UK Student Sponsors
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Independent Schools Licensed to Sponsor International Students

There are currently 901 independent schools on the UK Home Office register of licensed student sponsors. 359 sponsors on the Student route and 542 on the Child Student route.

Independent (private) schools sponsor pupils mainly on the Child Student route, for children aged 4 to 17 attending fee-paying schools, including many of the UK’s well-known boarding schools. Students aged 16 or 17 may in some cases be sponsored on the standard Student route instead.

If you are choosing a school for your child, always confirm the school appears on this register with an active status before paying any deposit.

The largest concentrations are in London (106), Oxford (20), Cambridge (17), Reading (17), Edinburgh (15), York (12), Manchester (11), Bath (10).

Full list (901 institutions)

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What the sponsor status means

Route: Student vs Child Student

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.