Your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) lands in your inbox. You look up to the UK Student visa fee: £558. Manageable, you think. Then the rest surfaces. An Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 per year of visa, plus £388 for a leftover period of 6 months or less. Up to £13,761 in living costs you must prove you have sitting untouched in an account for 28 days, maybe a TB test, an English test, or a visa-centre slot. 

That is the gap between the UK visa fee and the UK visa cost, and it is only one of the things students wish they had known earlier.

Sara Gupta moved from India to study at Warwick in September 2026, and the extras surprised her:

It was genuinely expensive because, apart from the visa itself, we also have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

This guide covers the whole journey. It starts with who can apply and what you need. Then it covers how to apply, what it costs, and what happens next, from refusals to your first week in the UK.

Part 1: Before you apply

Start here: check you qualify, get your CAS, meet the English requirement and gather your documents.

Who is eligible for a UK Student visa?

You qualify if you are 16 or over, have an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor, meet the English requirement, and can show enough money. The visa is points-based: you need 70 points.

Do you need this visa at all?

• Course longer than 6 months: yes, you need a student visa for most international students.
• Course of 6 months or less: you may be able to study as a visitor instead. Check GOV.UK for your nationality.
• Irish citizens and people with settled or pre-settled status do not need a student visa.

Which courses qualify?

• Full-time degree level or above (RQF 6 to 8): bachelor's, master's, PhD.
• Full-time below degree level (RQF 3 to 5) with at least 15 hours a week of organised daytime study.
• Part-time postgraduate courses (RQF 7+) at approved universities, with no work rights.
• English language courses at CEFR B2 or above.

Check that your university is a licensed sponsor. Almost all UK universities are, but some private colleges and language schools are not. Search the official Register of Student Sponsors on GOV.UK before you pay a deposit.

Your CAS: the document that everything depends on

A CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is a reference number from your university. You get it once your offer is unconditional. 

What your CAS contains

• Your personal and passport details.
• Course title, level, start and end dates, and study location (this decides the London or outside-London fund rate).
• Tuition fees for the first year and any amount already paid.
• Accommodation fees paid to the university, if any.
• How your English was assessed and whether you need ATAS.

How and when you get your CAS

1. Accept your unconditional offer.
2. Pay any deposit your university asks for (many request one before issuing a CAS).
3. Complete the university's pre-CAS checks (documents, sometimes a short interview).
4. Receive your CAS number by email, usually a few months before your course starts.

Key rules for applying for CAS

• A CAS can be used for one application only, within 6 months of being issued. An expired CAS cannot be reused; your university must issue a new one.
• Check every detail. A wrong passport number, course date or fee figure can cause a refusal; ask your university to correct it before you apply.

English language requirements

You must show English at CEFR B2 for degree-level courses and above, or CEFR B1 for courses below degree level, in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

What this means in practice

• Universities can assess you themselves for degree-level courses, so many accept IELTS Academic, TOEFL, Duolingo or school results. Your CAS states how your English was assessed.
• A SELT (for example, IELTS for UKVI or PTE Academic UKVI) is needed for most below-degree courses and some pathway programmes. Book it early; results take a few days.
• You may be exempt if you are a national of a country on the GOV.UK list (such as the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or Canada) or have completed a degree-level qualification in one of those countries. If you have an English-taught degree from any other country, you can use it to prove your English through an Ecctis assessment.
• Universities often set a higher score than the visa minimum. If you meet your university's requirements, you will usually meet the visa's requirements too. 

Snehpreet took IELTS even though her course might not have required it. If you are applying to more than one university, check each one's requirements before you skip the test:

I was told that I might not need it. But I wanted to take it anyway to test my English.

— Snehpreet Kaur, Coventry University (2024–2027), Business and Marketing (BA), interviewed on 6 October 2026

Documents checklist: Which documents do you actually need?

Gather these before you start the online form. 

Note: Translations can take longer than you expect. Sara needed an English version of her birth certificate:

My birth certificate was in a local language, but they required it in English. So I had some difficulty arranging an English translation of my birth certificate, but eventually it was done.

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

Tip: Sara was still sorting documents "right until the last moment", so start on translations early.

Note: If you are from a "differential evidence" country, you may not need to upload financial and academic documents, but you must still have them ready if the Home Office asks.

Part 2: How to apply for a UK Student Visa

Once your documents are ready, the application itself is online, and most decisions arrive within a few weeks.

How to apply, step by step

The whole application is online on GOV.UK. From outside the UK, you can apply up to 6 months before your course starts; from inside the UK, up to 3 months before, and your new course must start within 28 days of your current visa ending.

1. Get your CAS. Accept your unconditional offer and receive your CAS number.
2. Arrange tests early. Book a TB test and apply for ATAS if they apply to you; both can take several weeks.
3. Get your funds in place. Hold the full amount for 28 consecutive days. This step needs the longest lead time.
4. Complete the online form. Apply on GOV.UK with your CAS, passport and finance details.
5. Pay the fee and IHS. Pay the £558 visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, and add 'priority' here if you need it.
6. Prove your identity. Use the UK Immigration: ID Check app with your phone and biometric passport, or go to a visa centre (VFS Global, TLScontact or UKVCAS).
7. Submit your documents. Upload them, or submit them as instructed.
8. Attend a credibility interview, if invited. Only some applicants are asked, usually by video call.
9. Get your decision. It arrives by email; then view your eVisa in your UKVI account.

Sara had already uploaded her documents online, so her visa-centre visit was short:

The visa process wasn't difficult at all. I had already submitted my documents. For me, it was mainly just the biometrics

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

Note: Our student ambassador Sara also adds that if you haven't uploaded your documents yourself, the visa centre can scan and submit them for you. Check whether your centre charges for this.

Processing times and when to apply

The clock starts when you prove your identity (at the visa centre or in the app), not when you pay.

When to apply

• Best window: about 3 months before your course starts. This leaves room for biometrics slots, any interview, and a decision before you book flights.
• Peak season runs through late summer. Home Office figures show about 99,500 study visa applications in August 2026 and 71,600 in September, the two busiest months of the year, so appointment calendars fill up in big markets. Book biometrics as soon as you submit.
• Service standards are targets, not guarantees. Applications needing extra checks or an interview take longer, even with priority.
• You can travel up to 1 month before your course starts if it lasts more than 6 months.

Decisions can come sooner than the service standard. Snehpreet used the standard service:

My visa arrived in around eight days, even though I hadn't applied for a priority service. It was hectic and stressful, but nothing went particularly wrong.

— Snehpreet Kaur, Coventry University (2024–2027), Business and Marketing (BA), interviewed on 6 October 2026

The Genuine Student requirement and credibility interviews

Every applicant must be a genuine student: someone who intends to study, can explain why this course and university, and whose study plans make sense with their background. Most applicants are assessed on paperwork alone; some are invited to a short interview.

What UKVI looks at

• Course choice: why this subject, why this university, why the UK.
• Academic progression: how the course builds on your past studies or work and any gaps.
• Finances: where your money comes from and whether you understand your costs.
• Plans after the course: what you intend to do and how the course helps.
• Consistency: whether your answers match your CAS, documents and any university pre-CAS interview.

About the credibility interview

• It is not routine. UKVI invites applicants when it wants to check something in the application.
• It is run by a UKVI officer, usually by video call, and is separate from your visa centre appointment. It often happens 1 to 3 weeks after biometrics.
• It is in English and short. Answers should be your own, specific and honest.

How to prepare

• Know your course modules, university location and fees by heart.
• Be ready to explain your funding: who is paying and where the money came from.
• Link the course to a clear career plan.
• Do not memorise scripted answers; officers spot them quickly.

Credibility interviews are not routine. Snehpreet completed her university's interview but was never called by UKVI:

You may get one, or you may not. I didn't have one, although I did complete the university interview.

— Snehpreet Kaur, Coventry University (2024–2027), Business and Marketing (BA), interviewed on 6 October 2026

Part 3: How much does the UK student visa cost?

The visa fee is only part of the bill. Here is everything you pay for and everything you must show before you apply.

Quick answer: the UK all-in at a glance

For a 1-year master's, the money you spend on a UK student visa is about £1,722 (£558 fee + £1,164 health surcharge). The money you must show is up to £10,539 outside London or £13,761 in London, plus any unpaid first-year tuition. From 30 November 2026, those funds rise to £10,827 and £14,130.

Our interviewee Sara paid in rupees for her one-year master's. Here is how her fee and surcharge added up:

I think the visa cost was somewhere around INR 90,000, while the IHS was somewhere around INR 1.7 lakh. So altogether, it came to somewhere around INR 2.8 lakh, or approximately INR 3 lakh.

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

Note: These are Sara's own estimates for a 1-year master's. Your rupee total will depend on the exchange rate on the day you pay and any extras, such as priority or visa-centre services.

At October 2026 rates, the £558 fee is about ₹71,500, and the £1,164 surcharge is about ₹1.49 lakh, roughly ₹2.2 lakh before extras.

1. The visa application fee: £558

The UK student visa fee rose from £524 to £558 on 8 April 2026. It is the same whether you apply from outside or inside the UK.

Good to know

• Standard processing from outside the UK is about 3 weeks from your biometrics appointment, so most students who apply early do not need priority.
• Priority fees are per person and are not usually refunded if the decision takes longer.
• You can apply up to 6 months before your course starts (from outside the UK). Fee rises are announced weeks ahead, so applying before the effective date can save money.

2. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): £776 per year

The IHS gives you NHS access in the UK. Students pay £776 for each year of their visa, all upfront. You cannot opt out by buying private insurance.

How it is calculated

What you pay:

Things to watch out for

• If your visa runs slightly over 18 months (for example, a master's starting early), the leftover becomes more than 6 months, and your IHS jumps to £1,552.
• Use the official IHS calculator on GOV.UK to confirm your exact figure before you pay. 

Refunds: The IHS is refunded if your visa is refused or if you paid twice for the same period. It is not refunded if your visa is granted, but you do not travel. Source: GOV.UK IHS: refunds 

3. Maintenance funds: the money you must show

This is the biggest number in your UK visa budget. You must prove you can cover any unpaid first-year tuition plus up to nine months of living costs, and the rate rises for applications made on or after 30 November 2026.

The date you submit your application decides which rate applies, not the date of your CAS or bank statement. 

How to work out your figure

Unpaid first-year tuition + (monthly rate × months of study, up to 9) − accommodation deposit paid to your university = funds to show

• Courses of 9 months or more: use the full 9 months.
• Shorter courses: monthly rate × number of months (part months round up).
• An accommodation deposit paid to your university, for accommodation it arranged, can be deducted, up to £1,529 (£1,570 from 30 November 2026), even if you paid more. Payments for private accommodation booked elsewhere cannot be deducted. Source: Immigration Rules Appendix Student, ST 12.4 
• Tuition already paid must appear on your CAS to be deducted.

The 28-day rule

• The full amount must sit in your account every day for 28 consecutive days.
• The 28-day period must end no more than 31 days before you submit your application.
• If the balance dips below the required amount for a single day, the clock restarts.

Accepted evidence

• Bank statements or a bank letter in your name or a parent's or legal guardian's name.
• Parent's account: also provide your birth certificate (or adoption or guardianship papers) and a signed consent letter.
• An education loan letter from a government or regulated lender, with funds released on visa approval.
• An official financial sponsor letter (government, university, or international scholarship body).

When you do not need to show funds

• You have been living in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months on the date you apply.
• You are a national of a country on the Home Office "differential evidence" list applying from home: you may not need to upload evidence, but you must still hold the money and produce it if asked. 

You can combine sources of funds, as Sara did. If you use a parent's account, remember the birth certificate and consent letter:

I took out a student loan, and I also showed some funds in my father's account.

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

4. After you arrive: extensions and the Graduate Route

Your visa costs do not always stop at arrival. Plan now for anything you may pay later.

• The Graduate Route is getting shorter. For most graduates applying from 1 January 2027, it drops from 2 years to 18 months, so the IHS would be about £1,553 (£1,035 + £517.50). 
• eVisa: Your immigration status is now digital. Keep your UKVI account details up to date; there is no fee.
• Working while you study: Most degree-level students can work up to 20 hours a week in term time, which can help with living costs, but income you have not yet earned cannot count toward the funds you show.

Many students plan around the Graduate Route because sponsored jobs are hard to find. Sara shared her biggest worry:

One of the things that scares me is whether I'll be able to get a job with visa sponsorship.

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

When you pay what

The biggest requirement, your funds, has to be in place at least 28 days before you can apply, so start there. Work backwards from your course start: Apply about 3 months ahead, so your funds should be in your account and untouched about 4 months ahead.

How much does the UK student visa cost in your country?

Curious about where students booking UK accommodation are coming from? We looked at booking data to identify the 9 countries with the highest number of bookings for the UK (YoY 2024-2026). We then compared the student visa application costs in each of these countries, using the latest available official information. This gives you a quick snapshot of what students from these popular markets can expect to pay when applying for a UK student visa. The fee is £558 wherever you apply. What changes is what that costs in your currency.

Note: The official UK Student visa fee remains £558 regardless of nationality. The figures above differ only because of exchange rates.

However, the total amount a student pays can vary by country or nationality-related circumstances. The main variables are:

• Exchange rates: the amount in your currency changes daily. Your bank may also use its own rate or add a fee.
• TB testing: students applying from certain countries must obtain a tuberculosis certificate, and the approved clinic fee varies by country.
• Visa centre extras: scanning, courier return and lounge access are optional. Prices differ by centre.
• Priority services: the Home Office fee is the same everywhere (£500 priority, £1,000 super priority), but availability depends on where you apply.
• Immigration Health Surcharge: this does not normally vary by nationality, but the total varies according to the length of the visa.
• Paperwork: the cost of translations and certified copies differs a lot by country 

The visa is one line in a much larger budget. For Snehpreet, the whole move cost far more:

If I consider the whole process of coming here, including the visa, immigration-related expenses and my university fees, I think it costs more than INR 30–35 lakh overall.

— Snehpreet Kaur, Coventry University (2024–2027), Business and Marketing (BA), interviewed on 6 October 2026

UK visa budget checklist

Screenshot this and tick off each line before you finalise your budget.

Refusals, refunds and how to avoid paying twice

A refusal costs you the £558 fee and weeks of time, and you pay it again to reapply. Most financial refusals come from avoidable paperwork mistakes.

The mistakes that cost students the most

1. Breaking the 28-day rule. Moving money between accounts or dipping below the limit for one day restarts the count.
2. A statement that is too old. The closing balance must be dated within 31 days of your application.
3. Using the wrong rate. Applying on or after 30 November 2026 with funds based on the old figures.
4. Forgetting the exchange-rate swing. Funds held in rupees or naira can fall below the pound figure.
5. Missing parent paperwork. No birth certificate or consent letter with a parent's account. Our student ambassador Sara Gupta said she cross-checked everything three times so that she didn't make any mistakes.
6. Paying an agent markup. Pay the Home Office and visa-centre fees only through official channels.

Snehpreet's advice is to check every payment and document yourself rather than rely on others:

Come prepared and don't trust people blindly. Do your own work and don't depend entirely on other people.

— Snehpreet Kaur, Coventry University (2024–2027), Business and Marketing (BA), interviewed on 6 October 2026

If your visa is refused: your options

A refused student visa has no right of appeal to a tribunal in most cases. You have two realistic routes, and your refusal letter tells you whether administrative review is available.

What to do next

1. Read the refusal letter carefully: it names the exact rule you did not meet.
2. Tell your university straight away. You may need a new CAS, and they can advise on timing.
3. If the error was the Home Office's, request administrative review within the deadline.
4. Be honest about the refusal on future applications. Hiding it can lead to a ban.

Part 4: After you apply

A decision is not the finish line. Your visa comes with conditions, and your first weeks in the UK have their own checklist.

Your visa conditions

Your eVisa lists your exact conditions. Breaking them can get your visa cancelled and hurt future applications, and your university must report breaches to UKVI.

Keep your status safe:

• Update your UKVI account if your passport, address or contact details change.
• Tell your university if you suspend studies, withdraw or change course; it must report this to UKVI and your visa may be shortened.
• Keep your term dates letter: employers need it to check when you can work full-time.

Arriving in the UK

You can travel up to 1 month before your course starts (for courses over 6 months). Your visa is now fully digital, so your passport and UKVI account do the work a sticker or card once did.

Before you fly

• Create or sign in to your UKVI account and check your eVisa shows the right name, passport and dates.
• Make sure the passport you travel on is the one linked to your eVisa.
• Carry printed or offline copies of your CAS, decision email, proof of funds, accommodation address and TB certificate (if any).
• Keep these in your hand luggage, not checked bags.

At the border

• Only some passports can use the eGates (EU/EEA, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA). Everyone else, including students from India, China, Nigeria and Pakistan, sees a Border Force officer, who may ask about your course and where you will live 
• Do not arrive before your visa start date, or you may be refused entry.

First weeks in the UK

Complete enrolment and your university's right-to-study check.

• Register with a GP (doctor); the IHS covers NHS care.
• Open a UK bank account, using your share code and university letter.
• Generate a right-to-work share code before starting any job.

Student experiences: Sara flew in on 10 September for a course starting on 25 September and faced no difficult questions at immigration. Snehpreet spent her first three or four days with relatives before moving into her student accommodation and gave their address on her visa application.

How Amber helps with your UK move

Your visa decision and your accommodation booking are linked, so here is how amber protects you if your plans change.

Visa-related cancellation protection

Amber partnered properties have a free cancellation and a "no visa, no pay" policy to give students relief from visa uncertainty. You don’t have to pay the accommodation fee if your visa is rejected, and any deposit you have paid will be refunded to you.

How often does a visa refusal actually cancel a booking?

Rarely, going by our own data. Of the more than 46,000 bookings for UK student accommodation made through amber in 2024 and 2025, 165 were cancelled, with a visa refusal recorded as the reason. That is fewer than 4 in every 1,000 bookings and under 2% of all UK cancellations in that period. 

The verdict: So while a refusal is unlikely to derail your booking, the protection is there if it does.

Booking tips around your visa

Don’t wait for your visa to book. AmberRadar's analysis, covering about half of the UK PBSA market by volume, shows UK booking occupancy rising from 75.4% in July 2026 to 85% in August and 91.9% in September. By September, fewer than 1 in 10 beds were still free, which is why the “no visa, no pay” protection matters: you can secure a room early without risking your money.

• Book once you have your CAS, so your course dates and city are fixed.
• Before paying, check the cancellation terms for visa refusal or delay on that specific property.
• Keep your refusal letter if your visa is refused; providers usually ask for it.
• Make sure your move-in date is no earlier than your visa start date.

Amber’s Take 

Most student visa applications succeed: The PIE News, 28 August 2026, puts the refusal rate at 4.9% for the 12 months to June 2026. That average hides big differences by nationality, so check the latest rate for your country.

The verdict: Fewer students are applying, too. Home Office data published on 8 October 2026 shows 71,600 sponsored study visa applications from main applicants in September 2026, down 9.9% on September 2025. From January to September 2026, there were 302,900 applications, against 377,400 in the same months of 2025, a fall of 19.7%. September’s drop was the smallest of the year, so demand may be steadying. Fewer applicants does not mean an easier visa: the rules and checks are the same for everyone.

For students, the takeaway is simple: don't treat the visa application as just another box to tick. Your finances, CAS, supporting documents, and the information you provide all need to line up. The Home Office rules also require applicants to meet the student route’s eligibility and genuine student requirements.

So, before you hit submit, double-check your documents, make sure your funds meet the requirements, and keep your answers consistent. A little extra checking now can save you a lot of stress and potentially the cost of applying all over again.

Sara's last piece of advice for anyone starting the process:

There are so many things that can scare you, but you won't really know whether they're as scary as they seem until you actually do them. So just go for it and don't stop.

— Sara Gupta, University of Warwick (2026–2027), MSc Management, interviewed on 6 October 2026

Methodology 

Amber's own data

• Visa-refusal cancellations: amber internal booking data for UK student accommodation, bookings made in 2024 and 2025 (46,000+ bookings), using the cancellation reason recorded by our team.
• Top source countries: the 9 countries with the most bookings for UK student accommodation on amber, 2024–2026.
• Booking occupancy: AmberRadar internal analysis, September 2026, covering about half of the UK purpose-built student accommodation market by volume.

Ambassador interviews

• Student quotes come from one-to-one video interviews with two amber student ambassadors, conducted by amber’s content team on 6 October 2026: Sara Gupta (University of Warwick, MSc Management) and Snehpreet Kaur (Coventry University, Business and Marketing). Quotes are verbatim from transcripts, lightly edited for readability, and used with each contributor’s permission. They are individual experiences, not official guidance.

Third-party sources

• Currency conversions of the £558 fee use Google exchange rates for October 2026.

Eligibility, process and conditions

• GOV.UK: Student visa overview
• GOV.UK: Student visa, courses you can study
• GOV.UK: Student visa, knowledge of English
• GOV.UK: Student visa, documents you'll need
• GOV.UK: Student visa, apply
• GOV.UK: Immigration Rules Appendix Student
• GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors, students
• GOV.UK: Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants
• GOV.UK: Visa processing times, applications outside the UK
• GOV.UK: eVisas, access and use your online immigration status
• University of Exeter: Working during study
• The Mentors Circle: Credibility interviews
• GoStudyIn
• GOV.UK: Monthly entry clearance visa applications, September 2026 (announcement)
• Business Standard: UK study visas fall 16%
• Times Higher Education: UK student visa applications up 10 per cent on last year

Fees and services

• GOV.UK: Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026
• GOV.UK: Get a faster decision on your visa application
• GOV.UK: Student visa, extend your visa
• GOV.UK: Graduate visa

Immigration Health Surcharge

• GOV.UK: Pay for UK healthcare, how much you have to pay
• GOV.UK: Pay for UK healthcare, refunds

Maintenance funds

• GOV.UK: Student visa, money you need
• GOV.UK: Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC 584 (3 September 2026)
• Davidson Morris: Statement of Changes HC 584

Refusals

• GOV.UK: Ask for a visa administrative review (outside the UK)
• GOV.UK: Ask for a visa administrative review (inside the UK)
• GOV.UK: Administrative review, caseworker guidance (updated 3 August 2026)
• The PIE News: 12-month rolling student visa rejection rate hits 4.9% (28 August 2026)

Disclaimer

This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Visa rules, fees, exchange rates and processing times change, so check GOV.UK, or speak to a regulated immigration adviser, before you apply. Amber's booking data reflects bookings on our platform and is not representative of all UK students.