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The UK is raising how much money international students must show to qualify for a Student visa. Changes to UK student visa funds requirements set a new minimum for applications made on or after 30 November 2026. The government published the change on 3 September 2026. It came in a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules known as HC 584.
What is changing in UK student visa funds requirements
Students applying for courses in London will need to show £1,570 per month, up from £1,529. The nine-month maximum rises to £14,130, up from £13,761. Outside London, the monthly figure rises to £1,203 from £1,171, with a nine-month maximum of £10,827, up from £10,539. The accommodation offset cap also rises in line with the London figure, moving from £1,529 to £1,570. That cap applies when a sponsor arranges housing on a student’s behalf.
The increases are modest in percentage terms, roughly 2.7% to 3%. Even so, the increase is real in cash terms. It adds several hundred pounds to the total an applicant must show before the Home Office grants a visa.
Why the date of application is what counts
The Home Office has stated plainly that the application date determines which maintenance figure applies. The date a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, or CAS, was issued does not matter. Neither does the course start date. Neither does the date shown on a bank statement. Submit on or before 29 November 2026, and an applicant gets assessed against the lower, current figures, even if the course itself starts well into 2027. Submit on 30 November or later, and the new, higher thresholds apply instead.
That distinction matters for planning. Take a prospective student who already holds a CAS for a course starting in early 2027. That student can still apply under the current, lower maintenance requirement. The application itself just needs to go in before the cutoff date. Waiting until after 30 November to submit that same application would require showing the higher amount instead.
Who the change affects
The new figures apply to the Student visa route. That route covers international students coming to the UK for degree-level and other eligible courses. Nationality makes no difference here. Every applicant on the route faces the same requirement, regardless of where they come from. The Home Office applies its maintenance-fund rules uniformly across every Student visa applicant.
What happens before 30 November
Students with an upcoming application should check which figure applies based on when they plan to submit, not when their course starts. Universities and visa advisers typically update their own guidance once a Statement of Changes like HC 584 takes effect. Even so, applicants should confirm the current threshold directly against Home Office guidance. Older published figures can lag behind rule changes by several weeks. A university’s own webpage is not always the most current source as a result.
Students who are unsure which figure applies can check Home Office guidance directly. They can also ask their university’s international office to confirm the current threshold before submitting.
Visa advisers also note a practical wrinkle worth planning around: bank statements used to prove maintenance funds must meet the Home Office’s own freshness and format rules, separate from the amount itself. An applicant who gathers the right documents early, rather than rushing them together just before the 30 November cutoff, reduces the risk of a refusal over a technicality rather than the funds themselves. That kind of avoidable refusal is especially costly for students on a tight timeline to a specific course start date, since reapplying can take weeks they may not have to spare. Advisers describe it as the single most preventable reason a strong application still gets turned down. It is also one of the simplest issues to fix, since it only requires planning ahead rather than meeting any additional financial threshold. With the 30 November deadline now firmly set, that planning window is shrinking fast for anyone who has not yet started gathering the right documents together.
More UK visa coverage
UK visa policy has shifted on several fronts this month. See our reports on the recent surge in UK student visa refusals, UK Erasmus+ visa rules for students and visitors, and the Hong Kong BNO visa settlement rules also introduced under HC 584.
UK student visa funds: frequently asked questions
- When do the new UK student visa funds take effect? The higher maintenance fund requirements apply to applications made on or after 30 November 2026.
- How much do London students need to show? £1,570 per month, or £14,130 for a nine-month course, up from £1,529 and £13,761.
- How much do students outside London need to show? £1,203 per month, or £10,827 for nine months, up from £1,171 and £10,539.
- Does the course start date determine which figure applies? No. The date the visa application is submitted determines which maintenance figure applies, not the course start date or CAS issue date.
- Can I still apply under the current, lower figures? Yes, if the application is submitted on or before 29 November 2026, regardless of when the course itself begins.
- Which immigration rule introduced this change? The Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC 584, published 3 September 2026.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 584, 3 September 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-584-3-september-2026
- OTS Solicitors — Student visa maintenance funds increase from 30 November 2026. https://www.otssolicitors.co.uk/news/student-visa-maintenance-funds-increase-from-30-november-2026/
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