How many hours per week can I work during term and vacation periods in the UK for a Master's?

Your work hours as a UK Master's student depend entirely on whether it counts as term time or an official vacation period, and the tricky part is that your summer dissertation months usually count as term time, not a break. Getting this wrong risks your visa compliance, so it is worth understanding exactly how UKVI defines your week.

Your Work Hour Limits by Period

Rules You Cannot Afford to Miss

• UKVI defines a week strictly as Monday to Sunday, so you cannot average hours across weeks, working 25 hours one week and 15 the next still counts as a violation.
• Because a Master's runs year round, your summer dissertation or project period is treated as term time, unlike undergraduate summer breaks.
• Once your official course end date on your CAS has passed and you have submitted all work with no outstanding exams, you can work full time until your visa expires.
• If you switch to a part time Master's, you lose your right to work entirely under UK visa rules.

My Advice

Keep a simple weekly log of your hours worked, resetting every Monday, so you always know exactly where you stand against the twenty hour cap during your dissertation months. Once your course officially ends, start your full time job search immediately, since that window before your visa expires is shorter than most students expect.