistake in my application after I have submitted it?’

After submitting your application, it will have the status ‘submitted’ whilst the application is pending and ‘decided’ once a decision has been made. Decisions can take at least 30 working days (6 weeks) and often longer between April and September. The ATAS team deals with applications in date order and there is no priority service. Please note:

• Withdrawing and resubmitting an application will not speed up the process and will instead reset the processing time.
• It is not possible to submit a duplicate application (for the same course) to speed up the process whilst one is already pending – the system prevents this.
• If you are asked to amend details because of major omissions or errors please note that this may reset the processing time so pay careful attention to dates and the accuracy of the information you supply. 

You will receive a decision by email and once an application has been decided (either Granted or Refused) it is not possible to submit a further application for the same course for 90 days after this first decision. If ATAS is granted but any of the details on the certificate are incorrect please contact us at [email protected]

If you are currently enrolled on a course at Oxford which requires ATAS and you are not exempt from the ATAS requirement (read the ‘Before you apply’ section above), you will need to apply for a new ATAS certificate if any of the following apply:

• you need extra time to complete your course and need to apply for a further Student visa 
• you are returning from a period of suspension and applying for a new visa from your home country
• your research project has changed fundamentally
• your primary supervisor has changed
• you have transferred to a new course which requires ATAS, for example, MSc by Research to DPhil (even if your research project remains the same). This includes if you are currently enrolled on a course which does not require ATAS but will be transferring to a course which does require ATAS.

Courses that require ATAS

For a list of courses at Oxford that require ATAS at postgraduate level, see the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) section on the Graduate Admissions website. 

For undergraduates, the only courses that require ATAS are the 4-year undergraduate masters courses in these subjects: Materials; Physics; Physics and Philosophy and Mathematical and Theoretical Physics. 

ATAS and your visa application – timings and planning ahead

If your circumstances mean that you need to extend your visa in the UK, or apply for a new visa from your home country, please note the following timings and plan in advance:

• ATAS applications can take a long time to be processed: expect at least 30 working days (6 weeks), or longer during the busy period from April to September, and there is no priority service.
• You will need to have received your ATAS certificate before you can apply for your visa.
• An ATAS certificate, once granted, is valid for 6 months to submit with a visa application.

Before you apply

You must get a new ATAS letter from your college (for undergraduates) or department (for postgraduates) before you start the application.

The ATAS team do not provide guidance about completing the application form specifically for current/continuing students but we have provided some advice below for different circumstances.

Completing the online application

Read the information in the ‘Completing the online application’ section above to get started and for general guidance about the application, then see below for further information related to your specific circumstances.