ATAS is a certificate issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which gives you security clearance to study certain postgraduate programmes at City St George's, University of London.
Non-EEA students who choose to study certain subjects at MSc or MEng or PhD level in the UK have to apply for and receive clearance under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) regardless of if they are required to apply for a Student visa or not.
Students who are nationals of the following countries do not require an ATAS certificate:
- EU countries
- The European Economic Area (EEA)
- Australia
- Canada
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- The United States of America.
Courses requiring an ATAS certificate
The following courses at City St George's, University of London require an ATAS certificate.
Undergraduate programmes leading to integrated postgraduate qualifications:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Aeronautical Engineering.
Research level programmes:
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Air Transport Engineering
- Air Transport Management and Safety
- Air Safety Management
- Automotive Engineering
- Energy Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Internal Combustion
- Civil Engineering
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Hydraulic Engineering
- Applied Physics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Communications Engineering
- Control Engineering
- Control Theory
- Electrical and Electronic
- Electronic Engineering
- Information Engineering
- Measurement and Instrumentation
- Mathematical Methods and Systems
- Photonics
- Systems and Modelling
- Mathematics
- Mathematical Physics
- Computer Science
- Geographical Information Science
- Human Computer Interaction
- Software Systems Engineering
- Creativity Science.
Courses on these lists are subject to change, so you should always check if you need an ATAS through the UK Government website.
How to apply for an ATAS
You should apply online for an ATAS certificate. The process is free.
Applicants typically need the following details when applying:
- Contact details
- Passport details
- Name and nationality of your spouse/partner (if applicable)
- Details of your previous studies
- Details of your previous/current employment (if applicable)
- The programme of study you are applying to follow in the UK (including the appropriate CAH3 code) - this should be included in your offer letter
- If you are doing a taught Masters course, you will need details of the optional modules you anticipate taking
- If doing a research programme, you will need to include a brief summary of your research proposal - this should be agreed with your supervisor
- Names and contact details of two referees, whom you must have known for at least three years
- How you will be funding your studies
- Previous ATAS applications (if applicable).
it takes approximately 20 working days from the date of application for an ATAS certificate to be issued, though during the months of June, July, August and September ATAS is extremely busy and this process can take as long as 30 working days.