UK Student visa maintenance rises from 30 November 2026
From 30 November 2026, UK Student visa applicants must show £1,570 a month in London or £1,203 elsewhere, up to £14,130 or £10,827 for nine months.
From 30 November 2026, UK Student visa applicants must show more money for living costs: £1,570 a month for courses in London and £1,203 a month elsewhere, for up to nine months. That's £14,130 or £10,827 in total, plus any unpaid first-year tuition on your CAS.
Key numbers
Applications made on or after 30 November 2026: £1,570 a month in London (£14,130 for nine months) and £1,203 a month elsewhere (£10,827). Before that date: £1,529 (£13,761) and £1,171 (£10,539). The money must be held for 28 days in a row.
What changed
The Home Office's Statement of Changes HC 584, published on 3 September 2026, raises the Student route maintenance requirement for applications made on or after 30 November 2026. It's the yearly uplift that keeps the figure in line with maintenance loans for UK students, this time for the 2026/27 academic year.
- London: £1,570 a month, up from £1,529, or £14,130 for nine months, up from £13,761
- Outside London: £1,203 a month, up from £1,171, or £10,827 for nine months, up from £10,539
According to UKCISA, if you've already paid your university for university or college accommodation, you can still deduct that from the amount you show, up to a cap that rises to £1,570. London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, so check which figure applies to your campus.
Who it affects
Anyone applying for a Student visa on or after 30 November 2026 who has to show living-cost funds. That's likely to include many applicants for January 2027 starts. If you apply before 30 November, the current figures apply.
Applicants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka aren't on the Home Office's list of countries that can skip financial evidence, so they must show the funds when they apply. The full list is on gov.uk's Student visa money page.
You don't need to show living-cost funds if you've been in the UK with a visa for at least 12 months on the date you apply.
What to do now
- Work out your figure: the monthly amount for your campus location, times the number of months in your course up to nine, plus any unpaid first-year tuition on your CAS.
- If you'll apply on or after 30 November, hold the higher amount. The money must sit in the account for 28 days in a row, and that period must end within 31 days of your application date, so for an early December application the higher balance may need to be in place from October.
- If you aren't sure which side of the date you'll apply on, hold the higher amount so you're covered either way.
- Keep the balance at or above the full total for all 28 days, in your own account or a parent's.
Run your numbers through the study abroad cost calculator and see the full visa process in our UK study guide.
FAQ
I'm applying in October. Do the new amounts apply to me?
No. The new figures apply to applications made on or after 30 November 2026. Earlier applications use £1,529 a month in London and £1,171 elsewhere.
Is £14,130 all I need to show for London?
Not always. You also need any first-year tuition your CAS lists as unpaid. The living-cost figure covers up to nine months.
Is the visa figure what I'll actually spend?
It's the minimum the Home Office asks to see, not a budget. Most taught master's last a year, so plan your real costs for the full course from actual rent listings.