UK Student Visa: Funding Requirements Updates

For most courses, students must normally show enough money for outstanding course fees plus living costs.

The current maintenance figures are £1,529 per month in London, up to nine months, or £13,761, and £1,171 per month outside London, up to nine months, or £10,539.

For applications made from 30 November 2026, they become £1,570 per month in London, up to nine months, or £14,130, and £1,203 per month outside London, up to nine months, or £10,827.

The nine-month maximum means a student on a two-year or three-year course does not normally have to show living costs for every month of the degree. If the relevant course period includes part of a month, it is rounded up to the next full month.

The Home Office says the increase aligns the Student Route maintenance requirement with maintenance loans available to home students for the 2026/27 academic year. It also says the figure will continue to be aligned with those loans in future.

The living-cost figure is only one part of the financial requirement.

For a new course, applicants generally need to demonstrate enough money to cover the relevant outstanding course fees shown on their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), plus the required maintenance funds. GOV.UK guidance generally describes the course-fee requirement for a new course as the fees for one academic year, up to nine months.

This does not mean showing the full tuition cost of a multi-year degree. If part of the first year's fees has already been paid and this is properly reflected on the CAS or supported by an accepted receipt, the amount required can be reduced.

For example, a student studying outside London with £15,000 in outstanding course fees who applies from 30 November 2026 could need to demonstrate up to £25,827 for the course fees and nine months of maintenance, assuming the full £15,000 is the relevant outstanding fee amount and no exemption, sponsorship, qualifying payment or accommodation offset applies. This is an illustration, not a universal visa amount. Sponsorship, loans, qualifying accommodation payments and other circumstances can change the calculation.

UKVI uses different maintenance figures for students studying in London and elsewhere in the UK. The London rate is higher because the financial requirement is designed around the higher cost of supporting yourself in the capital.

Use the figure that corresponds to the location of your course. Do not use the London rate simply because you are arriving through London or spending some time there.

Where a student is relying on funds that must be held for a specified period, the required level generally needs to have been maintained for 28 consecutive days.

The most recent financial evidence must normally be dated no more than 31 days before the visa application. These are different requirements.

The closing balance on the most recent evidence is used to count back 28 days, and the evidence must cover the whole period. This is why moving a large amount of money into an account shortly before applying can create a problem.

Students can generally rely on their own qualifying bank or building society account, a parent or legal guardian's qualifying funds, a permitted partner's funds, official financial sponsorship or a qualifying student loan.

For personal, parental or partner-held funds, the account must allow immediate access and meet the relevant financial-institution requirements. Accepted evidence can include bank statements, electronic bank downloads, building society passbooks, certificates of deposit and bank or building society letters.

UKVI can verify financial evidence with the bank or other institution. If it cannot be verified, the application may be refused.

Not every source of money counts. Overdrafts and credit cards cannot be used. Cryptocurrency, stocks and shares, and pensions that cannot provide the required immediately accessible funds are not accepted. Investments that cannot be accessed immediately also do not meet the relevant requirements.

Yes. A student can generally rely on funds held by a parent or legal guardian, but saying “my parents will support me” is not enough.

The applicant must provide evidence of the relationship and the required written consent from the parent or legal guardian. The money must also be held in an account that satisfies the financial rules.

This matters for students preparing from abroad because family support must be evidenced in the form required by UKVI, rather than treated as a future promise. The Immigration Rules specifically do not accept promises of future third-party support as evidence of funds unless the route allows it.

Personal savings are not the only route.

Official financial sponsorship can cover some or all of the required costs. Depending on the arrangement, the sponsorship may be recorded on the CAS or supported by a sponsorship letter.

Qualifying student loans can also meet the financial requirement, provided the loan evidence satisfies the specific rules, including the amount, the student as borrower and when the funds will become available.

The evidence requirements depend on the source of funding, so students should check the rules for their particular arrangement.

If a student has paid an eligible accommodation deposit to their Student sponsor for accommodation arranged by that sponsor, the deposit can be offset against the maintenance funds they need to demonstrate, subject to the permitted maximum.

The current maximum offset is £1,529. From 30 November 2026, the maximum increases to £1,570. A deposit paid to an unrelated private landlord does not automatically qualify.

This is one of the most important distinctions for students to make.

The maintenance figure is a minimum used for immigration purposes. It is not a personalized budget for student life in the UK.

Your actual costs may be higher depending on rent, transport, food, utilities, course-related expenses and other personal needs. You may also face one-off costs around travel, deposits, clothing, household items and settling into a new city.

Treat the UKVI figure as the minimum needed for the immigration requirement, not as a spending plan for your first nine months.

Not everyone subject to the Student Route has to submit financial evidence with the application.

For example, students applying for permission to stay who have already been in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months on the date of application do not need to demonstrate funds in the same way. Student Union Sabbatical Officers are also covered by an exemption.

There are also differentiation arrangements for nationals of certain countries. These applicants generally do not have to submit financial evidence upfront unless UKVI asks for it, but they must still meet the underlying financial requirement.

Nigeria is not currently on the differential-evidence list. Nigerian applicants should therefore not assume that they can rely on the differential-evidence arrangement.

Students should avoid:

• using the wrong London or outside-London figure;
• calculating maintenance for the wrong number of months;
• forgetting outstanding course fees;
• failing to hold required funds for the full 28-day period;
• using evidence dated more than 31 days before the application;
• relying on a parent's promise without the required documents;
• assuming every investment or source of money is acceptable; and
• confusing the visa minimum with a realistic living budget.

Also check the application date. The new figures do not apply to applications made before 30 November 2026.

Confirm whether you need to provide financial evidence. Check your application date against the 30 November 2026 change, then confirm where your course is based and calculate the correct maintenance amount.

Check the outstanding fees on your CAS and account for qualifying payments already made. If you are using personal or family funds, make sure the required balance has been held for the full period and your evidence falls within the permitted date window. If you are relying on a parent, sponsor or student loan, gather the additional documents required for that funding source.

Finally, budget beyond the visa threshold. Having the minimum amount for a visa does not mean you have enough for your actual first months in the UK.

The new maintenance figure is important, but the more useful way to approach it is as one part of a wider financial plan.

A student can meet the Home Office threshold and still arrive underprepared if the money does not realistically cover accommodation, transport, food and other expenses. The visa calculation answers one question: what must you demonstrate to satisfy the immigration rules? Your personal budget answers another: what will it actually cost to live and study where you are going?

For students planning for 2027 entry, the 30 November 2026 date should be part of that planning from the beginning. Build the visa calculation first, then build a realistic budget around it.

From 30 November 2026, the Student visa maintenance requirement will rise to £1,570 per month in London and £1,203 outside London, with a maximum nine-month requirement of £14,130 and £10,827 respectively.

Students subject to the financial requirement may also need to demonstrate outstanding course fees, while the evidence needed depends on whether funding comes from personal funds, family support, sponsorship or a qualifying loan.

The key is to separate what UKVI requires you to show from what you will actually need to live and study in the UK. Meeting the visa threshold is necessary for many applicants, but it is only one part of being financially prepared for the move.

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