Student visa maintenance requirements

Important information

If you (and any dependants) are applying from inside the UK and have held valid UK immigration permission for at least 12 months preceding the date of your visa application, you will automatically meet the financial requirements. This means you will not be required to submit financial evidence to support your visa application. Holidays and short absences from the UK do not break the 12-month period, but you must have spent the majority of the time in the UK.

Please see our online information on who can apply from inside the UK.

If you are applying outside of the UK or you have not held valid UK immigration permission for at least 12 months, you must meet the maintenance requirements below.

How much do I (the student) need to show?

Tuition/course fees

If studying a course that is more than 12 months, you must show you have enough money for the first year. If your course is 12 months or less, you must show you have enough money for the entire course.

Any tuition fees paid to the University before you apply can be deducted from the total amount. This can be evidenced on your CAS or by receipts.

Living costs

You will have to show an amount of £9207 (£1023 per month up to a maximum of 9 months) or the length of your course, whichever is shorter.

Up to £1334 of any University of Reading accommodation fees paid can be deducted from the total amount. This can be evidenced on your CAS or by receipts. This does not include fees paid towards private accommodation.

Maintenance for dependents

Each dependent will be required to demonstrate maintenance of £6120 (£680 per month up to a maximum of 9 months) or the length of leave (immigration permission) expected to be granted, whichever is shorter.

The money can be held by the dependent or the Student. Funds for dependent children can be held by the Student or the dependent partner providing they either have, or are being granted, immigration permission (other than as a visitor) at the same time as the child.

You should check if they can apply under the ‘Differentiation arrangement’.

See who can bring dependants.

Student Union Sabbatical Officers

Important information for self-funded students

You can use cash funds held in a personal bank or building society account (including current, deposit, savings, pension from which the funds can be withdrawn or investment account) provided the account holder has control of the funds and they can be accessed immediately.

If the funds were earned or acquired whilst the applicant was in the UK, they must have been earned or acquired lawfully and while the applicant had UK immigration permission and was not in breach of any conditions attached to that permission.

You cannot use evidence such as business accounts, overdrafts, bitcoin savings, stocks and shares, bonds, credit cards, pensions from which the funds cannot be withdrawn immediately (regardless of notice period), bank accounts that are not regulated by the financial regulatory body in the country you are applying from, accounts that cannot be verified by UKVI, and bank accounts that do not use electronic record keeping.

The funds can only be held by:
• You (the student), including a joint account you hold with someone else
• Your parent(s)/legal guardian(s). Dependents cannot rely on funds held in your parent(s) name(s).
• Your partner (if they already hold UK immigration or are applying at the same time as you).

Relying on your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) financial evidence: you will also need to provide evidence of your relationship (such as a birth certificate/court document/adoption certificate/government-issued household register) and a letter from your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) confirming your relationship and that they consent to you using their funds to study in the UK.

You cannot use an affidavit as it is only evidence that someone has made a sworn statement regarding a claimed relationship.

Relying on your partner’s financial evidence: you will also need to provide evidence of your relationship in the form of a marriage/civil partnership certificate and in the case of unmarried partners, proof you have lived together for two years such as, utility bills in joint names.

Bank statements

Bank statements must be for a consecutive 28-day period starting from the date of closing balance and the end date of the most recent statement must not be later than 31 days before the application date. For instance, if your bank statement is from 1 June to 30 June, you must not make your application later than 31 July. Please refer to the Financial guidance .

Bank statements should show:

• the account holder’s name(s); and
• account number; and
• date of statement; and
• bank’s name and logo; and
• amount available on each of the relevant 28-days; and
• currency type

You can provide electronic bank statements if they contain the above information. Statements do not have to be stamped.

If using funds not in GBP, you should check the currency conversion of the lowest amount you hold during the relevant 28-day period on the date or application using OANDA.com . You should write this amount of the statement.

You can use more than one bank statement to evidence funds, but they should ideally cover the same relevant 28-day period because the balance on each of the 28 days must total the amount you are required to demonstrate. Each statement needs to contain the information above.

You can also obtain a letter from the bank stating all the information above. They could include a sentence such as ‘We confirm the balance in the account has not dropped below [enter the lowest balance] in the 28 days preceding the date on this letter.’

UK Visas and Immigration may carry out verification checks with your bank. If they are unable to verify your funds your application is likely to be refused.

Certificate of deposit

Certificates of deposit must have been issued within 31 days of the date of application (the date you pay and submit online). At least 28 days must have elapsed between the date of the deposit and the date of issue of the certificate. For example, a certificate showing funds available from 1 May to 30 October, can only be used after 28 May. The certificate will not be valid if used before 28 May.

It must also confirm the account holder can access the funds at any time.

Official financial sponsorship

Student visa applicants can receive official financial sponsorship from:

• Her Majesty’s Government
• their home national government
• the British Council
• an international organisation
• an international company
• a university
• an independent school

If your sponsorship covers your full tuition fees and living expenses, you do not require additional bank statements, but you will need to provide an official financial sponsorship letter. If you are not fully sponsored, you will need to show evidence of funds to cover the balance.

If you are sponsored by the University of Reading, we can include the details of your sponsorship/scholarship on your CAS and you will not require a letter.

If you do require a letter from your Official Financial Sponsor it should show:

• your name; and
• the name and contact details of your official financial sponsor; and
• the date of the letter; and
• the length of your sponsorship; and
• the amount of money they are giving to you (and any dependents) or a statement that your official financial sponsor will cover all your (and your dependents) tuition/course fees and living costs.
• they consent to your Student application

Previously sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency?

If you (or any of your dependants) have in the 12 months before the date of application been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, you must provide written consent to the application from that Government or agency.

Student loans

You can provide a loan letter, but it must meet the following requirements:

be dated no more than 6 months before the date of application; and
confirm the loan is for you (you cannot use a loan letter in a parent’s name); and
confirm the loan is a student loan provided to you by either the relevant government or a government sponsored student loan company or an academic or educational loans scheme*; and
the financial institution’s name and logo; and
the amount of money available as a loan; and
is on official stationery; and
confirms the funds will be available to you or paid directly to the University before you travel to the UK (with any living cost portion of the loan being made available to you by the time you arrive in the UK), or available before you begin your course if the loan is provided by your national government; and
confirms there are no conditions on release of the loan funds other than a successful application to study.

* an academic or educational loans scheme which is provided by a financial institution regulated for the purpose of issuing student loans by either the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or, in the case of an overseas loan, the official regulatory body for purpose of issuing student loans in the country the institution is in and where the money is held.

If your loan does not fully cover your fees and living costs, you will need to show evidence of funds to cover the balance.