# UK Student Visa Fees for Indians (2026): What You Pay

> The UK Student visa costs £558 plus the immigration healthcare surcharge. How to work out the rupee amount, what VFS may charge, and the figures that do not apply to students.

_Published: 2026-10-29 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1100_

## TL;DR

The UK Student visa application fee from outside the UK is £558, plus the immigration healthcare surcharge. UKVI sets fees in pounds, so the rupee cost depends on the exchange rate on the day you pay; VFS optional services, a TB test if you stay over 6 months and translations are extra.

## Key takeaways

- Student visa application fee from outside the UK: £558, plus the immigration healthcare surcharge.
- Fees are set in pounds, so the rupee cost changes with the exchange rate.
- The £1,035 a year surcharge and £1,270 funds figures on GOV.UK belong to the Skilled Worker visa, not the Student visa.
- You can apply up to 6 months before your course starts; processing is listed at 3 weeks.
- Successful applicants get an eVisa through a UKVI account; the passport is returned at the biometric appointment.

**A UK Student visa costs £558 when you apply from outside the UK, plus the immigration healthcare surcharge. UKVI sets both in pounds, so there is no fixed rupee fee: the INR amount depends on the exchange rate when you pay online on GOV.UK. Optional VFS services are extra.**

## Article

You check which visa you need, apply and pay online on GOV.UK, receive a GWF reference number, and then book an appointment at a VFS Global centre to give biometrics. Fees and processing times below are as published on the official sources, checked on 10 October 2026. For every other UK category, see our UK visa guide for Indian applicants.

### Every cost line on a UK Student application
CostAmountWhat to knowStudent visa application fee (from outside the UK)£558Paid online on GOV.UK when you applyImmigration healthcare surcharge£776 per yearStudent rate, charged on top of the visa fee and paid when you applyVFS biometric appointmentNo VFS charge at free-to-use centresA £76.50 user-pays fee applies only at some centres; optional VFS services are priced separatelyDocument scanning at the centreA fee appliesAvoidable if you self-upload documents onlineTuberculosis (TB) test certificateCost not in our dataNeeded if you will be in the UK for more than 6 monthsCertified translationsVaries by translatorFor any document not in English or WelshPhotographNo separate photo neededTaken at the centre as part of biometrics
### Turning pounds into rupees
GOV.UK publishes the Student visa fee in pounds, and our dataset has no official rupee figure, so we do not print one. A rupee number in another article is simply a conversion at whatever rate applied when it was written. To work out yours:

- Take the £558 application fee.
- Add the healthcare surcharge GOV.UK shows for your visa.
- Convert at the pound-rupee rate on the day you pay.
- Add your bank's charges for a foreign-currency card payment, which differ between banks and cards.
Rupee cost on payment day = (£558 + your healthcare surcharge) × that day's pound-rupee rate + your card's foreign-currency charges.Check the total on the GOV.UK payment page before you confirm. Because the exchange rate moves, two students paying the same pound amount a few weeks apart can be debited different rupee amounts.

### The immigration healthcare surcharge
GOV.UK lists the Student visa fee as £558 plus the immigration healthcare surcharge. For students it is £776 per year (for example £1,552 for a 2-year visa); part years are charged differently, so check the exact amount on the payment screen. Two points to keep straight:

- The figure of £1,035 per year on GOV.UK's Skilled Worker page is the usual surcharge for the Skilled Worker visa. Do not use it to budget a student application.
- Travel insurance is not a UK visa requirement. The surcharge is how longer-stay visas cover healthcare.

### What you may pay at the VFS centre
VFS Global is an official partner of UK Visas and Immigration. At the appointment you give fingerprints and a photograph, and your passport is returned to you at the appointment; successful applicants receive an eVisa, accessed through a UKVI account, rather than a sticker. Supporting documents can be uploaded by you online or scanned at the centre for a fee. When self-uploading, VFS recommends including colour copies of passport pages that show travel to other countries.

A standard appointment at a free-to-use VFS centre has no VFS charge (a mandatory £76.50 user-pays fee applies only at some centres), and optional services are priced separately in INR, so check the VFS UK India site before booking. Centres include Chandigarh, New Delhi, Gurugram, Jaipur, Lucknow, Jalandhar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai North, Mumbai South, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram, plus Premium Application Centres in cities such as Noida, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore and Vishakhapatnam.

### Short course? Compare the visitor route
Not every course needs a Student visa. GOV.UK's Standard Visitor category, which costs £135 with a maximum stay of 6 months, asks for additional documents if you are visiting to study. There is also a Short-term student route for 6 to 11 month English language courses, whose fee is not in our data. If your course fits one of these, compare the requirements on GOV.UK before paying for a Student visa.

### When the money is due and how long it takes
You can apply for a Student visa up to 6 months before your course starts. The fee and surcharge are paid online when you apply on GOV.UK, and the biometric appointment follows. GOV.UK lists 3 weeks as the processing time for Student and Child Student applications made from outside the UK. Applying early in that window leaves time for the appointment and the 3-week processing before your course starts, and remember that the rupee cost is fixed only on the day you pay.

### Budget mistakes to avoid
- Using Skilled Worker figures. The £1,035 surcharge and £1,270 maintenance amount are not student figures: students pay £776 a year and must show course fees plus living costs (£1,529 a month in London or £1,171 outside, for up to 9 months) held for 28 days in a row.
- Quoting a stale rupee fee. Convert at the rate on your payment day.
- Forgetting the TB test. It is required if you will be in the UK for more than 6 months.
- Paying for scanning you do not need. Self-uploading avoids the scanning fee.
- Missing translation costs. Certificates or marksheets not in English need certified translations.
For students who also need a cover letter or travel documents for a visa file, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, itineraries and cover letters, with packages from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for a reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or reach our team. More country guides are on our visa hub for Indian passport holders.

### Frequently asked questions

#### Do I need a passport photo for a UK Student visa application?
No separate photo is needed. Your photograph is taken at the VFS visa application centre as part of biometrics, along with your fingerprints.

#### Will I get a visa sticker in my passport for a UK Student visa?
No. Your passport is returned at the biometric appointment, and successful applicants are issued an eVisa, which you access through a UKVI account.

#### Do I need travel insurance for a UK Student visa?
Travel insurance is not a UK visa requirement. Longer-stay visas, including the Student visa, carry the immigration healthcare surcharge instead, which you pay on top of the £558 application fee.

#### Can I upload my own documents for a UK Student visa?
Yes. Supporting documents can be self-uploaded online or scanned at the VFS centre for a fee. VFS recommends including colour copies of passport pages that show travel to other countries.

## FAQ

### Do I need a passport photo for a UK Student visa application?

No separate photo is needed. Your photograph is taken at the VFS visa application centre as part of biometrics, along with your fingerprints.

### Will I get a visa sticker in my passport for a UK Student visa?

No. Your passport is returned at the biometric appointment, and successful applicants are issued an eVisa, which you access through a UKVI account.

### Do I need travel insurance for a UK Student visa?

Travel insurance is not a UK visa requirement. Longer-stay visas, including the Student visa, carry the immigration healthcare surcharge instead, which you pay on top of the £558 application fee.

### Can I upload my own documents for a UK Student visa?

Yes. Supporting documents can be self-uploaded online or scanned at the VFS centre for a fee. VFS recommends including colour copies of passport pages that show travel to other countries.

## Sources

1. [GOV.UK - Student visa](https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/how-much-it-costs) — UK Government (GOV.UK)
2. [GOV.UK - Visa processing times: applications outside the UK](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-processing-times-applications-outside-the-uk) — UK Government (GOV.UK)
3. [VFS UK India - How to apply for a UK Visa](https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/gbr/apply-visa) — VFS Global
4. [VFS UK India - Visa Application Centres](https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/gbr/attend-centre) — VFS Global