Our January courses start on 23 January 2023. All students need to arrive for the start of term and be in a position to attend classes face to face from the course start date. There are various activities lined up to help you settle in and ease into student life at BU.

It is really important that you plan to arrive by the course start date, as late arrival can make it more difficult for you to settle into your studies and other aspects of your life at BU.

What to do if you may need to arrive late

  • We understand that delays to your arrival may be unavoidable, and we will support you as far as possible in planning your arrival and managing circumstances which affect your arrival date (see further information about support below).   
  • However, late arrival should be exceptional and must be agreed with BU on an individual basis. Please do not assume that you will be allowed to proceed with study on the course for the January 2023 term if you cannot arrive at BU and be able to attend classes by the course start date. You need to discuss possible late arrival with us as soon as you become aware of a potential delay.
  • When planning your arrival, please take into account all steps in the visa process: in addition to expected times for processing a visa application and confirming the issue of a visa, you need to consider the time taken for you to receive your visa documentation. In some countries, this can take 10-15 days after the visa decision.
  • If you are not able to arrive at BU by the course start date, or think you may not be able to arrive on time, please let us know by completing this form as soon as you are aware of the potential delay. The form asks you to explain the reason for late arrival and indicate when you are likely to be able to arrive – this should be a realistic estimate, taking into account the reasons for your late arrival.   
  • BU will confirm whether we are able to agree late start (we may need to ask for more information before making a final decision).  
  • BU can only agree to late start if we think that you will be able to catch up with your studies, that the late start will not have a significant impact on staff and other students, and if we are confident you will be able to start by the final deadline notified to you.
  • Where late arrival is agreed by BU, we will give you a final start date. You must arrive at BU and be ready to start your course by this date. Arrival and start after that final deadline will not be permitted for any reason. You will need to check in with staff at BU by this date so that we know you are here and able to attend classes. Information about how to do this will be provided when we confirm your final start date.
  • You need to plan to arrive in the UK at least 1-2 days before any agreed late start date. The final start date is not a final deadline for your arrival in the UK i.e. the date on which your plane lands in the UK. By this date you will need to have travelled to Bournemouth and checked in with BU staff, so that you are in a position to start your studies - this includes being able to attend classes. You also need to have completed registration and enrolment as far as possible (see below). 
  • Please do not travel to Bournemouth if you have been told that it is too late to start your course and you will be arriving after the final start date notified to you. Please do not make firm arrangements to arrive late unless BU has agreed to your late start (this includes travel arrangements and changes to/cancellation of other living, working or studying arrangements).    
  • If you manage to travel to the UK after the final agreed start date, even though BU has confirmed you should not do so, you will not be allowed to complete enrolment and start your course, BU will inform UKVI. You will not be able to remain in the UK on your Student Visa: if you want to take up your place in September you will need to return to your home country to apply for a new Student Visa.
  • If we agree a late start date with you, you still need to complete all of our online registration process (including fees payment) before the course start date. You also need to complete the enrolment process as far as possible, i.e. all steps apart from the final visa check which is carried out in person by our Immigration Team after you arrive at BU.
  • If you are unable to arrive on time and we cannot agree late start, or if you are unable to arrive and start by an agreed late start date, we will offer you the chance to defer your course start to the next entry date. Please let us know if you need information about deferral options, or visit our webpage, Making changes to your application. 
  • For international students, where late start is not agreed or the student does not arrive by the agreed final arrival date, BU reserves the right to withdraw a CAS already issued to a student to inform UKVI that a student will no longer be accepted. This is so that we can prevent students from arriving after the final agreed start date in circumstances where they would not be allowed to remain at BU and in the UK.
  • If you need support in understanding or managing the visa application process or are concerned that visa processing timescales may affect your ability to arrive for the course start date, please email [email protected].
  • If you have questions about deposits and fee payments or other enrolment requirements in the context of late arrival, please email [email protected] if you’re an international student on a Postgraduate Taught course (such as an MA or MSc) or [email protected] if you are a UK student on a Postgraduate Taught course. Overseas and UK students on a Postgraduate Research course (such as MRes or PhD) should email [email protected].