update Last updated: 30 August 2026

Publicly Funded Colleges Licensed to Sponsor International Students

There are currently 70 publicly funded colleges on the UK Home Office register of licensed student sponsors. 69 sponsors on the Student route and 1 on the Child Student route.

Publicly funded colleges are further education (FE) colleges funded by the UK government. They offer A-levels, BTECs, foundation programmes and vocational qualifications, and many act as an affordable stepping stone to university study in the UK.

The largest concentrations are in York (2), London (2), Cardiff (2), Leicester (2), Abingdon (1), Basingstoke (1), Belfast (1), Bexhill-on-sea (1).

Full list (70 institutions)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Sponsor Name	Town/City	Sponsor Type	Status	Route
Abingdon and Witney College	Abingdon	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
ASKHAM BRYAN COLLEGE	York	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Basingstoke College of Technology	Basingstoke	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Belfast Metropolitan College	Belfast	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Bexhill College	Bexhill-on-sea	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Bishop Burton College	Beverley	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Blackpool and The Fylde College	Blackpool	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Brockenhurst College	Brockenhurst	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Cambridge Regional College	Cambridge	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Capital City College Group	London	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Cardiff and Vale College	Cardiff	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Cheshire College South & West	Crewe	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
CHICHESTER COLLEGE GROUP	Chichester	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
City College Norwich	Norwich	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
City College Plymouth	Plymouth	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
City of Glasgow College	Glasgow	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
City of Portsmouth College	Portsmouth	Publicly funded college	Probationary Sponsor	Student
Colchester Institute	Colchester	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Coleg Gwent	Usk	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
DN Colleges Group	Doncaster	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Dundee and Angus College	Dundee	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
East Sussex College Group	Eastbourne	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Edinburgh College	Edinburgh	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Fife College	Dunfermline	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Forth Valley College	Falkirk	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Gower College Swansea	Swansea	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Grantham College	Grantham	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Grwp Llandrillo Menai	Rhos-on-Sea	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Havant & South Downs College	Havant	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Hereford College of Arts	Hereford	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
HRUC	Uxbridge	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Isle of Wight College	Newport	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Itchen Sixth Form College	Southampton	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
JOHN LEGGOTT COLLEGE	Scunthorpe	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Lincoln College	Lincoln	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Loughborough College	Loughborough	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Luminate Education Group (University Centre Leeds)	Leeds	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Middlesbrough College	Middlesbrough	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Myerscough College	Preston	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Neath Port Talbot College	Neath	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Nescot	Ewell	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
New City College Corporation	London	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
North East Scotland College	Aberdeen	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
NORTH WEST REGIONAL COLLEGE	Londonderry	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Oaklands College	St Albans	Publicly funded college	Probationary Sponsor	Student
Reaseheath College	Nantwich	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Richmond and Hillcroft Adult and Community College	Richmond Upon Thames	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Shrewsbury Colleges Group	Shrewsbury	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
South & City College Birmingham	Digbeth	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
South Eastern Regional College	Lisburn	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
South Essex College of Further & Higher Education	Southend On Sea	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
South Gloucestershire and Stroud College	Bristol	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
South Thames Colleges Group	Kingston upon Thames	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Sparsholt College Hampshire	Winchester	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
St David's Catholic College	Cardiff	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Stanmore College	Stanmore	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
The Bournemouth & Poole College	Poole	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
The Sheffield College	Sheffield	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Tyne Coast College	South Shields	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
University Centre Somerset College Group	Bridgwater	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Varndean College	Brighton	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
Warwickshire College	Leamington Spa	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
West Herts College	Watford	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Weston College	Weston super Mare	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Weymouth and Kingston Maurward College	Weymouth	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
Wiltshire College & University Centre	Salisbury	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
WQE and Regent college group	Leicester	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Student
WQE and Regent college group	Leicester	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor	Child Student
Yeovil College	Yeovil	Publicly funded college	Student Sponsor - Track Record	Student
York College	York	Publicly funded college	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 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 30 August 2026 from the latest published register.