Working in the UK after your studies

Completion of your programme means sitting for your final exams or handing in your final piece of work. 

For example, if you are an undergraduate student and have completed the final stage of your degree, you can work more than 20 hours per week once you have completed your final exams or handed in your final piece of work. 

If you are a postgraduate taught student, you can work more than 20 hours per week once you have handed in your dissertation, if this is your final piece of work. Completion of the taught element of your programme itself would not allow you to work more than 20 hours per week because the dissertation writing-up period is considered as term time. 

If you are a postgraduate research student, you can work more than 20 hours per week after you have received the award of your research degree or passlist.  

If you require written confirmation of your course completion, you can use your CAS statement which will state your course end date.  

You can also use a certificate of registration which you can download from the Student Portal which will state your expected programme end date. You can use this if you have already completed your programme by the expected programme end date stated on the cretificate of registration.  

Apart from the CAS statement or the Certificate of Registration, the University will not usualy be able to provide you with a separate letter to state the date you hand in your final piece of work or sat for your final exam. 

If your employer requires written confirmation of your course completion so that they can allocate full-time working hours, you can provide your CAS statement or your Certificate of Registration.  

The university is not able to provide you with a letter to state that you can work full-time after completion of your programme. Your employer will need to carry out a suitable right to work check to determine the permitted working hours.