UK Student Visa Financial Requirements and Cost of Living: What You Must Show and What It Costs

UK Student visa planning is not a single financial test. The official Student visa guidance on GOV.UK asks applicants to show that they have enough money both to pay for their course and to support themselves in the UK. Those elements are connected, but they are assessed differently. The course element comes from the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), while the maintenance element depends on where the course is studied. A realistic budget must then consider whether the visa threshold is enough for the applicant’s actual living costs and what other funding may be available.

Start with the two elements of the financial requirement

For the course-fee element, you must show enough money to pay for your course for one academic year, covering up to nine months. The amount you need to pay will appear on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Your evidence should therefore start with the fee recorded there rather than a general estimate of UK tuition costs.

The maintenance element is separate. It is the amount used to assess whether you can support yourself while studying. Unless an exemption applies, you must show the prescribed maintenance funds for a course in London or outside London. The location affects the monthly figure, but the official rule refers to courses studied in those locations rather than to a provider’s general reputation or ranking.

Understanding these two elements prevents a common planning error: treating the CAS course fee as if it also pays for everyday expenses. It is the course element of the visa financial requirement. Maintenance is assessed in addition to it.

London and outside London have different maintenance figures

The official maintenance amounts are:

• £1,529 per month for up to nine months for courses in London.
• £1,171 per month for up to nine months for courses outside London.

For visa purposes, London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. When building your evidence record, identify where you will actually be studying before choosing the relevant figure.

These amounts are stated monthly and apply for up to nine months. They should not be confused with a complete estimate of the cost of an academic year. The immigration rule sets the level you must use for the maintenance assessment; your personal budget still needs to reflect the costs relevant to your course and circumstances.

The 28-day holding rule shapes when the money decision must be made

To meet the financial requirement, the required money must have been held in your account for at least 28 days in a row. The end date of that 28-day period must fall within 31 days of the date you apply for your visa.

The official guidance gives a specific example: if you submit your application on 1 January, you would have to show that the funds were in your bank account for at least the 28-day period ending on 1 December. The important point is not merely that the correct balance appears on the application date. The qualifying period must already have existed, and its end date must meet the official timing rule.

This makes the funding decision a pre-application task. It is not enough to decide shortly beforehand which account will be used or when a family contribution will be made. The money must already have remained in the account for the required consecutive period, with an end date within the permitted point relative to the application.

There are two evidence routes that require particular attention:

• If you are relying on a student loan or financial sponsorship, you must provide evidence of it from the relevant loan or sponsorship company.
• If you will be boarding at a residential independent school, you must pay the boarding fees instead of using the standard maintenance amount. The amount you need to pay will be shown on your CAS.

The holding rule therefore affects more than the headline balance. It affects when the money must be available, where it must remain and what evidence must already exist when the application is submitted.

Maintenance exemptions and dependent family members

You do not have to prove the maintenance amount in each of the following circumstances:

• You have been living in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months before the date of your Student visa application.
• You are applying as a student union sabbatical officer.
• You are a British national overseas, or you are from a country or territory included on the differential evidence list in the official Student visa money guidance.

These are exemptions from proving the prescribed maintenance amount; they do not turn the financial requirement into a statement that studying has no cost. Check the official guidance against your exact circumstances before deciding that an exemption applies.

If you bring family members with you, you must prove extra money for each dependent family member. The maintenance assessment therefore has to reflect the applicant and the family members travelling as part of the application, rather than only the student’s own threshold.

The visa minimum is not a real-life budget

The maintenance figure is a threshold for the Student visa, not a budget. It establishes the amount used in the immigration financial assessment, but it does not itemise the actual costs that may arise after you begin studying.

UCAS identifies accommodation, food and books among the living costs that can contribute to a funding shortfall. Its guidance notes that an applicant may apply for student finance, receive maintenance support and still need additional funds to cover the full cost of living. The relevant point is not that every student will have the same shortfall, but that the visa threshold should not be treated as proof that all expected costs have been covered.

A useful budget should therefore distinguish between:

• The course fee stated on the CAS.
• The applicable Student visa maintenance figure.
• The applicant’s expected living costs, including relevant items such as accommodation, food and books.
• Visa application and healthcare costs.
• Funding that has been identified but not yet secured, including its conditions and payment method.
• Additional requirements for dependent family members.

For wider editorial context on tuition bands and city living costs, see Cost of Studying in United Kingdom: Tuition Bands, City Living Costs and Official Sources. That guide can help with budget planning, but the official Student visa guidance remains the relevant source for the amount you must show for the visa.

Scholarships, bursaries and grants are different funding routes

UCAS groups additional funding into three categories: scholarships, bursaries and grants. They are separate from student loans and, unlike student loans, do not have to be repaid. However, an award may have conditions, and UCAS warns that some future commitments can allow an award to be taken back, with money already provided repaid.

A scholarship may help with some living costs through a one-off, annual or termly payment. It may also help with tuition fees through an automatic fee reduction or by covering the fees. Scholarships may be based on achievement or excellence in academics, sport or music. They are offered by universities or colleges, sometimes through donations from alumni, as well as by employers and organisations.

A bursary generally provides a one-off payment towards some living costs. Eligibility may be based on low household income, background or personal circumstances. Bursaries may be offered by universities or colleges, employers or organisations.

A grant may provide a one-off payment towards some living costs or a specific purpose, such as studying abroad. Grants may also be based on low household income, background or personal circumstances. They are offered by charities or trusts that represent underrepresented groups.

These categories can all contribute to a budget, but they are not interchangeable. Their award bodies, selection criteria, payment patterns and permitted uses differ. UCAS also makes clear that there is no single place where all scholarships, bursaries and grants can be found and applied for.

What to check before applying for an award

Before spending time on an application, check the following details:

• Award and provider: How much do successful applicants receive, how is it paid, what can it be used for, how many awards are available, and who is offering it? The provider may be a university or college, employer, organisation, charity or trust, depending on the category.
• Eligibility criteria: Do you meet every condition? An award may be restricted to a particular course or subject, or may depend on personal circumstances.
• Application process: What must you submit? An award may require an online application and multiple stages, such as a short essay, interview, presentation of a piece of work or audition.
• Deadline: When must the application be submitted?
• Future commitments: Does the award require future responsibilities or roles? UCAS warns that failure to meet such commitments may result in the award being withdrawn and money already provided being repaid.

Checking these points does not determine whether a course or visa application will succeed. It does help prevent an applicant from treating an unsuitable or ineligible funding option as part of a workable budget.

Include the visa costs and application timing

A Student visa budget is not complete if it contains only the CAS fee and maintenance figure. The official Student visa overview states that applicants outside the UK can apply as early as six months before the course starts.

The Student visa application fee from outside the UK is £558. A healthcare surcharge also applies as part of the application. Its amount depends on how long the visa lasts, so it should be considered separately from the course and maintenance requirements.

The earliest application date is useful for sequencing, not for leaving the financial evidence until the end of that period. Your budget planning, award applications and acceptable evidence route should be settled within the time allowed by the holding rule.

Turning the rules into a workable personal budget

Start with a short financial evidence record rather than a collection of general estimates. It should contain the exact course fee on the CAS, the course location, the applicable maintenance category, whether an exemption may apply and how each part of the required money will be evidenced.

Next, separate immigration requirements from personal expenditure. Record the CAS fee and visa maintenance rule in one section. In another, list expected living costs and the funding that could contribute towards them. When considering a scholarship, bursary or grant, record the provider, amount, payment method, eligibility conditions, application stages, deadline and any future commitments.

Include the Student visa application fee, the healthcare surcharge and any additional funds required for dependent family members. If the money will come through a student loan or financial sponsorship, obtain the required evidence from the company concerned. If the course involves boarding at a residential independent school, use the boarding fee shown on the CAS.

Finally, work backwards from the intended application date. The qualifying money must have remained in the account for 28 consecutive days, and the end date of that period must fall within 31 days of the visa application date. This is why the money decision must be made well before the planned application: waiting until the application is ready may leave no compliant 28-day period already in place.

Questions worth settling before you apply

• What exact course fee is recorded on your CAS, and does your evidence plan cover both the course fee and maintenance?
• Is your course in London—meaning the City of London and the 32 London boroughs—or outside London?
• Will the required funds have been held for 28 consecutive days with an end date that meets the official timing rule?
• If you are using a student loan or financial sponsorship, have you obtained the required evidence from the company?
• If you are boarding at a residential independent school, does your CAS show the applicable boarding fee?
• Have you checked whether a maintenance exemption or dependent-family requirement changes your evidence?
• Have you checked the amount, payment method, eligibility criteria, application process, deadline, future commitments and provider of every scholarship, bursary or grant included in your plan?