UK Student Visa Proof-of-Funds Calculator: How Much Money Must You Show?
Most UK Student visa refusals are not about the offer or the CAS — they are about the money evidence. UK Visas and Immigration requires you to show, in advance, that you can pay your course fees and support yourself, and that the money has sat in your account for 28 consecutive days before you apply. This calculator turns the official GOV.UK financial evidence rules into one clear number: enter your fees, where you will study, how long your course runs and whether dependants are coming with you, and it shows exactly how much you must be able to evidence — and, if you tell it the date your money reached that amount, the dates your 28 days complete and your application window opens. Nothing you type here is stored or sent anywhere; the calculation runs entirely in your browser.
How the proof-of-funds rules work
Under the GOV.UK financial evidence rules for the Student route, the amount you must show has three parts. First, your course fees: the full fee for the first year of your course — or the full course fee if the course lasts a year or less — minus any fees or deposit you have already paid to your university, which your CAS normally records. Second, your living costs: £1,529 for each month of your course if you will study in London, or £1,171 a month outside London, counted for a maximum of 9 months however long the course runs. Third, dependants: if your partner or children apply with you, add £845 a month per dependant in London, or £680 a month outside London, again up to 9 months. The total must have been held in your (or your parent's or legal guardian's) account for 28 consecutive days, and the evidence — usually a bank statement ending on the closing balance date — must be no more than 31 days old on the day you submit the application. One timely warning: these living-cost rates rise to £1,570 a month in London and £1,203 outside London for applications made on or after 30 November 2026. Use the rates toggle in the calculator if your application will fall after that date, and budget to the higher figure if there is any chance it will.
The 28-day rule, in plain English
The single most common reason money evidence fails is timing, not the amount. Your balance must not drop below the required total on any single day of the 28-day period — one dip, even for a day, restarts the clock. The 28 days are counted back from the closing balance date on your evidence, and that closing date must fall within the 31 days before you submit your application online. So the safe sequence is: get the full amount into the account, leave it untouched for 28 full days, get your statement, and apply within 31 days of the statement's closing date. If you enter the date your money reached the required amount in the calculator, it works those dates out for you. Money held by your parents or legal guardian can be used, but you will need their written consent and evidence of your relationship; money in accounts UKVI cannot verify, or in certain types of investment accounts, may not count at all.
Estimate only — check the official rules before you apply
This calculator is an estimate built from the published GOV.UK financial evidence guidance; it is not immigration advice, and it cannot see your circumstances. Some students need to show less — if your university has already taken fees off the figure on your CAS, if you have lived in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if you are applying under a differential arrangement for certain nationalities, different evidence rules can apply. Others need documents this calculator cannot judge, such as evidence for an official financial sponsor or a student loan letter. Before you rely on any figure here, read the official GOV.UK financial evidence guidance for Student route applicants and, if anything about your situation is unusual, take advice from your university's international student team or a regulated immigration adviser.
The visa is sorted — now the coursework
Your funds evidence gets you into the UK; it does not write the assignments when you get here. If the coursework side of the degree is what worries you, our specialists prepare model work written to your brief, in your subject and at your level: see our prices (from £20 per 1,000 words), or message us on WhatsApp for a free quote. Already here and picking up part-time shifts alongside your studies? Use the student visa work-hours checker to keep every week inside your visa cap, read our plain-English guide to the 28-day rule before your money starts its 28 days, and see the support on our assignment help for international students page.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to show for a UK Student visa? Your first-year course fees (minus anything already paid and recorded on your CAS) plus living costs of £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month outside London, for up to 9 months of your course. For example, a 9-month course outside London with £15,000 fees and a £3,000 deposit paid means showing £22,539. From 30 November 2026 the living-cost rates rise to £1,570 and £1,203 a month.
How long must the money be in my account? For 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before you submit your application. The balance must stay at or above the full required amount on every one of those 28 days — a single day below it, even by a small amount, means the evidence does not count.
How much extra do I need for dependants? £845 for each month of the course per dependant if you study in London, or £680 a month per dependant outside London, counted up to 9 months — and each dependant's money must also meet the 28-day rule. Only some students can bring dependants: mainly those on postgraduate research courses or government-sponsored courses longer than 6 months, so check your eligibility separately.
Do I still need to show fees I have already paid? No. Fees already paid to your university — including the deposit most universities require before issuing a CAS — come off the total, as long as the payment is recorded on your CAS or you have an official receipt. Enter the paid amount in the calculator and it reduces the fees figure for you.
Can I use my parents' bank account? Yes, if the money is held by a parent or legal guardian. You will need a birth certificate (or equivalent) proving the relationship and a signed letter from them confirming the relationship and that they consent to the money being used for your studies in the UK. Accounts in your own name avoid that extra evidence.
What if my course lasts longer than 9 months? Living costs are only ever counted up to a maximum of 9 months, however long the course runs — a 12-month Master's and a 3-year degree use the same 9-month living figure for a single application. The fees part is still the first year's fees (or the full fee for courses under a year). Enter your real course length and the calculator caps the living costs automatically.
Other free tools
Already have your visa and planning your budget in the UK? Our maintenance loan calculator estimates what Student Finance England would lend a home student in 2026/27 — a useful benchmark for living costs. Applying to university itself? The UCAS tariff points calculator turns your grades into entry points, and our price calculator shows exactly what writing support would cost before you start.