ATAS guidance

ATAS approval is a security clearance scheme, which applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who require a UK visa and intend to undertake postgraduate study or research in certain sensitive subjects, such as “those where knowledge could be used in programmes to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery”.

If you require ATAS approval to study your chosen course, you will not be able to apply for a student visa until this has been granted so it is important to allow enough time to obtain ATAS and apply for your visa.

Exempt nationalities

If you are a UK national or a national of any of the following countries, you do not require an ATAS certificate:

Courses that require ATAS

Currently, the list includes the below courses only.

Taught degrees

• MEng Marine and Mechanical Engineering
• MSc Marine and Offshore Engineering
• MEng Mechanical Engineering
• MSc Maritime Energy Efficiency
• MSc Renewable Energy

Research degrees

Some research degrees require ATAS in certain science and engineering fields. This will be confirmed on your offer letter. Not all research degrees require ATAS. 

CAH3 code

This is the code that is assigned to degree programmes and is used to determine if ATAS approval is required. If your offer letter states that ATAS is required, a CAH3 code will be listed.

Cost

It is free to apply for ATAS.

When should you apply for ATAS

It is advisable to apply as soon as you receive your offer letter but no more than 6 months before the course start date. Applications take at least 30 working days (6 weeks) to process so you should apply for ATAS as soon as possible. There is no fast-track service and LJMU cannot chase an update on an ATAS application.

ATAS certificates are valid for 6 months, so the certificate needs to be valid for the course start date.

Where to apply for ATAS

Apply via the ATAS website.

What you need to apply

Applicants require a conditional offer or unconditional offer to apply for ATAS. You cannot apply for ATAS until you have received an offer letter.

You should also be prepared to provide the below information. Not all requirements will apply to you.

• The relevant CAH3 code, provided by the HEI or Research Institution.
• Details of your previous studies.
• Your full name, date of birth, and the address of where you currently live.
• Your passport details for the one you will use in your visa application.  If you are already in the UK, include the passport you entered on or if it has expired include your current passport.
• Details of previous and current employment (if applicable). If you have not been employed, put ‘not applicable / never employed’. You should also explain on the form (in one of the open text boxes) any gaps in your employment history, for example if you were unemployed or a full-time parent.
• Details of all your published papers (if applicable).
• Contact details for 2 referees you have ideally known for over 3 years. One should be a referee from your home country and the other an academic referee. If you do not have a home referee because you live outside of your home country, state this on the application form in one of the open text boxes and include an alternative academic or professional referee.
• Details of how you will be financially sponsored within the UK. If you are waiting on a funding decision from your financial sponsor, state this on the application form.

What if you are applying to more than one university

An ATAS certificate is only valid for a specific university so if you are considering offers from different universities, separate ATAS applications may be required.

What if you are renewing my passport

An ATAS application is linked to the passport used to make a visa application. If renewing your passport, you should usually wait until you have renewed the passport.

A passport only needs to be valid to travel to the UK so if you are unsure about renewing your passport and require ATAS, please email internationaladmissions@ljmu.ac.uk for advice.

Application form guidance

If you require ATAS approval, below is a handy guide on completing the application form. We have only included the sections that sometimes confuse applicants. The rest is explained on the ATAS application form.

CAH3 code

This is listed on your offer letter

Supervisor name at UK university

For taught degrees, please list “N/A”. For a research degree, please list the name of your supervisor.

What you will be studying

For taught Master's degrees, please list the elective (optional) modules available to you. If there are no electives (optional modules), please list the core modules. For MEng degrees, please list only the final year electives (optional modules) or, if there are none, the core modules.

Please ensure that you check the list of modules on the course pages.

If you are unsure, check with the International Admissions Team (internationaladmissions@ljmu.ac.uk) or include all possible modules. 

For research programmes, please provide the description of your thesis or area of research, as provided in the offer letter from LJMU.

Other studies

This refers to studies since you left school (18 years old+) but not at university. For example, this could be a college diploma or a vocational qualification.

Employment history

This includes any work (including long term volunteering) since you left school. You do not need to include any temporary jobs carried out during university holidays.

Referees

You must have known the referees for at least three years. There should be at least two referees and at least one should be an academic from your home country.

Please note:
Friends and family are not accepted as referees.

Sponsors

This section is refers to official financial sponsorship, in line with the UKVI definition (His Majesty’s Government, the applicant’s national government, the British Council or any international organisation, international company, university or Independent School). If you are self-funded (which includes using an education loan), please enter your own name. If a (permitted) family member is funding your studies, list their name.

Submitting your ATAS certificate

Please ensure that this is submitted through the Attachment Upload Facility.

Please note:
The information listed above is correct as of March 2026 and reflects the current guidance from the ATAS Team. To apply for ATAS and review the UK government’s own guidance, please refer to the government website.