High Potential Individual visa: 34 US
universities
and what to do with 2 years

If you graduated from a leading US university in the last five years, you may be able to move to the UK without an employer behind you. Most Americans need a sponsored job offer first. HPI skips that step, so you can job hunt from inside the UK.

This guide answers two questions. Do my school and graduation date qualify? And how do I use two years well enough to stay longer?

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What the High Potential Individual visa gives you, and what it doesn’t

It is two years of open work rights. It does not lead to settlement on its own.

On an HPI visa you can work for almost any employer, look for work, be self-employed, volunteer and travel. You can bring your partner and children.

The limits:

• Length. 2 years, or 3 years if your qualifying degree is a PhD. You cannot extend it.
• Settlement. HPI time does not count towards settlement (indefinite leave to remain, the UK’s permanent residence). To stay long term you need another visa.
• Once only. You can only hold an HPI visa once.
• A yearly cap. The route is capped at 8,000 applications a year, counted from 1 November to 31 October. A new cap year began on 1 November 2026.

US citizens do not need to prove their English for this visa. The full rules are on the GOV.UK High Potential Individual visa page.

The 34 US universities on the 2026 list

If your degree is awarded between 1 November 2026 and 31 October 2027, these are the US schools that count.

The Home Office publishes a Global Universities List each year. It includes universities outside the UK that rank in the top 100 of at least two of three tables: Times Higher Education, QS and the Academic Ranking of World Universities. The 2026 list has 82 universities. 34 are in the US:

Two changes for US schools this year: Ohio State University, Columbus is new, and “University of Minnesota, Twin Cities” is now “University of Minnesota”. The 2025 list had 33.

The “top 150” promise is not law yet. The Budget of 28 October 2026 said the government will widen the route to the top 150 global institutions, with a proportional increase to the cap. That is an announcement only. There is no start date, and no rule change has been laid before Parliament. Today the Immigration Rules still say top 100. Do not plan around it until GOV.UK publishes a new list.

Your graduation date decides which list applies

The list that counts is the one for the year your degree was awarded, not the latest one.

Each list covers degrees awarded from 1 November to 31 October, so a May graduation falls under the list published the November before. Your degree must also be under 5 years old on the date you apply. These lists are still in play:

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29 US universities appear on all six lists. Nine do not. If you went to one of these, check your year carefully:

UC Davis and Maryland are on the 2021 list only. A May 2022 degree from either turns 5 years old in May 2027, so the application must go in before then.

Three worked examples:

• Ohio State, May 2026. A May 2026 award falls under the 2025 list. Ohio State is not on it, so this graduate does not qualify. A December 2026 Ohio State graduate does.
• Boston University, May 2023. The 2022 list applies. Boston University is not on it. A May 2024 graduate qualifies, because the 2023 list includes it.
• Georgia Tech, May 2023. The 2022 list applies and includes Georgia Tech. This graduate qualifies, but must apply before May 2028, when the degree turns 5 years old.

Ecctis, the UK organisation that assesses foreign degrees, confirms your award date for the Home Office. That confirmed date decides which list applies. Check the date on your diploma and transcript before you pay. GOV.UK updated the 2020 to 2024 lists in November 2025, so use the live pages, not a saved copy.

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What the HPI visa costs, in pounds and dollars

Budget about £3,200 in fees for two years, plus £1,270 you must show in savings.

The biggest fee is the Immigration Health Surcharge, £1,035 a year, which gives you access to the NHS, the UK’s public health service. Dollar figures below are at ECB rates of 2 November 2026 (£1 = $1.3419), rounded to the nearest $100.

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The savings must sit in your account for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of your application. You keep the money. You do not need it if you have been in the UK for 12 months or more on a valid visa.

A couple pays roughly double. Each family member pays the £880 fee and their own surcharge. For you and a partner on 2-year visas, total fees come to £6,152 (about $8,300). Savings rise to £1,555 (about $2,100), because a partner adds £285. Children add £315 (first) and £200 (each after) to the savings.

How to apply from the US, step by step

Start the degree check and the 28 days of savings together. The decision then takes about 3 weeks.

1. Check your school and award date against the right list in the table above.
2. Order the Ecctis check. Apply on the Ecctis portal for £252. Ecctis confirms that your degree equals a UK bachelor’s, master’s or PhD, and confirms the award date. It does not check whether your university is on the list. That part is on you.
3. Hold your savings. Keep £1,270 in your account for 28 days in a row.
4. Apply online on GOV.UK. You can apply up to 3 months before you plan to travel. You pay the fee and the surcharge at this point.
5. Prove your identity. You may be able to scan your passport with the UK Immigration: ID Check app. If not, you book a visa application centre appointment.
6. Wait for a decision. It usually takes about 3 weeks from outside the UK, or 8 weeks if you apply from inside the UK.

Your visa is digital: an eVisa in your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.

Five rules that catch American applicants

Check these five before you pay. Each one can end an application.

• A Graduate visa rules you out. If you studied in the UK and already held a Graduate visa, you cannot get HPI. The same applies if you came on the Doctorate Extension Scheme. If you are finishing a UK degree now, our guide on how to stay in the UK after studying covers the Graduate visa.
• You cannot switch from a visitor visa. Visitors must apply from outside the UK. Student visa holders can switch once their course is complete.
• The 5 years run to your application date, not your arrival. Apply well before your degree’s fifth anniversary.
• You only get one HPI visa. Have your CV and target list ready before the clock starts.
• The cap year resets on 1 November. Up to 8,000 applications are allowed each year. If the limit is reached, you find out when you apply online, so apply early in the cap year if you can.

UK immigration advice is regulated. Before you pay any fees, check the current rules on GOV.UK or with a regulated adviser.

How to use two years to land a UK job

Treat the first six months as the job hunt, and the rest as the run-up to your next visa.

Many Americans use the route. A Home Office survey of 656 HPI holders (2024, published 2025) found US nationals were 26% of holders. 86% of the US nationals were in work, the highest of the nationality groups in the survey. But only 41% of them worked in professional occupations, against 49% of all holders. The top sectors were information and communication (17%), finance (13%) and education (13%).

The same survey names three barriers: a competitive job market, employers who have never heard of the HPI visa, and a visa that feels short. Here is how to handle each one.

• Employers don’t know the visa. Say it plainly on your CV and in every application: “I have the right to work in the UK until [month, year] on a High Potential Individual visa, with no sponsorship needed until then.” Application forms often ask. If a form asks whether you will need sponsorship in the future, answer honestly. Later, you prove it with a share code from your UKVI account, which shows the employer what work you can do and for how long. GOV.UK explains this on its prove your right to work page.
• Your US resume won’t land. UK employers usually expect a CV of about two pages. Our guide on the UK CV vs the US resume shows what to change. Before your first application, Getting ready to apply for jobs in the UK? Check your CV for free: see it the way a recruiter does, then fix each problem.
• The clock is short. Aim for a permanent role with an employer that holds a sponsor licence. A sponsor licence is the Home Office permission an employer needs to hire on work visas. It keeps your switch open. Our guide to UK companies that sponsor visas shows how to find them.
• Recent graduates have schemes too. Many UK employers hire through graduate schemes, which are structured entry programmes with fixed deadlines. Browse them on our graduate schemes page, and see our guide to UK graduate schemes for international students.

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If applications go quiet, read why UK employers ignore American applications.

Next: for the full 6-step job plan and how HPI compares with other routes, read how to get a job in the UK as an American. For every visa route side by side, see UK work visas for Americans.

Switch to Skilled Worker before HPI ends

You can switch from inside the UK, but only with a job that meets the Skilled Worker pay rules.

You can move from HPI to a Skilled Worker visa before your HPI visa expires. You need a graduate-level job offer from a licensed sponsor. The pay must be at least £41,700 a year gross (about $56,000 at ECB rates of 2 November 2026), or the going rate for the job if that is higher. The going rate is the Home Office minimum for each occupation. Our page on the Skilled Worker salary threshold has the detail.

Age 26 is the catch. A lower “new entrant” rate of 70% of the going rate, with a floor of £33,400, exists for early-career workers. Under Appendix Skilled Worker, HPI does not count as a route that unlocks it. If you are under 26 on the date you apply, you can use it. From 26, you usually need the full rate, unless another rule applies, such as a PhD relevant to the job or training towards a regulated profession. New-entrant pay can be used for 4 years at most, counting Skilled Worker and Graduate visa time.

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For a software developer, that is £38,300 (about $51,400) under 26, against £54,700 (about $73,400) from 26. Both are gross per year for a 37.5-hour week, from the going rates in Appendix Skilled Occupations as of November 2026. If you turn 26 during your HPI visa, switching before your birthday can matter.

Switching costs you £943 for a visa of up to 3 years, or £1,865 for longer, plus the surcharge. Your employer also pays £525 for the certificate of sponsorship (the digital job record) and, at a medium or large firm, £1,320 for the first year of the Immigration Skills Charge. Settlement on Skilled Worker takes 5 years under today’s rules. Your HPI years do not count towards it.

The Budget plans new salary rules “from spring 2027”, and a new settlement system was set out on 2 November 2026. Neither is law yet, so plan on today’s rules.

Key takeaways

1. The 2026 HPI list names 34 US universities, for degrees awarded from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027.
2. Your degree must be under 5 years old, and the list for your award year applies, not the newest one.
3. Nine US schools, including Boston University, Georgia Tech and Purdue, are on some lists and not others.
4. Two years cost £3,202 in fees (about $4,300), plus £1,270 in savings you keep.
5. The Budget’s top 150 promise is announced only, and the Rules still say top 100.
6. 86% of US HPI holders surveyed by the Home Office were in work.
7. Skilled Worker is the usual visa to switch to, and for HPI holders the lower new-entrant rate usually needs you to be under 26.

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Frequently asked questions

Which US universities qualify for the High Potential Individual visa?

For degrees awarded from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, 34 US universities qualify, including Ohio State, which is new this year. Older degrees use the list for the year they were awarded.

How much does the HPI visa cost?

For two years, fees total £3,202 (about $4,300 at ECB rates of 2 November 2026): £880 for the visa, £2,070 for the health surcharge and £252 for the Ecctis check. You also need £1,270 in savings for 28 days.

I graduated three years ago. Can I still apply?

You may, if your university was on the list for the year your degree was awarded and you meet the other rules. A May 2023 graduate uses the 2022 list. You must apply within 5 years of the award date.

Can I extend the HPI visa?

No. It lasts 2 years, or 3 with a PhD, and cannot be extended. To stay, you need to switch to another visa, such as Skilled Worker, before it expires.

Is the HPI list being expanded to the top 150 universities?

The government announced it in the Budget on 28 October 2026, with a proportional increase to the cap. It has no start date and is not in the Immigration Rules yet. The list still covers the top 100 in at least two rankings.