UK Student Visa: Application, Money and Conditions (2026/27)

The UK Student visa is for a person aged 16 or over who will study an eligible further- or higher-education course with a licensed student sponsor. Before applying, confirm the course and provider, obtain a current Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), work out which financial evidence rules apply, and check whether any family members can apply as dependants. This guide reflects GOV.UK and Home Office rules checked on 28 October 2026.

This is the general Student route, not the Child Student route for eligible independent-school pupils aged 4 to 17, the short-term study route, visitor study, or student-finance entitlement. A 16- or 17-year-old may fall within more than one route depending on the school and course. Use the route page that matches the actual offer and application rather than choosing by age alone.

Confirm the Student route fits the course

You generally need an unconditional offer for a course with a licensed Student sponsor. The provider assigns the CAS reference through its sponsor system; it is not a paper visa or a guarantee that UKVI will approve the application. You must enter the CAS reference on the application. GOV.UK says you must apply within six months of receiving your CAS.

The course must fit one of the categories in the Student visa course guidance and Appendix Student. Common examples include a full-time degree-level course, certain full-time below-degree courses with the required amount of organised daytime study, an eligible pre-sessional course, or a qualifying sabbatical-officer role. The exact level and course-type tests differ; Erasmus+ and study delivered as part of a course overseas have their own conditions. The framework levels used in Scotland differ from the RQF levels used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Check that the institution remains on the live register of licensed Student sponsors, that your offer is unconditional, and that the CAS describes the course you intend to take. If the course dates, location, level, fees or personal details look wrong, ask the provider to correct or explain the CAS before you apply. A CAS is normally valid for six months for the application timing rule; a late or mismatched reference can create a validity problem even if you hold an offer.

Some courses or research topics require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate, depending on the course and the applicant's nationality. The provider should indicate whether the course needs ATAS, but you must check the official ATAS rules for your own course and nationality and obtain a valid certificate before applying where required. Do not assume that every postgraduate science or research course needs ATAS, or that every course that omits ATAS from its offer is automatically exempt.

If you are aged 16 or 17 and will attend an eligible independent school, compare the Student and Child Student routes. Appendix Student says some 16- and 17-year-olds can apply under either route for specified independent-school courses at the required level. Their application form, evidence, work/study conditions and route requirements may differ. Under-18 applicants also need parental or legal-guardian consent covering the visa application, travel and UK living and care arrangements; the documents page explains the evidence.

Calculate the financial evidence you may need

The current GOV.UK money page asks for enough to cover outstanding course fees and living costs. The amount for course fees is shown on the CAS and usually relates to the first academic year, up to nine months, or the whole course if it is shorter. Any fees already paid should be recorded on the CAS or proved with the provider's receipt in the way the official evidence guidance allows.

For a course that is not residential boarding at an independent school, the current maintenance requirement is £1,529 for each month in London or £1,171 for each month outside London, for up to nine months. The course location determines the London band; London means the City of London and its 32 boroughs. If the course includes part of a month, the Immigration Rules round the period up to the next full month. These are visa-evidence figures, not a recommended or guaranteed living-cost budget.

If you must show funds held in an account, the required amount generally needs to be held for 28 consecutive days, and the end of that period must be within 31 days before the application date. The account and funds must meet Appendix Finance conditions, including access to the money and permitted account types. Keep the full statements or other acceptable evidence for the period; a balance screenshot on the day you apply does not by itself establish the required holding period.

The public rules contain exceptions to the evidence requirement. For example, an applicant who has been in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months on the application date does not need to prove the course-fee and maintenance funds in the same way. GOV.UK also lists nationalities under the differential-evidence arrangement, and certain application categories have their own treatment. An evidence exemption is not permission to arrive without enough money: UKVI may ask for financial evidence before deciding. Confirm the current list, route and evidence standard rather than relying on an old nationality list or a friend's successful application.

A student loan or official financial sponsorship can satisfy the financial requirement if the evidence meets the rules. Check whether the lender or sponsor letter states the applicant, amount, period and what costs are covered. A loan offer that is conditional, unavailable for withdrawal or does not cover the relevant period may not establish accessible funds under the rules. If a government or international scholarship funded both fees and living costs in the 12 months before the application, the sponsor may also need to give written consent for the new application.

If a partner or child is eligible to apply as a dependant, they have a separate maintenance amount and relationship-evidence requirements. The current GOV.UK figures are £845 per month in London or £680 outside London, for up to nine months per dependant. These amounts are in addition to the main student's requirement when applying together, subject to each dependant's own exemptions. Check the live dependant page and financial evidence guidance before planning a family application.

Check whether family members can apply with you

Student dependants are limited to specified partners and children. A partner may be a spouse, civil partner or qualifying unmarried partner. A child must meet the age and dependency rules; the public guidance asks for relationship evidence and explains additional child conditions. A parent, sibling or adult child cannot be included as a dependant just because they rely on the student financially.

The Student route permits dependants only in defined cases. The main examples are a government-sponsored student starting a course longer than six months, or a full-time postgraduate student on a course lasting at least nine months. For a postgraduate course beginning on or after 1 January 2024, the course must be a PhD/other doctorate or a research-based higher degree. A taught master's course after that date does not meet the dependant exception just because it is at postgraduate level. There are limited continuation cases for dependants already on the route; check the current rules instead of assuming the initial-applicant rule covers every extension.

Each family member submits a separate application and must meet their own validity, relationship, maintenance and suitability requirements. If the student and dependants apply at different times, the evidence calculations can differ. Do not treat approval of the student's application as automatic approval of the partner or child, and do not include dependants in the application if the route conditions do not allow them.

Apply from the correct place and at the right time

Student applications are made online. An applicant outside the UK can normally apply up to six months before the course starts. A person applying in the UK to extend or switch can normally apply up to three months before the course starts and must meet the in-country route conditions. The application must also be within six months of the CAS. Check the exact course date and current permission expiry before choosing the date to submit.

Whether you can apply from inside the UK depends on your current immigration category and the Student rules. Some categories, including visitors and short-term students, cannot switch to Student permission in-country. Do not make travel, course-enrolment or employment plans on the assumption that an in-country application will be available; use the official online application instructions and Appendix Student for the exact category.

The online form will tell you how to prove identity. Depending on your circumstances, you may use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend a visa application centre / UKVCAS appointment for biometrics. The application also involves the current visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge. Their amounts and any priority options can change, so check the live application and fee pages immediately before paying rather than relying on a saved quote. If you later think a refund may apply, see the separate UK IHS refund and reimbursement guide; it explains the EHIC student conditions and how reimbursement changes healthcare cover.

The usual published decision time is currently about three weeks for an application from outside the UK and eight weeks for an in-country extension or switch, but these are estimates, not guaranteed decision dates. Do not travel until you have permission or, for an in-country application, until the current travel rules make it safe: leaving the Common Travel Area while an in-country application is pending can cause it to be treated as withdrawn. Check the specific instructions for your application and contact the relevant authority if a delay affects your course start.

Assemble documents for your application

Every applicant needs a current passport or other acceptable travel document and the CAS reference. Depending on the case, you may also need:

• financial evidence for course fees and maintenance;
• an ATAS certificate, if the course and nationality require one;
• tuberculosis test results, if the current country and residence rules require them;
• parental or guardian consent and relationship evidence if the applicant is under 18;
• written consent from a government or international sponsor where the rules require it; and
• certified translations for documents that are not in English or Welsh.

This is a planning list, not the complete document rules for every case. The online application and the current documents guidance identify the evidence UKVI expects. A sponsor may have assessed academic and English ability before assigning the CAS, but applicants should still follow the evidence request shown by the form and any request from UKVI. Some documents can be checked through sponsor systems; that does not remove the obligation to provide them if UKVI asks. For a self-funded adult applicant, the Student Visa Funds Planner estimates first-year fees and maintenance from the CAS, study location and funds entered; it does not determine evidence eligibility or visa outcome.

Before you submit, compare the names, dates of birth, passport details, course title, location and start date across the passport, application and CAS. Resolve discrepancies with the provider rather than adding an unexplained note after filing. Keep a full copy of the application and submitted records, as well as the confirmation and biometric instructions.

After approval: follow the conditions on your grant

The Student route is temporary and does not itself lead to settlement. Your permission period depends on the course and the applicable rules. Check the decision, eVisa and any linked account for the exact start and end dates, sponsor, course and conditions. If the grant or eVisa contains a wrong course, work condition or identity detail, use the official correction process promptly; do not assume an error will be fixed automatically.

Student work conditions are not identical for everyone. The number of hours permitted during term time depends on the course level and type of sponsor; other course types may have different restrictions. Some Student grants allow work up to a published weekly maximum during term, while others allow fewer hours or no work. The route also restricts self-employment, professional-sportsperson work and access to public funds. Read the conditions on your own grant and Appendix Student before starting a job, changing duties, freelancing or working during a vacation.

If your course, sponsor, study mode or end date changes, contact your provider's international-student compliance team immediately. Some course changes can be made within existing permission only under narrow rules; a different course may require a new CAS and application, academic progression or a new permission before starting. Your sponsor also has reporting duties. Do not rely on a classmate's permission conditions or continue on an old course plan without checking the sponsor and Home Office instructions.

When you complete an eligible course, the next application may be the Graduate route. Its criteria are separate: the provider must report completion and you must apply in the UK before your Student permission expires. See the UK Graduate visa guide for the application-date duration change, course reporting and the post-study route. If you are still planning the initial course or Student application, use the checklist and source links on this page first.

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Student visa overview — route scope, application overview, conditions and live fee links.
• GOV.UK: eligible courses and CAS — course categories, sponsor and CAS timing.
• GOV.UK: Student visa money requirements — current course-fee and maintenance amounts and evidence exceptions.
• GOV.UK: documents for a Student visa — passport, CAS and case-dependent supporting documents.
• GOV.UK: Student visa dependants — eligible partners/children, dependant criteria and funds.
• GOV.UK: apply online — identity checks and application steps outside or inside the UK.
• GOV.UK: extend a Student visa — in-country timing, academic progression and travel while pending.
• GOV.UK: financial evidence for Student and Child Student applicants — account, sponsorship and evidence detail.
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Student — current route requirements and permission conditions.
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Finance — financial evidence rules.

Fees, maintenance figures, sponsor status and application processes can change. Recheck the official pages linked above before you submit. This guide is general information and does not determine an individual visa outcome.