UK Student Visa: Eligibility, Fees and How to Apply (2026 Guide)

Key Takeaways

• The UK Student visa (formally the “Student route”) replaced the Tier 4 (General) visa in October 2020 and is fully digital — there is no physical visa card, only an eVisa.

• You must be 16 or over, hold a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed sponsor, prove your English level, and show you can pay for your course and living costs.

• The visa costs £558 to apply, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge (£776 per year of the visa).

• Most students starting courses from 1 January 2024 onward cannot bring dependants — the main exception is PhD and other doctoral-level research students.

• After finishing your course, the Graduate Route currently allows 2 years of post-study work (3 for PhD graduates) — but this drops to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027.

A UK Student visa allows you to study in the United Kingdom if you are 16 or over and have an unconditional offer from a UK institution that holds a student sponsor licence. Known officially as the Student route, it replaced the old Tier 4 (General) student visa in October 2020 and is now entirely digital — there is no physical visa sticker or biometric card, only an online eVisa linked to your UKVI account. This guide walks through who can apply, what it costs in 2026, the documents you need, and what happens after your course finishes.

What Is the UK Student Visa

The UK Student Visa (the Student route) is the main immigration category for people coming to the UK for further or higher education — universities, colleges, and pre-sessional English language courses among them. It is points-based: applicants need to score 70 points by meeting three core requirements covered below — a valid offer and CAS, the financial requirement, and the English language requirement. If you are 16 or 17 and want to study at an independent (fee-paying) school rather than a university or college, you would normally apply for the separate Child Student visa instead.

UK Student Visa Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for a UK Student Visa, you need to meet four main conditions.

Age and parental consent

You must be 16 or over on the date you apply. If you are 16 or 17, you will need evidence of parental or guardian consent as part of your application.

An offer and a CAS from a licensed sponsor

You need an unconditional offer of a place on an eligible course from an education provider that holds a Student sponsor licence. Once you accept the offer, the institution issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) — a reference number you enter in your visa application. You must usually apply within 6 months of receiving your CAS.

Knowledge of English

You must be able to read, write, speak and understand English to the level required for your course. This is usually proven through an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT), although your institution may be able to assess this itself for some courses. Nationals of certain majority English-speaking countries are normally exempt from this requirement.

The financial requirement

You must show you have enough money to pay for your course and support yourself in the UK, unless you are exempt (covered in the fees and costs section below).

UK Student Visa Fees and Costs in 2026

Budgeting for a UK Student visa means accounting for three separate costs: the visa application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge, and the financial requirement you must evidence in your bank statements. The table below summarises the current figures.

Table 1: UK Student Visa Fees and Costs (2026)

Cost item	Amount (2026)
Student visa application fee (outside UK, extend, or switch inside UK)	£558
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) — per year of visa	£776
IHS — 6 months or less, applying from outside the UK	£0 (exempt)
IHS — 6 months or less, applying from inside the UK	£388
Financial requirement — studying in London (per month, up to 9 months)	£1,529
Financial requirement — studying outside London (per month, up to 9 months)	£1,171
Course fees	As stated on your CAS

The UK Student Visa application fee is £558, whether you are applying from outside the UK, extending your visa, or switching into the Student route from inside the UK. On top of that, you will pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which gives you access to the NHS for the length of your stay.

The IHS is £776 per year for students and their dependants — so a 3-year degree course works out to roughly £2,328 in IHS alone, paid upfront when you apply. If you are applying for a course of 6 months or less from outside the UK, you do not pay the IHS at all; applying for the same length of stay from inside the UK costs half the annual rate (£388).

Separately, you need to show you can afford your course fees and living costs. For living costs (the ‘financial requirement’), you will usually need to evidence £1,529 per month if studying in London, or £1,171 per month if studying outside London, covering up to 9 months of study. This money must be in your account, or your sponsor’s/loan provider’s, for at least 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before you apply.

You do not need to prove this if you have already held a UK visa for 12 months or more, or if you are a national of one of around 60 countries and territories covered by the Home Office’s differential evidence requirement — though you may still be asked to provide it before a decision is made.

Documents You Need to Apply

Most applicants need to gather the following before starting their online application:

• Your CAS reference number from your education provider
• A valid passport or other travel document
• Proof of your financial requirement (bank statements, loan letter or sponsor letter, as applicable)
• Evidence of your English language ability, where required
• A tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, if you are applying from a country on the Home Office’s TB-testing list and your course will last more than 6 months
• An Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate, if your course is a postgraduate degree in certain science, engineering or technology subjects
• Parental or guardian consent, if you are 16 or 17

How to Apply for a UK Student Visa: Step-by-Step

The process is entirely online. Broadly, it works as follows:

1. Accept your course offer and receive your CAS from your education provider.
2. Check whether you need a TB test certificate or an ATAS certificate, and arrange these in advance if so, since they can take several weeks.
3. Complete the online application form on GOV.UK and pay the £558 visa fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.
4. Prove your identity — either using the UK Immigration: ID Check app on your smartphone (if you have a biometric passport), or by attending an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) centre.
5. Wait for a decision: 3 weeks if you applied from outside the UK, or 8 weeks if you applied from inside the UK. Priority services may be available for a faster decision.
6. If approved, set up a UKVI account online and link your passport to it to access your eVisa, which is the digital record of your immigration status — you will use this to prove your status when you travel, rent accommodation, or start work.

You can apply up to 6 months before your course starts if you are outside the UK, or up to 3 months before if you are applying from inside the UK. If you are inside the UK, your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. You can travel to the UK up to 1 week before your course starts if it lasts 6 months or less, or up to 1 month before if it lasts longer.

How Long You Can Stay on a UK Student Visa

How long your UK Student Visa lasts depends on your age and the level of your course.

Table 2: How Long You Can Stay on a UK Student Visa

Applicant profile	Maximum stay
18 or over, course at degree level	Up to 5 years
18 or over, course below degree level	Up to 2 years
16–17 years old	Set according to course length and type
Decision time — applying from outside the UK	Usually 3 weeks
Decision time — applying from inside the UK	Usually 8 weeks

If you need longer to finish your studies, you may be able to extend your UK Student Visa, or switch into it from another UK visa category, provided you continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

Bringing Dependants on a UK Student Visa

Rules on dependants changed significantly from 1 January 2024. If your course started on or after that date, you generally cannot bring a partner or children to the UK as your dependents under the UK Student Visa. The main exception is for students on a PhD, another doctoral qualification, or a research-based degree at RQF level 7 or above — these students may still be able to bring dependants, subject to meeting the financial and other requirements for each family member. If you do qualify to bring dependants, each one needs their own visa application, fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.

After Your Studies: Graduate Route and Switching Visas

Once you successfully complete your course, you do not have to leave the UK straight away. The Graduate visa lets eligible graduates stay on and work, or look for work, without needing a job offer or sponsor. You must apply from inside the UK while your UK Student Visa is still valid, and you cannot extend the Graduate visa itself once granted.

Table 3: UK Graduate Route — Before and After 1 January 2027

Graduate Route condition	Applies to applications made…
Stay length: 2 years (most graduates)	On or before 31 December 2026
Stay length: 18 months (most graduates)	On or after 1 January 2027
Stay length: 3 years (PhD / doctoral graduates)	Unchanged — any application date

If you are studying at degree level or above, you may also be able to switch directly into a sponsored work route — such as the UK Skilled Worker visa — before your course even finishes, as long as your job does not start before your course is officially completed. For a broader sense of how the Student route fits alongside the UK’s other immigration categories, see our guide to the different types of UK visas. Graduates who go on to build a long-term career in the UK may eventually look at Indefinite Leave to Remain as a route to permanent residency, though that is a much later step than most students need to think about while studying.

What You Can and Cannot Do on a UK Student Visa

Holding a UK Student Visa allows you to study and, depending on your course and level, to work part-time — the exact hours permitted vary by institution and term-time status, and are set out in your individual conditions. You can also work as a students’ union sabbatical officer. You cannot claim public funds (benefits), work in certain roles such as a professional sportsperson or coach, be self-employed, or study at a local-authority-funded (maintained) school or academy.

If you do work while studying, you may have UK tax obligations depending on your income and residency status — our guide to tax filing for international students in the UK covers when returns are required and how foreign income is treated. If your visit to the UK is shorter than 6 months and not for a full course of study, a UK Tourist visa may be more appropriate than the UK Student Visa.

All fees, financial thresholds and eligibility rules in this guide reflect the official GOV.UK Student visa guidance, current as of June 2026. Rules and amounts are reviewed periodically by the Home Office, so always check GOV.UK directly before submitting an application.

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Top 5 Countries for Indian Students to Pursue an MBA