Visiting research students

The Faculty of Science and Engineering welcomes research students from other universities who wish to spend time studying with us.

Visiting students:

• do not study for, and cannot be awarded, credit.
• do not undertake formal assessment.
• are not administered by the International Office, i.e. are not on a recognised exchange or study abroad arrangement.
• are registered as a student at another higher education institution.
• normally visit Bristol to carry out research (at postgraduate level) or to undertake an undergraduate project (not for credit).
• are not included in data returns to external agencies (such as HESA and HEFCE).

In addition, visiting research students should note that:

• Postgraduate research students can only come to the faculty having received and accepted an official offer to visit from the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
• To come to the Faculty of Science and Engineering as a visiting research student, you must be registered as a research student at another university.
• Confirmation of academic supervision for the duration of the visit will be required before the official invitation can be issued.
• In the case of students requiring student visa sponsorship your supervisor will hold responsibility for monthly monitoring of academic engagement.
• You may be required to pay a bench fee. The definitive fee will be confirmed in your offer letter.
• You are responsible for all costs associated with your visit, including accommodation, subsistence, travel and leisure costs. We do not currently offer any bursaries or other financial support for visiting research students.
• If possible, we recommend that visiting research students bring a laptop computer with them.
• You will be expected to engage with the research community in the Faculty of Science and Engineering within the relevant research theme and, if appropriate, within the school.

Admission process and entry requirements

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT APPLICATIONS CAN TAKE 4-8 WEEKS TO BE FULLY PROCESSED AND AN OFFER SENT OUT. The visit can not take place until you have an offer.

Find a supervisor

If you wish to come to the Faculty of Science and Engineering as a visiting research student, you must first secure the agreement of a member of academic staff to act as your supervisor for the duration of your visit. If you have not already done so, check our research areas and groups to find members of staff whose research area matches your interests. You should contact them directly, using the contact details given on the relevant web page.

Choose a programme

You may currently apply for the following programmes:

• Aerospace Engineering (Visiting) (PGR)
• Chemistry (Visiting) (PGR)
• Civil Engineering (Visiting) (PGR)
• Computer Science (Visiting) (PGR)
• Earth Sciences (Visiting) (PGR)
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Visiting) (PGR)
• Engineering Mathematics (Visiting) (PGR)
• Geographical Sciences (Visiting) (PGR)
• Mathematics (Visiting) (PGR)
• Mechanical Engineering (Visiting) (PGR)
• Physics (Visiting) (PGR)

Complete the application

Once you have secured the agreement of a potential supervisor, and have agreed dates for your visit with them, you should apply online via the online application portal. New applicants will need to create a new account and should refer to the 'how to apply' guidance. Currently, there may only be one start date option for you to select (e.g. September 2025).  You will indicate your proposed visit start date and the visit end date in your application via the Supervisory Form, which will be completed jointly by yourself and your Supervisor, who will be arranging your visit.

You need to upload the following documents to your application:

• Academic transcripts from first and subsequent degrees. We require colour scans of original documents and certified translations of documents issued in any language other than English.
• Degree certificate from first and subsequent degrees. We require colour scans of original documents and certified translations of documents issued in any language other than English.
• In the case of students whose first language is not English, evidence of English Language proficiency. Please see further information below regarding the exact requirements based on length of visit.
• An official letter from your current institution confirming the research degree programme that you are registered on along with your dates of study - the letter must include your current programme start date and your expected end date (day, month and year).
• The Visiting Student Supervisory Form (Office document, 63kB), completed by both yourself and your University of Bristol supervisor who has arranged this visit. 

Once your application has been processed you will be issued a formal offer of study letter which will confirm your supervisor(s), visiting student duration and fees liable. You will be asked to formally respond to this offer of study letter.

Visa requirements (and ATAS)

If you are a student visiting from outside the UK you will require a visa, regardless of length of study. Some students will need to apply for this visa in advance, some can travel through eGates on arrival. For visits of six months or less, read the Standard Visitor visa guidance. For longer visits, you will probably need a Student visa, and you must meet the eligibility requirements for this.

If you are already in the UK on a Student visa (and you are visiting from another UK institution) you need to be studying at a partner institution or agree to the visit as an agreed temporary location. You should contact Student Visas for advice.  Also most visa types will require Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS), regardless of length of study, if the course needs ATAS. Some nationalities are exempt from the ATAS requirement - you can check if you need an ATAS certificate at Find out if you need an ATAS certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visiting for more than six months

Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they meet the English Language requirements for the programme. Refer to the University of Bristol English Language entry requirements for further guidance.

Profile E is required for postgraduate research programmes in the schools of:

• Earth Sciences,
• Geographical Sciences,
• School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering,
• School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology,
• School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering,
• School of Computer Science.

Profile F is required for postgraduate research programmes in the schools of:

• Chemistry,
• Mathematics,
• Physics.

We can only give you a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) once you have met your academic and language conditions.

Students requiring a CAS for visa purposes will be asked to provide official confirmation (student status letter) from their home institution of the degree they are currently registered for, their start date and their expected end date. A CAS cannot be issued to an international visiting research student who is not returning to their home institution to complete their research degree (PhD). Students who fall into this category should contact the relevant School directly as they may qualify as a Visiting Academic or Associate.

Visiting for less than six months

If you are visiting for less than six months there is no UKVI requirement for you to provide evidence of English Language proficiency. However, it is expected that the supervisor must have interviewed the student and confirmed that their level of English is acceptable for the programme.

For visits less than six months, you will be able to apply for a Standard Visitor visa. 

Further visa related guidance for visiting students can be found at Student Visas Visiting Students.

For advice about visas contact the University's Student Visas office.

Engineering and Computer Science Bench Fees

Fees will be charged as per the table below according to the number of terms/months in which the student will be using University facilities.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the application process for visiting research students, you can contact:

Science: science-pg-admissions@bristol.ac.uk

Engineering: feng-pgadmin@bristol.ac.uk