Arriving late

Last updated: 03/10/2022 15:29

We strongly recommend that you arrive at the university no later than your course start date, as stated in your offer letter and Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

However, we realise that for some new international students, there may be certain challenges ahead in travelling to the UK due to visa processing times, coronavirus, and other related restrictions.

For those facing problems or delays in arriving in Cardiff for the start of their course, on most of our taught programmes, we will be able to provide you with up to five weeks of online support, covering enrolment week and the first four weeks of teaching.

If you are a postgraduate research student, please contact your supervisor or academic school Postgraduate Research Office to discuss late arrival options.

Delayed arrival on campus

You should do all you can to arrive in the UK in time to start your course on campus – for most of our programmes, this is usually 26 September 2022 and will be stated in your offer confirmation email.

However, if you cannot travel to Cardiff by this date, you may be permitted to delay your arrival on campus by a few weeks.

If you do arrive late, you will still need to enrol on your course and engage with your studies online from the date your course starts.

All students on standard programmes will need to be on campus by 31 October 2022 if they are to continue their studies.

Programmes eligible for delayed arrival

As a new international student, you can check a list of programmes eligible for delayed arrival to see if your programme will allow you to arrive late. These programmes will allow you to study online, in a limited capacity, for this extended period.

Certain years of study cannot permit a delayed arrival; these include:

• a year of study abroad
• an autumn semester of study abroad
• a year in industry or a professional placement year.

If your year of study involves an initial placement or period of fieldwork, you will also not be able to delay your arrival.

If you are due to start a year of study where you will undertake any of the above, you will not be able to apply for a delayed arrival.

Where a delayed arrival is possible, you will see the option to request this on your Student Information Management System (SIMS) online portal once you have completed online enrolment.

Support during your delayed arrival period

Your Academic School will support you during the period of delayed arrival; however, this will be in a limited capacity.

You will miss some in-person teaching, but we will provide study materials to enable you to progress with your programme.

Our regulations mean that you can only undertake and complete your course if you study on campus in Cardiff.

Please plan and do everything you can to arrive as soon as possible.

Applying for a delayed arrival

If you are unable to travel to Cardiff for the start of the semester, you will need to let us know. Before informing us, you must complete online enrolment. You will then be able to notify us of the reasons for your late arrival and the expected arrival date by completing the ‘Delayed Arrival’ task in the SIMS online portal, which will be available to you after you complete enrolment.

If you are a postgraduate research student the 'Delayed Arrival' task will not be available in SIMS. Please contact your supervisor or academic school Postgraduate Research Office to discuss late arrival options.

You must also ensure that you arrive in the UK before the ‘latest arrival date’ specified on your CAS, as this may be earlier than 31 October 2022.

If you are unable to arrive in the UK in time to start attending classes in person on your latest start date, you may wish to consider requesting to defer your offer to entry in September 2023.

Refused entry into the UK

The UK Immigration Officers at all the UK airports will refuse entry into the UK if you arrive after your ‘latest start date’ as detailed in your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) email.

If you are unable to get to the UK by this date, contact the International Office to defer your entry on your course, as you will not be able to attend this year.