Student Visa Sponsors in Edinburgh

There are currently 21 licensed Student visa sponsors in Edinburgh on the UK Home Office register, including institutions such as Edinburgh Napier University, Heriot-Watt University. 11 sponsors on the Student route and 10 on the Child Student route.

Every institution below holds a valid sponsor licence, which means it can issue the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) you need to apply for a UK Student visa. Before applying, always check the institution’s current status in the table — and use our visa fee calculator to budget for your application.

Sponsors in Edinburgh by institution type

Independent school: 15
Higher Education Institution (HEI): 3
Private provider: 2
Publicly funded college: 1

All licensed sponsors in Edinburgh

Sponsor Name	Town/City	Sponsor Type	Status	Route
Basil Paterson College	Edinburgh	Private provider	Probationary Sponsor	Student
Basil Paterson Middle School	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
Cargilfield School	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
Clifton Hall School Ltd	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
Edinburgh College	Edinburgh	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Edinburgh Napier University	Edinburgh	Higher Education Institution (HEI)	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Edinburgh Steiner School Trust Ltd	Edinburgh	Independent school	Probationary Sponsor	Child Student
Edinburgh Theological Seminary	Edinburgh	Private provider	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Fettes College	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
Fettes College	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Student
George Watson's College	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
Heriot-Watt University	Edinburgh	Higher Education Institution (HEI)	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Merchiston Castle School	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Student
Merchiston Castle School	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
St George's Edinburgh	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Child Student
St George's Edinburgh	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
St Mary's Music School	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Child Student
St Mary's Music School	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor	Student
The Edinburgh Academy	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Child Student
The Edinburgh Academy	Edinburgh	Independent school	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
University of Edinburgh	Edinburgh	Higher Education Institution (HEI)	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student

What the sponsor status means

Student Sponsor – Track Record: the institution has held a sponsor licence for some time and has a proven history of immigration compliance. Universities with this status can, for example, be more flexible about the financial evidence they ask for.
Student Sponsor: a fully licensed sponsor in good standing that can issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Probationary Sponsor: a recently licensed institution that has not yet built up a track record. It can still sponsor students, but some limits apply (for instance, probationary sponsors cannot sponsor students for postgraduate doctor or dentist courses).

Route: Student vs Child Student

Student route: for students aged 16 or over studying at any level, from English language courses to PhDs.
Child Student route: for children aged 4 to 17 studying at an independent school.

Browse sponsors in other cities

Browse all cities and institution types or search the full sponsor list.

Source: Register of licensed sponsors: students, published by the UK Home Office. This page was last rebuilt on 16 July 2026 from the latest published register.