The end date of a student status letter is taken from a centralised database of official programme end dates. These end dates will depend on the specific structure of a programme (with some courses finishing earlier or later than others).
It is important to note that study is not completed the moment your final piece of work is submitted – it could be the case that some assignments need to be retaken in the following months. Rather, study is completed once all assignments have been collected, assessed, assigned a passing grade and had that grade confirmed at an exam board. This is why the official end date of study on your student status letter may be later than you are expecting. It is important to note that until your results letter has been released on your student portal confirming that you have completed, your studies are still considered to be ‘in progress’. It is the confirmation of a final grade that concludes study, rather than the submission of a final assignment.
You may notice that the CAS ‘expected end date’ is different to the end date noted in your student status letter. The CAS end date is an expected end date, set at the start of study. The end date in the student status letter is a more accurate end date for the reasons explained above.
If you are a student visa holder you may be keen to learn how the dates in your student status letter can help you show your employer when you can work full-time hours.
We have some really helpful guidance on working in the UK during your studies which includes a detailed breakdown of this topic.
You can access help from the International Student Advice Service* on the topic of when you can work full-time hours (as well as other immigration topics) at their regular immigration advice workshops. At the workshops you can access detailed advice from a skilled immigration adviser and ask all of your questions.
*The International Student Advice Service, is a free, confidential immigration advice service and are here to help you with any questions you have about immigration during your studies.