UK student visa: from 30 November you must show £1,570 a month for London and £1,203 elsewhere

Students applying for a UK Student visa on or after 30 November 2026 will have to show more money for living costs. The Home Office’s Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC 584, laid before Parliament on 3 September 2026, raises the monthly figure to £1,570 for courses in London (from £1,529) and £1,203 for courses elsewhere in the UK (from £1,171).

How much you will need

The money is counted for each month of the course, up to nine months, on top of any course fees still unpaid on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). A part month is rounded up to a full month.

Where you study	Applications before 30 Nov 2026	Applications from 30 Nov 2026
London	£1,529 a month, £13,761 for 9 months	£1,570 a month, £14,130 for 9 months
Rest of the UK	£1,171 a month, £10,539 for 9 months	£1,203 a month, £10,827 for 9 months

For a course of nine months or more, that is £369 more in London and £288 more outside it. If you have paid your university a deposit for housing it arranged, up to £1,570 of that deposit (up from £1,529) can be set against the total.

Which figures apply to you

• Applications made before 30 November 2026 are decided under the rules in force on 29 November, so the old figures apply.
• Applications made on or after 30 November 2026 use the new figures. That covers many students starting in January 2027 and everyone applying for September 2027.
• If you are extending from inside the UK and have held permission there for 12 months or more, you do not need to show funds.

The 28-day rule stays. The money must sit in the account for at least 28 days in a row, and that 28-day period must end within 31 days of the date you apply.

Why it is going up

The Home Office’s explanatory memorandum says the student figure follows the maintenance loans for home students, which the Department for Education reviews each year, and that this rise matches the loans for 2026/27. The government says it will keep the two in line.

What to do now

1. If your CAS and documents are ready and you can apply before 30 November, the lower figure applies.
2. If you will apply on or after 30 November, move the new amount into the account early, so that a full 28-day period at that level is in place when you apply.
3. Plan for the other change already in the rules: a Graduate visa applied for on or after 1 January 2027 lasts 18 months instead of two years. PhD graduates keep three years.

Further reading: UK student visa fees 2026-27 for Indian students: visa fee, IHS, funds and the 18-month Graduate Route.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on the UK Home Office (Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC 584 of 3 September 2026 and its explanatory memorandum, and the Immigration Rules, Appendix Student). Official portal: gov.uk/student-visa/money. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.