# How Much Bank Balance for a UK Student Visa? Indian Applicants > The UK Student visa funds rule for Indian applicants: the CAS fee figure, £1,529 or £1,171 a month for up to 9 months, the 28-day rule and the costs on top. _Published: 2026-10-31 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1091_ ## TL;DR GOV.UK sets no single bank balance for a Student visa: you show first-year course fees from your CAS plus living costs of £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month outside London, for up to 9 months. The money must be held for at least 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of your application. ## Key takeaways - Required funds = course fees for 1 academic year (as shown on the CAS) + monthly living costs for up to 9 months. - Living costs: £1,529 a month in London, £1,171 a month outside London. - The funds must be held for at least 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of your visa application. - On top of the balance you pay the £558 visa fee and the £776-a-year immigration health surcharge. - GOV.UK publishes these amounts in GBP only; there is no official INR figure. **According to GOV.UK, an Indian Student visa applicant must show first-year course fees as stated on the CAS plus living costs of £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to 9 months. The money must be held for at least 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying.** ## Article There is no single bank balance that suits every student. Your figure is built from two parts, and one of them is printed on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). The rules here are as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For the rest of the application, see our UK visa guide for Indians. ### What is the formula for the Student visa bank balance? GOV.UK's Student visa guidance asks for money to cover two things: - Course fees for 1 academic year (up to 9 months), as shown on your CAS. - Living costs for up to 9 months, at the London or outside-London monthly rate. Put simply: required balance = first-year course fees on the CAS + (monthly living cost × months, capped at 9). The living-cost part is capped at 9 months, even for a degree that lasts several years. For example, for a one-year master's outside London, the balance is the course-fee figure on your CAS plus nine months at £1,171. For a bachelor's degree in London, it is the first-year fee on your CAS plus nine months at £1,529. GOV.UK publishes these amounts in pounds only. There is no official rupee equivalent, so the INR you need depends on the exchange rate when you build the balance. If your money sits in an INR account, check how GOV.UK treats funds held in other currencies before you settle on the amount. ### London or outside London: which monthly figure applies? Where you will studyLiving costs per monthMaximum months countedLondon£1,5299Outside London£1,1719Child Student (aged 4 to 17) living with a parent£1,560 for the child and parentCourse fees for one academic year (up to 9 months) also applyBecause the London rate is higher every month, using the wrong one understates your balance for each of the up-to-9 months counted. If you are unsure whether your campus counts as London, check the study location on your CAS against GOV.UK's Student visa money guidance before you fix the amount. ### How does the 28-day rule work? The full amount must be held for at least 28 days in a row. The 28-day period must end within 31 days of the date you submit your visa application. - Count backwards from your application date. The last day of the 28-day run must fall no more than 31 days before you apply. - Keep the balance steady. The rule asks for the money to be held for 28 days in a row, so a dip below the required amount on any day leaves you without a full run. - Plan around the CAS. You can apply up to 6 months before your course starts, and the standard decision time from outside the UK is 3 weeks. Build the 28-day run so that it ends close to the date you plan to apply. Any bank document not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation. That matters if your statement or passbook is issued in Hindi or a regional language. ### What do you pay on top of the bank balance? The visa fee and health surcharge are paid during the online application; they are separate from the funds you show. CostAmountNotesStudent visa fee (from outside the UK)£558Rose from £524 on 8 April 2026Immigration health surcharge£776 per yearStudent rate, paid as part of the visa applicationVFS appointment at a standard centreNo feeSelf-upload of documents is freeUser-pays (premium) centre£76.50Only at user-funded centresPriority Visa service (optional)£500Usually within 5 working days where offeredSuper Priority Visa service (optional)£1,000Usually by the end of the next working day after a weekday appointmentVFS also sells optional extras, such as Document Upload Assistance at INR 2,400 at its New Delhi centre. VFS states that optional services do not affect the visa decision. ### What should you confirm on GOV.UK before moving money? The official pages checked for this article set the amounts and the 28-day rule. They do not settle every Indian family's question about whose account can hold the money, or how education loans and fixed deposits are treated. Read GOV.UK's full Student visa guidance on acceptable evidence before you transfer funds, rather than relying on advice from a friend's earlier application. For context, the Home Office reports that 96% of sponsored study visa decisions for Indian nationals in the year ending June 2026 were grants: 83,958 granted and 3,846 refused out of 87,804 decisions. That describes past decisions; it does not predict yours. ### Mistakes to avoid with your funds evidence - A stale statement. If more than 31 days pass between the end of the 28-day run and your application, the evidence no longer fits the rule. - The wrong monthly rate. Using £1,171 for a London course leaves you short. - Ignoring the CAS. The course-fee part of the balance is the amount shown on your CAS, not the brochure figure. - Moving money mid-period. A transfer that takes the balance below the required amount means you no longer have 28 consecutive days. - Untranslated papers. Documents not in English or Welsh need certified translations. If you need a flight reservation or a cover letter for a UK visa file, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares them along with hotel bookings and itineraries. Packages run from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact us. ### Frequently asked questions #### How early can I apply for a UK Student visa from India? Up to 6 months before your course starts. GOV.UK gives a standard decision time of 3 weeks for Student visa applications made from outside the UK. #### How much is the UK Student visa fee in 2026? £558 from outside the UK, up from £524 before 8 April 2026. You also pay the immigration health surcharge at £776 per year for students. #### Can I work in the UK after my degree? The Graduate visa must be applied for from inside the UK after you complete an eligible course. It runs 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027, and 3 years for a PhD. The fee is £937 plus the healthcare surcharge. #### Is there a fixed rupee amount for a UK Student visa bank balance? No. GOV.UK publishes the requirement in pounds only, and the total depends on your CAS course fees and study location. The rupee figure changes with the exchange rate. ## FAQ ### How early can I apply for a UK Student visa from India? Up to 6 months before your course starts. GOV.UK gives a standard decision time of 3 weeks for Student visa applications made from outside the UK. ### How much is the UK Student visa fee in 2026? £558 from outside the UK, up from £524 before 8 April 2026. You also pay the immigration health surcharge at £776 per year for students. ### Can I work in the UK after my degree? The Graduate visa must be applied for from inside the UK after you complete an eligible course. It runs 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027, and 3 years for a PhD. The fee is £937 plus the healthcare surcharge. ### Is there a fixed rupee amount for a UK Student visa bank balance? No. GOV.UK publishes the requirement in pounds only, and the total depends on your CAS course fees and study location. The rupee figure changes with the exchange rate. ## Sources 1. [GOV.UK - Student visa](https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/how-much-it-costs) — UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) 2. [GOV.UK - Student visa (full guide)](https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/print) — UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) 3. [GOV.UK - Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 October 2026](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-8-october-2026) — Home Office 4. [VFS Global UK India - Optional services (New Delhi, INR prices incl. GST)](https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/gbr/premium-services) — VFS Global (official UKVI partner)