UK Graduate Visa Top Universities 2026: Russell Group Pathway

TL;DR

The UK Graduate visa lets students who complete a degree at a Home Office licensed sponsor institution stay for 2 years (3 years for PhD graduates) without a sponsor, at a Home Office fee of £880 plus £1,035 per year IHS. Russell Group universities supply roughly 40 percent of Graduate route applicants in any given year. The route is unsponsored and does not lead to settlement on its own, but it is the standard bridge from Student to Skilled Worker, and ILR follows after 5 years on a settlement route.

Last reviewed: 31 May 2026

How the Graduate route works: eligibility, duration, conditions

The Graduate route launched on 1 July 2021 and replaced the older post-study work visa that had been closed in 2012. It is an unsponsored, single-entry post-study route open to students who have successfully completed an eligible UK degree at a Home Office licensed Student route sponsor that holds a track record of Student visa compliance. The qualifying degrees are bachelor's, master's, integrated master's, PhD or other doctoral qualifications, and certain Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas in some regulated professions. The applicant must apply from inside the UK while still holding valid Student visa leave, must have studied the most recent qualifying course in the UK (with limited COVID-era distance learning concessions now retired), and must have the institution confirm successful completion to the Home Office. The Graduate visa is granted for 2 years for bachelor's and master's graduates and 3 years for PhD graduates, measured from the decision date. It permits any work at any skill level (including self-employment), permits voluntary work, and does not permit work as a professional sportsperson or further study at a Student route sponsor in the same course. Time on the Graduate visa does not count toward settlement: the route does not lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain on its own. To settle, the holder needs to switch into a route that does, most commonly Skilled Worker, before the Graduate visa expires.

The Russell Group institutions and their Graduate route uptake

The Russell Group is the self-organised body of 24 research-intensive UK universities and accounts for a disproportionate share of Graduate route grants because of its concentration of international postgraduate students. The 24 institutions are the University of Birmingham, the University of Bristol, the University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, Durham University, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Exeter, the University of Glasgow, Imperial College London, King's College London, the University of Leeds, the University of Liverpool, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Manchester, Newcastle University, the University of Nottingham, the University of Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, Queen's University Belfast, the University of Sheffield, the University of Southampton, University College London, the University of Warwick, and the University of York. All 24 are licensed Student route sponsors, all 24 hold track-record sponsor status, and graduates of all 24 can apply for the Graduate visa subject to course eligibility. In aggregate the Russell Group accounts for roughly 40 percent of Graduate route grants in a typical year, though the share has been edging down as post-92 universities and specialist institutions have expanded their international recruitment programmes.

Top UK universities by Graduate route grants

The Home Office publishes Graduate route grant data in the quarterly immigration statistics release, broken down by sponsor institution in the underlying tables. The ten institutions issuing the largest Confirmations of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) feeding into Graduate route grants over the most recent published year, in approximate order, are:

University College London
The University of Manchester
King's College London
Coventry University
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Glasgow
The University of Birmingham
The University of Sheffield
The University of Leeds
Imperial College London

The ranking is dominated by Russell Group members but with a notable post-92 entry (Coventry) reflecting that institution's heavy international postgraduate intake. The precise ordering varies year on year and is sensitive to course-mix changes: a single institution adding a large 1-year taught master's programme in an in-demand subject can move several places. The Home Office statistics tables are the primary source and update each quarter.

Graduate route to Skilled Worker: the switching mechanics

Switching from Graduate to Skilled Worker is the single most common onward step for a Graduate visa holder who intends to settle in the UK long term. The switch is permitted from inside the UK and requires a Certificate of Sponsorship from a Worker sponsor licence holder, a salary that meets the Skilled Worker threshold (general £38,700 from April 2024, with lower thresholds for the Immigration Salary List, new entrants under 26, and certain health and education roles), and the role at RQF Level 3 or above. The inside-UK application fee is £827 for a grant of up to 3 years. Detailed cost mechanics are in the UK Skilled Worker visa cost guide. Two structural points are worth highlighting:

The 5-year ILR clock on Skilled Worker starts from the date of the Skilled Worker grant, not from the original UK arrival. Time on the Graduate visa does not count toward the 5 years.
The new-entrant Skilled Worker concession (which lowers the salary threshold for applicants under 26 or within 2 years of qualifying) is available to Graduate holders switching into Skilled Worker, which can be a material help in the first sponsored role.

An applicant who fails to find a sponsoring employer before the Graduate visa expires has no in-country switching option to extend Graduate leave: the route is a one-shot 2-year (or 3-year PhD) window that cannot be renewed or topped up. The applicant must either secure Skilled Worker (or another settlement route), leave the UK, or apply from outside for a different category.

Cost of the Graduate route including IHS

The Graduate visa Home Office application fee is £880 per person from the April 2024 fee schedule. The Immigration Health Surcharge applies at the standard adult rate of £1,035 per year, charged upfront for the entire grant. For a 2-year Graduate visa the IHS comes to £2,070, taking the upfront cost to £2,950. For a 3-year PhD Graduate visa the IHS is £3,105 and the upfront total is £3,985. The biometric enrolment fee is not generally charged again on a Graduate switch where the applicant has previously enrolled, but where the Home Office requests fresh biometrics the £19.20 fee applies. The UK visa fee calculator models Graduate route costs alongside dependant counts. Dependants of Graduate route applicants are permitted if they were already a dependant on the applicant's Student visa, but new dependants cannot generally be added on the Graduate stage. Each existing dependant pays the same £880 application fee and the £1,035 (or £776 child) IHS per year.

Worked example: 3-year degree, 2-year Graduate, Skilled Worker switch

A worked example helps illustrate the typical cost profile of the Student-Graduate-Skilled Worker journey for a single international applicant from outside the UK, on a 3-year bachelor's degree at a Russell Group institution followed by 2 years on the Graduate route and a switch into a Skilled Worker role.

Student visa application fee (outside UK): £490
Student IHS for 3 years and 4 months (with the standard pre-course buffer): £3,623
Tuition fees for 3 years at typical international undergraduate rates (illustrative): roughly £25,000 to £38,000 per year, varying by institution and course.
Graduate visa application fee: £880
Graduate IHS for 2 years: £2,070
Skilled Worker inside-UK application fee (3-year grant): £827
Skilled Worker IHS for 3 years: £3,105
ILR application after 5 years on Skilled Worker: £2,885

The Home Office charges alone across the journey come to £13,880 across roughly 10 years of UK residence (3 years Student, 2 years Graduate, 5 years Skilled Worker). The applicant then sits at the ILR stage and is free of further visa fees. The figures above exclude tuition, biometric enrolment, priority service add-ons, and any English language testing required at the Skilled Worker switch (the academic qualification at degree level normally satisfies the SELT requirement, but check the gov.uk approved qualifications list). The example assumes no priority service is purchased; adding super-priority at each visa stage adds £1,000 per application, so £3,000 across the three visa decisions.

Frequently asked questions

Does the UK Graduate visa lead to settlement?

No. Time on the Graduate visa does not count toward Indefinite Leave to Remain. To settle, the holder needs to switch into a route that does count (most commonly Skilled Worker), accrue 5 continuous years on that route, and then apply for ILR. The Graduate route is best understood as a bridge between the Student visa and a sponsored work visa rather than as a settlement route in its own right.

Which institutions are licensed Student route sponsors?

The Home Office publishes the full register of licensed Student route sponsors on gov.uk. As of the most recent quarterly publication there are roughly 1,200 institutions on the register, of which about half hold the higher track-record sponsor rating. All 24 Russell Group universities are licensed and hold track-record status. Graduates of any institution on the register can apply for the Graduate visa, subject to course eligibility.

How long can a PhD graduate stay on the Graduate route?

3 years, compared with 2 years for bachelor's and master's graduates. The 3-year duration was set when the Graduate route launched in July 2021 to reflect the longer duration and greater cost of doctoral study and to align with research talent retention objectives. The 3-year grant is one-off: it cannot be extended.

Is the Graduate route still under review?

The Graduate route has been reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee on Home Office instruction, most recently in 2024, and its retention was confirmed with some operational tweaks rather than wholesale removal. Future reviews are possible: the Home Office signalled in the immigration white paper that post-study routes will be kept under review against labour market and student demand data. Applicants should check the gov.uk Graduate visa page for the current status before applying.

Can a Graduate visa holder switch to Skilled Worker before the 2 years are up?

Yes. There is no minimum stay requirement on the Graduate route before switching to Skilled Worker. A Graduate holder who secures a qualifying job offer with a Worker sponsor licence holder can submit an inside-UK Skilled Worker application at any point during the Graduate visa, and the Skilled Worker leave then runs from the grant date of the new visa. Switching early is common where the applicant wants to start the 5-year ILR clock as soon as possible.

Sources

Disclaimer: The figures and guidance on this page are informational. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, or the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide immigration advice. For application-specific advice consult a regulated immigration adviser. Verify current fees and rules on gov.uk before applying.