How much money do you need for a UK student visa in 2026?

Until 29 November 2026: £1,529 a month for a London campus and £1,171 outside, for up to nine months — £13,761 and £10,539. From 30 November 2026: £1,570 and £1,203 a month, or £14,130 and £10,827. That is living costs only, on top of any tuition you have not already paid.

Which date decides the amount — my CAS, my course start, or my application?

The date you submit the application. An application submitted on 29 November 2026 is assessed on the old figure; one submitted on 30 November is assessed on the new. Your CAS date, your course start date and the date you opened the account make no difference to which figure applies.

What is the 28-day rule?

The money must sit in an account for 28 consecutive days, and the balance must not dip below the required total at any point in those 28 days — not even for a day. The closing balance must be dated no more than 31 days before you apply. More refusals come from breaking this than from the amount itself.

Does an accommodation deposit reduce what I need to show?

Yes, up to £1,570. A deposit already paid to your university for accommodation can be offset against the maintenance requirement, and it must be evidenced. It is one of the few legitimate ways to reduce the figure.

Do I need to show tuition fees as well?

Yes, separately and in addition. The maintenance figure covers living costs only. Any tuition you have not already paid must also be evidenced, and a deposit already paid reduces that part.

3 September 2026 · 3 min read

The UK maintenance requirement rises on 30 November 2026 — and the date that matters is the one you submit

Q: Does the London figure apply if I live in London but study elsewhere?

No. It is decided by where your main study site is, not where you live. A campus in one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London takes the London figure. Students routinely get this backwards and prepare the lower amount for a London course.

London goes to £1,570 a month, outside London to £1,203. Applications submitted before 30 November are assessed on the old figure. The trap is the 28-day rule, not the increase.

What is changing

From 30 November 2026, the UK Student route maintenance requirement rises. The change comes from a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 584, laid on 3 September 2026.

Campus	Until 29 Nov 2026	From 30 Nov 2026
London	£1,529/month → £13,761	£1,570/month → £14,130
Outside London	£1,171/month → £10,539	£1,203/month → £10,827

Nine months is the maximum, whatever the course length. This is living costs only — tuition you have not already paid is shown separately and on top.

The date that decides is the one you submit

Not your CAS date. Not your course start date. Not the day you opened the account.

An application submitted on 29 November is assessed on £1,529. The same application submitted on 30 November is assessed on £1,570.

That matters most for anyone saving right now for a December or January intake. If your application will go in on or after 30 November, save to the new figure. The gap is £369 in London — small enough to be overlooked and large enough to refuse an application.

The part that actually refuses people

Not the amount. The 28-day rule.

The money must sit in an account for 28 consecutive days, and the balance must not fall below the required total on any of those days. The closing balance must be dated no more than 31 days before you apply.

Three ways students break it without realising:

A transfer that lands late. Money that arrived last week does not count, however much of it there is. The clock starts when the full amount is present.

A dip in the middle. Rent, a fee, a transfer out — one day below the total and the 28 days restart. It is not an average balance, it is a floor.

A closing balance that goes stale. The statement has a 31-day shelf life. Applications get delayed for a document and the bank letter quietly expires.

Where the campus is, not where you live

The London figure follows the main study site, not your address. A campus in one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London takes the London rate.

This catches people both ways. A student living in Croydon studying at a Reading campus needs the lower figure; a student living in Luton studying at a London campus needs the higher one. Universities with multiple campuses are where this goes wrong most often — the same course name can exist at both a London and a non-London site.

What reduces the figure

An accommodation deposit already paid, up to £1,570, offsets the maintenance requirement. It must be evidenced.

Tuition already paid reduces the tuition part, not the living-costs part. Keep the two separate in your head; the Home Office does.

Nothing else reduces it. Not a scholarship you have been offered but not received, not a sponsor's promise, not money in someone else's account unless they are a parent or legal guardian and you provide the required proof of relationship and consent.

If you are applying soon

Submitting before 30 November: prepare £13,761 (London) or £10,539 (outside). Start the 28 days at least 30 days before you intend to submit.

Submitting on or after 30 November: prepare £14,130 or £10,827. If your 28 days are already running at the old amount, top up now and be aware the 28-day clock restarts from the day the full new amount is present.

Not sure which side of the date you will land on: prepare the higher figure. Over-saving costs nothing; under-saving costs an application fee, an Immigration Health Surcharge payment and an intake.

Figures checked 3 September 2026 against GOV.UK and HC 584. The requirement is reviewed periodically and tied to home-student maintenance loans, so confirm the current figure on gov.uk on the day you apply rather than trusting any article — this one included.

UniStep works the 28-day window backwards from your intended submission date, so the money is in place and evidenced before the application goes in rather than after. If your dates are tight around 30 November, ask us before you submit.