The UK Student visa

To study a degree or other long course in the UK, international students usually apply for the Student visa. This guide is general information from GOV.UK, not advice on your own case.

Who it is for

GOV.UK says you can apply if you are 16 or over, have an offer from a licensed student sponsor (a university or college the Home Office allows to sponsor students), have enough money, and can speak, read, write and understand English. At 16 or 17 you also need your parents' consent.

The main steps

1. Accept an unconditional offer and get your CAS from the university.
2. Get an ATAS certificate and a TB (tuberculosis) test certificate, if you need them.
3. Prepare your money evidence.
4. Apply online. Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and the visa fee.
5. Prove your identity, either with the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app or with fingerprints and a photo at a visa application centre.
6. Wait for the decision. If you get a visa, you get an eVisa (a digital record of your status) in your UKVI account (your online UK Visas and Immigration account).

Documents

• A current passport
• Your CAS number
• Proof of money for your course fees and living costs
• An ATAS certificate and TB test results, if needed
• If you are under 18: written consent from your parents or legal guardians, and a birth certificate (or other government document) showing your parents' names
• Written consent from your financial sponsor, if one paid your fees and living costs in the last 12 months

Fees

What	Amount	Notes
Student visa application fee, from outside the UK	£558	Per person, one-off. As of 24 October 2026. Each family member pays it too.
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)	£776 per year	Student rate, as of 24 October 2026. Paid for the whole visa length when you apply. See our health cover guide.
Faster decision (priority or super priority)	Varies	Optional and not offered everywhere. GOV.UK does not list a price for applications from outside the UK. You are told when you apply.
ATAS certificate	Free	Only for some courses.
TB test	Set by the clinic	Home Office-approved clinics only.

Money you must show

You need money for course fees for 1 academic year (up to 9 months), as shown on your CAS, plus living costs:

What	Amount	Notes
Living costs, course in London	£1,529 per month	For up to 9 months, so at most £13,761. As of 24 October 2026. London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs.
Living costs, course outside London	£1,171 per month	For up to 9 months, so at most £10,539. As of 24 October 2026.

The 28-day rule

• The money must be in the account for at least 28 days in a row.
• The 28 days count back from the closing balance date on your latest statement.
• That date must be no more than 31 days before you apply.

Whose money counts

• Your own money, in an account you control
• Your parent's money, in an account they control. Your parent must write a letter saying they agree.
• Your partner's money, if your partner is in the UK or applying with you
• An official student loan or financial sponsorship, with a letter from the lender or sponsor

Overdrafts, cryptocurrency, stocks and shares, and pensions do not count. Money in another currency is changed into pounds using the OANDA rate on the day you apply.

When you may not need to show money

GOV.UK says you do not need to show living costs if you have lived in the UK with a visa for at least 12 months. Nationals of some countries do not send money evidence with the application, but the Home Office can still ask for it. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nigeria are not on that list as of 24 October 2026.

English

For a degree-level course you need English at level B2 (CEFR scale). Below degree level, you need B1. At degree level, your university can check your English in its own way. Otherwise you need a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider.

When to apply and how long it takes

• From outside the UK, the earliest you can apply is 6 months before your course starts.
• You must apply within 6 months of getting your CAS.
• A decision usually takes about 3 weeks from outside the UK.
• You can arrive up to 1 month before a course longer than 6 months, or up to 1 week before a shorter course, but never before the start date on your visa.

Work while you study

Your course	Work allowed
Full-time, degree level or above, at a university with a "track record of compliance"	Up to 20 hours a week in term time, full-time in vacations
Below degree level, at a university with a track record of compliance	Up to 10 hours a week in term time, full-time in vacations
At a private provider, a publicly funded further education college, or a university without a track record of compliance; or a part-time postgraduate course	No work

A university with a "track record of compliance" shows "Student Sponsor - Track Record" on the register of student sponsors. You cannot be self-employed, work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach, work as an entertainer, or take a full-time permanent job (with a few exceptions). Ask your university for your term dates. Your eVisa shows your own conditions.

Partners and children

Only some students can bring dependants (a partner or children). They include government-sponsored students on courses longer than 6 months, and full-time postgraduate students on a PhD, other doctorate or research-based higher degree that lasts 9 months or longer. Most taught master's students cannot bring dependants. Each dependant needs extra money: £845 a month in London or £680 a month outside London, for up to 9 months.

Notes for Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nigeria

• TB test: all four countries are on the TB test list.
• ATAS: none of the four is exempt.
• Money: none of the four is on the list that can skip money evidence.
• English: none of the four is on the list of countries exempt from the English rule.
• Visa brake: from 26 March 2026, Student visa applications from outside the UK by nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan are refused. The four countries above are not on that list.

After your course

The Graduate visa lets you stay after you finish an eligible course. GOV.UK says it lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 (3 years after a PhD). The fee is £937, plus the health surcharge at £1,035 per year, as of 24 October 2026.

Where this information comes from

We checked these official pages on 24 October 2026:

• Student visa: money, English, documents, apply, partner and children
• Financial evidence for Student visa applicants
• Healthcare surcharge: how much you pay
• Countries where you need a TB test
• ATAS
• Student sponsor guidance, Document 2 (work rules, visa brake)
• Get a faster decision
• Graduate visa

Rules and fees change. Check the official Student visa page before you apply. Your counsellor will check your own case.