UK Student Visa Proof of Funds 2026: How Much, Which Account, Which Loan

  • Last Updated on: October 3, 2026 by
  • Shiva Sai Bejawada
UK Student Visa Proof of Funds
UK Student Visa Proof of Funds

As of September 2026, your UK student visa proof of funds is one academic year of unpaid course fees plus living costs. Living costs are GBP 1,171 a month for up to 9 months, or GBP 1,529 in London, held for 28 days in a row. For applications made on or after 30 November 2026, both monthly rates rise, to GBP 1,203 and GBP 1,570. Parents: one account, in the student’s name or yours, is simplest; fund it at least 28 days before the application date and leave it alone. Below: amounts, accepted money and how UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) counts the days; course choice is in our study in UK guide.

Written by
Shiva Sai Bejawada
Senior Counsellor (British Council Certified) -UK & Ireland
Shiva Sai Bejawada is a British Council Certified overseas-education counsellor at AOEC India who guides Indian students through UK and Ireland university selection, admissions, and student visa documentation.
6 Years, 96% visa approval rate
Reviewed by
Sridhar Kongara
Managing Director
Mr. Kongara Sridhar, Director of AOEC India, has over 12 years of experience in overseas education consulting, admissions, and student visa guidance.
Over 12 years Experience

Key Takeaways

  • Filing by 29 November 2026: GBP 1,529 a month (approx. INR 1.95 lakh) in London, GBP 1,171 (approx. INR 1.49 lakh) elsewhere.
  • Filing from 30 November 2026: GBP 1,570 (approx. INR 2.00 lakh) and GBP 1,203 (approx. INR 1.53 lakh).
  • Over 9 months: up to GBP 13,761 (approx. INR 17.53 lakh) in London or GBP 10,539 (approx. INR 13.42 lakh) elsewhere, plus unpaid CAS fees.
  • Hold the money 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of applying: to file 15 December 2026, fund by 17 November.
  • A parent’s account needs a consent letter and your birth certificate.
  • Withdrawable fixed deposits count; locked ones don’t.
  • Loans count only in the student’s name, with a letter under 6 months old.
Table of Contents
How much proof of funds a UK student visa needs in 2026-27 Scroll here ↓ Which money counts: accounts, deposits and loans Scroll here ↓ Using an education loan as proof of funds for a UK student visa Scroll here ↓ The 28-day rule and the 31-day statement window Scroll here ↓ Bank statements UKVI accepts from Indian applicants Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

How much proof of funds a UK student visa needs in 2026-27

Until 29 November 2026, UK Student visa living costs top out at GBP 13,761 (approx. INR 17.53 lakh) in London and GBP 10,539 (approx. INR 13.42 lakh) elsewhere. For applications made from 30 November 2026, the caps become GBP 14,130 (approx. INR 18.00 lakh) and GBP 10,827 (approx. INR 13.79 lakh). Your filing date decides which pair applies.

Living costsApplied 11 Nov 2025 to 29 Nov 2026Applied on or after 30 Nov 2026
London, per monthGBP 1,529 (approx. INR 1.95 lakh)GBP 1,570 (approx. INR 2.00 lakh)
London, 9-month maximumGBP 13,761 (approx. INR 17.53 lakh)GBP 14,130 (approx. INR 18.00 lakh)
Outside London, per monthGBP 1,171 (approx. INR 1.49 lakh)GBP 1,203 (approx. INR 1.53 lakh)
Outside London, 9-month maximumGBP 10,539 (approx. INR 13.42 lakh)GBP 10,827 (approx. INR 13.79 lakh)

Your UK student visa proof of funds also covers one academic year of unpaid fees, at the figure on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). A fee deposit comes off if the CAS or a university receipt confirms it, as do fees a government or university sponsor pays, such as UK scholarships for Indian students. A paid university-housing deposit cuts the living-cost amount you show by up to GBP 1,529 (GBP 1,570 from 30 November).

Example: GBP 15,000 unpaid on a Manchester CAS (use yours).

  • Filed 20 November 2026: GBP 25,539 (approx. INR 32.53 lakh)
  • Filed 2 December 2026: GBP 25,827 (approx. INR 32.90 lakh)

If you might file after 29 November, fund to the higher figure now: the filing date sets the rate, and if you’re joining the January 2027 intake, you’ll likely file after it.

Only PhD, other doctorate or research-degree students, and government-sponsored students on courses over 6 months, can bring dependants, each adding GBP 845 a month in London or GBP 680 elsewhere.

Separately, you pay the visa fee: GBP 558, charged in India as INR 73,795 on 30 September 2026, because the Home Office sets its rupee rate 4% above OANDA’s (the currency-rate service UKVI uses). Our UK student visa requirements guide covers the health surcharge and the rest.

Which money counts: accounts, deposits and loans

Money counts if its holder can take it out of a personal bank account today, under the Home Office money rules (Appendix Finance). Of the 12 money sources below, 6 count: your own, joint or parent's account, a withdrawable FD, a student loan in your name, and a government or university sponsor. Locked deposits, shares, overdrafts and business accounts do not.

Money sourceCounts?Document UKVI wants28-day hold?
Your own savings or current accountYesBank statement or bank letterYes
Joint account with you as a holderYesBank statement naming youYes
Parent’s or legal guardian’s accountYesStatement, consent letter, birth certificateYes
FD or certificate of deposit you can withdraw any timeYesCertificate of deposit or bank letterYes
FD locked in or with a notice periodNoNone acceptedNo (move it first)
Education loan in the student’s name from a regulated lenderYesStudent loan letterNo
Education loan in a parent’s nameNoNone acceptedNo (move it first)
Official financial sponsor (government, British Council, university)YesSponsor letter or CAS entryNo
Uncle’s, grandparent’s or sibling’s accountNoNone acceptedNo (move it first)
Family-business accountNoNone acceptedNo (move it first)
Shares, mutual funds, bonds, crypto or locked pensionsNoNone acceptedNo (move it first)
Overdraft or credit card limitNoNone acceptedNever counts

Your parents’ account: consent letter and birth certificate

A parent’s account works with two extra documents: written consent to use the money, and proof of the relationship, meaning your birth certificate naming the parent. We have parents name you, the account number, the balance and the relationship in the consent letter. An affidavit won’t do: it only shows someone swore a statement, not that they’re your parent (Home Office guidance). The parent must also control the money, meaning they can withdraw it themselves; a joint account between you and a parent is fine.

Fixed deposits that count, and the ones that don’t

A fixed deposit (FD) counts if you can withdraw it at any time, and certificates of deposit are accepted evidence. Hold it 28 days and show it on a certificate or bank letter issued within 31 days of applying. A locked FD fails: money you can’t take out straight away doesn’t count, however short the notice period (FIN 8.2). Move that money to savings before the 28 days begin.

Money from relatives, a family business or shares: move it first

Money in an uncle’s, grandparent’s or sibling’s name must move into your account and sit there 28 days (LSE advice for Indian nationals); a promise to send it later counts for nothing. A family-business account is refused outright; shares must be sold and the cash held 28 days. The shortcut: any relative can pay your fees or housing straight to the university.

From our counselling desk: across the UK funds files we prepared for the September 2026 intake, the locked fixed deposit was the single commonest reason a family had to restart the 28-day clock. Parents park education savings in an FD because it earns more, and the notice period makes it unusable. Second commonest: a consent letter naming the student but never the account.

Using an education loan as proof of funds for a UK student visa

Your SBI, HDFC Credila or Avanse loan counts as UK student visa proof of funds if the sanction letter is in the student’s name, under 6 months old, and ticks every box below.

No list of approved Indian lenders exists, so none is pre-approved. The lender only has to be licensed in India to give student loans (FIN 8.3(c)), which banks like SBI and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) like HDFC Credila and Avanse are set up to do.

The student loan letter must (FIN 9.2):

  1. be dated no more than 6 months before you apply
  2. say it’s a student (education) loan
  3. set no condition on release other than a granted visa
  4. state the loan amount
  5. name you, the student, as the borrower
  6. confirm the money will reach you, or be paid to your university, before you travel
  7. state that the lender is regulated to give student loans

A loan in a parent’s name doesn’t count, even for your course (Home Office guidance), and nor does a personal loan. That money must sit in your account 28 days, like savings.

Get the letter right and a qualifying loan needs no 28-day hold (ST 12.6), so with savings short and the intake close, a loan in the student’s name is usually faster. The lender needn’t pay anything out before you apply: the letter only has to confirm the money will reach you, or your university, before you travel (FIN 9.2(f)).

The 28-day rule and the 31-day statement window

The 28-day rule means the full amount must stay in the account for at least 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of the date you apply. UKVI counts backwards from your statement’s closing balance, not forwards from the day the money arrived. For a 15 December 2026 application, that means money in by 17 November.

Work back from the day you’ll submit:

  1. Fix the date you’ll submit the online application and pay the fee.
  2. Get a statement whose closing balance (the last balance printed) is dated within 31 days before that date.
  3. Count 28 days back from that closing balance: the full amount must be there every day.
  4. Check the statements cover all 28 days, with no gaps.

Example: the 17 November date assumes a statement closing on 14 December, the day before you apply. The earliest closing date that counts is 14 November, which needs the full amount every day from 18 October. One day below the required amount breaks the run and restarts the 28 days.

The question we field most in visa briefings is whether money can move from a father’s account to the student’s inside those 28 days. It can, but the clock restarts on the receiving account, so a family merging three accounts a fortnight before filing waits another 28 days with the money frozen.

Several accounts can be added together instead, if each closing balance falls inside the 31 days and each held its money for all 28 (Home Office guidance).

Rupee balances and the OANDA rate

UKVI turns your rupees into pounds at the OANDA rate for the day you apply (Appendix Finance), and a balance that converts short that day is likely to be refused. We advise holding rupees worth about 5% more than the sterling total at today’s rate, so a weaker rupee on your application day doesn’t leave you short. Budget real living costs in the UK separately.

Bank statements UKVI accepts from Indian applicants

Indian applicants upload bank evidence with the application, so every statement has to be right the day you file.

India is not on the list of countries whose students can skip uploading bank statements (the differential evidence list).

Each statement should show:

  • the bank’s official stationery, or an electronic record
  • the account holder’s name and the account number
  • the statement date and the balance
  • the bank’s contact details or branch code

E-statements need no stamp on every page or covering bank letter. ATM mini-statements and hand-written or hand-amended records are rejected. UKVI may check with your bank, and ignores money at a bank that is unregulated, keeps no electronic records, or won’t confirm the balance. Savings in a small co-operative bank? Move them before the 28 days start.

Some universities, University of Westminster among them, check your funds before they issue a CAS, so fund the account before you request it. Keep every balance identical in your UK student visa cover letter.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Add the unpaid fee on your CAS to up to 9 months of living costs. Filing by 29 November 2026, that living-cost part is GBP 10,539 (approx. INR 13.42 lakh) outside London and GBP 13,761 (approx. INR 17.53 lakh) in London. Keep a rupee buffer on top.

Yes, if you can withdraw it at any time. Send the certificate of deposit or a bank letter showing your name, the amount and the deposit date, issued within 31 days of applying. An FD with a lock-in or notice period fails, so move that money into savings first.

Not as a loan. UKVI accepts only a student loan made to you, so a loan in your father’s or mother’s name fails even if it pays for your course. The money can still count as ordinary funds once it’s in your account and has sat there 28 days.

Your application is likely to be refused, because UKVI converts your rupees at the OANDA rate for the day you apply. A last-week top-up won’t help, since it hasn’t sat 28 days. We advise holding rupees worth about 5% more than the sterling total, and checking OANDA the day you submit.

No. Your own account, a joint account, a parent’s or guardian’s account, or a partner’s (if in the UK or applying with you) can hold the funds. Ask your uncle to transfer the money to you and leave it 28 days, or to pay your tuition straight to the university.

Sources

Official sources first.

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