Financial requirements

As part of your Student Visa application, you must show that you have enough money to meet the financial requirements.

There are  two parts to the financial requirements:

Tuition fees – the cost of your course.
Living expenses – also known as ‘maintenance’, which covers your everyday costs while studying in the UK.

To meet the financial requirements of the Student Visa application, it’s important to show that you’ve held the required amount of money for at least 28 consecutive days before you apply.

If you have already held a valid visa for 12 months at the time you make your visa application, you may be exempt from demonstrating any evidence of your finances. See the gov.uk information on finances for a student visa application for more information about this exemption.

Additionally, If you are a national of certain countries that fall under the 'differential evidence requirements', you won't need to include financial documents with visa application.  The list of differential evidence countries is available in the gov.uk information on finances for a student visa application. The differential evidence requirements apply whether someone is applying for an entry clearance from outside the UK or extending a visa from within the UK.

Tuition fees

When applying for your visa, it's important to show that you have enough money to cover any outstanding tuition fees for the full academic year ahead.

Any tuition fees already paid to the university can be deducted from the required financial balance. Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) will indicate the total tuition fees for  the current academic year, along with the amount you have already paid.

If you're unsure about the cost of your programme, please refer to your offer letter or check the tuition fee details provided by the university.

Important information for new students

Based on visa refusal risk, some students may be asked to pay 100% of their tuition fees upfront prior to a CAS being issued . You should not pay this until you have passed your credibility interview, but it will be required before the university can issue your CAS.

If you are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya (Nakuru and Uasin Gishu counties only), Myanmar, Nepal or Pakistan you will be required to pay at least 50% of your fee prior to receiving your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letter

Living expenses (maintenance)

In addition to the tuition fees, you need to show that you have enough money for your living expenses. The exact amount of money you need depends on the campus where you will study.

• Students studying at our Greenwich or Avery Hill campuses are expected to demonstrate a minimum of £1,483 per month to meet the financial maintenance requirement.  This amount will rise to £1529 per month for all applications made on or after 11th November 2025
• The required amount for students studying at our Medway campus is £1,136 per month. This amount will rise to £1171 per month for all applications made on or after 11th November 2025

Please note that it does not matter where you live - this requirement is based on your campus.

Calculating your living expenses

The amount of money you need to have for your living expenses depends on the length of your programme. It is calculated in months.

• Your CAS will show a start date and an end date of your course. Use these to calculate the length of your programme in months
• Multiply the number of months by the monthly amount - as shown above
• The maximum amount that you will need to show for your living expenses is capped at 9 months

Examples

New Students

• Student at Greenwich or Avery Hill campus making a visa application for a one-year MA programme: 9 x £1,483 = £13,347

• Student at Medway campus making a visa application for a three-year BEng programme: 9 x £1,136 = £10,224

Continuing Students

• Student at Greenwich campus making a visa extension application for an additional 6 months of study: 6 x £1,483 = £8,004

• Student at Medway campus student making a visa extension application for an additional 3 months of study: 3 x £1,136 = £3,408

Applications with dependants

If you are applying with dependants (such as a spouse, partner, or children), you will need to show additional money for each dependant. Please see our guidance on applying with dependants.

Bank statements and other financial evidence

For guidance on the documents you will need to provide with your Student Visa application, see our information on demonstrating your finances.