UK Student Visa Funds Calculator
Work out exactly how much money you must show for a UK Student visa — first-year course fees plus living costs for London or the rest of the UK — and the dates your 28-day bank statement has to cover.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total to hold for 28 days |
| Course location | Per month | Maximum (9 months) |
|---|---|---|
| London | £1,529 | £13,761 |
| Outside London | £1,171 | £10,539 |
How to Use UK Student Visa Funds Calculator
UK Student Visa Financial Requirement, Explained
Funds are the most common reason a UK Student visa is refused, and nearly every refusal comes from one of three mistakes: showing too little, holding it for too few days, or submitting a statement that is too old. The calculator above handles the arithmetic; this section explains the rules behind it.
1. The amount
Two parts are added together. The first is course fees: the tuition still owed for your first academic year, as recorded on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Anything you have already paid the university, including a deposit, comes off this figure if the CAS shows it. The second is living costs: £1,529 a month for courses in London and £1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to nine months.
2. The 28 days
The money must be held for at least 28 consecutive days. "Held" means the balance never drops below the required total on any day in that period — a single day under the line breaks the 28 days, even if the money comes back the next morning.
3. The 31 days
The end of the 28-day period must fall within 31 days of the date you apply. In practice: get the full amount into the account, leave it untouched for four weeks, print or download the statement, and apply within the following month.
Who does not need to show funds
If you have been living in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date you apply, you do not need to show living costs. Nationals of a list of low-risk countries may also be exempt from submitting evidence at the application stage, though they must still have the money. Pakistan is not on that list, so applicants from Pakistan should expect to submit full financial evidence.
Checklist for Pakistani applicants
- Use an account in your own name or a parent's name — not a sibling, uncle or business.
- If it is a parent's account, include your birth certificate (NADRA) and a signed consent letter.
- Make sure the statement shows your name or your parent's name, the account number, the bank's name and logo, and the balance on every day of the 28-day period.
- Keep a margin above the required figure to absorb exchange-rate movement.
- Check the current rates on GOV.UK on the day you apply — they are revised, and the Home Office will not apply an old figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your outstanding course fees for the first academic year, as shown on your CAS, plus living costs of £1,529 a month for a course in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere in the UK, for up to nine months. For a one-year master's outside London with £12,000 of fees still owed, that is £12,000 + 9 × £1,171 = £22,539.
The full amount must stay in the account for at least 28 consecutive days, without falling below the required figure on any single day. The last day of that 28-day period must be within 31 days of the date you submit your application.
Yes. London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, and the monthly living-cost figure is higher there. A London campus of a university headquartered elsewhere still counts as London.
Yes, if the account belongs to your parent or legal guardian and you provide proof of the relationship — usually a birth certificate — and a letter from them consenting to the money being used for your studies. Money in the account of other relatives, friends or a business does not count.
No — for a maximum of nine months, even if the course lasts three or four years. A course shorter than nine months counts only its own length, with any part month counted as a full month.
No. The surcharge, currently £776 per year for students, and the visa application fee are paid online when you apply. They are extra costs, not part of the balance you show in your bank statement.
The application can be refused. The Home Office converts foreign-currency balances using the rate on the date of application, so a balance held in PKR that only just meets the figure can fall short if the rupee weakens. Keep a clear margin above the required amount.