<p>The UK Student Visa maintenance funds requirement is the minimum liquid capital an international applicant must prove they hold, ensuring they can cover living costs while studying in the United Kingdom. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) sets the threshold, and a 2024 Home Office report records that 34% of all student visa refusals stemmed from maintenance evidence failures. This single statistic underscores how a miscalculation or missing document can block a study place.</p> <p>The maintenance rules exist to confirm that a student will not need to rely on public funds. HESA data for the 2022/23 academic year places the international student population in the UK at over 600,000; every offshore applicant passes through this financial checkpoint. The calculation itself follows a clear logic—a decision tree of location, course length, pre-paid sums, and account rules—and it can be reproduced with precision.</p> <hr> <h2 id="a-decision-tree-for-maintenance-funds">A decision tree for maintenance funds</h2> <p>An applicant can work through the following questions to reach the required total.</p> <h3 id="1-where-will-the-student-study">1. Where will the student study?</h3> <p>Monthly living-cost rates are location-dependent. For applications made from 2 January 2025 the UKVI rates are:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Inner London boroughs and the City of London:</strong> £1,334 per month</li> <li><strong>Everywhere else in the UK:</strong> £1,023 per month</li> </ul> <p>The difference is £311 a month, which over a full nine‑month calculation adds at least £2,799 to the requirement.</p> <h3 id="2-how-long-is-the-course">2. How long is the course?</h3> <p>The starting figure of months to prove comes from the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).</p> <table><thead><tr><th>Course length on CAS</th><th>Months of living costs to evidence</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>9 months or longer</td><td>9 months</td></tr><tr><td>Fewer than 9 months</td><td>Exact number of calendar months, rounded up</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>For example, a 7‑month postgraduate diploma needs 7 months of maintenance; a three‑year undergraduate programme needs 9 months.</p> <p><strong>Exception: established presence in the UK</strong><br> If the applicant is already in the UK and has held valid immigration permission for at least 12 months before the application date, they can rely on a reduced requirement of 2 months’ living costs. This covers many students switching or extending a Student route visa internally.</p> <h3 id="3-how-much-of-the-tuition-fee-remains-unpaid">3. How much of the tuition fee remains unpaid?</h3> <p>Maintenance funds must also cover any outstanding first‑year tuition fees. The figure to use is the amount shown on the CAS that has not yet been settled. If the full first‑year tuition has already been paid to the institution, the sum that must be evidenced drops by that amount.</p> <h3 id="4-how-much-has-already-been-paid-for-accommodation">4. How much has already been paid for accommodation?</h3> <p>Up to a maximum of the monthly maintenance rate (i.e. £1,334 in London, £1,023 outside London) can be deducted for each month of accommodation that has been paid to the institution. The deduction must be shown on the CAS. If a student pays £1,500 per month in London, only £1,334 can be offset; if they pay £800 per month outside London, the full £800 can be subtracted.</p> <h3 id="5-putting-the-calculation-together">5. Putting the calculation together</h3> <p>An applicant can follow this formula:</p> <p><strong>Required maintenance = (monthly living rate × qualifying months) − accommodation deductions + outstanding tuition fees</strong></p> <p>Example: a student starting a three‑year BA outside London has a CAS that states unpaid first‑year tuition of £11,000 and no pre‑paid accommodation.</p> <ul> <li>Living costs: £1,023 × 9 months = £9,207</li> <li>Add unpaid tuition: £9,207 + £11,000 = £20,207</li> <li>Total to evidence: £20,207</li> </ul> <p>A student on a one‑year master’s in London (11 months), with £5,000 tuition paid and £1,200 per month accommodation already settled, would calculate:</p> <ul> <li>Base living: £1,334 × 9 months = £12,006 (course ≥ 9 months, so 9 months proven)</li> <li>Maximise accommodation offset: £1,200 paid, fully deductible because it is below £1,334</li> <li>Accommodation reduction: £1,200 × 9 = £10,800 → living balance £1,206</li> <li>Unpaid tuition: whatever is left after the £5,000</li> <li>Required total is the sum.</li> </ul> <h3 id="6-is-the-applicant-a-lowrisk-national">6. Is the applicant a low‑risk national?</h3> <p>UKVI applies a differentiation arrangement to several nationalities. Applicants holding a passport from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, or certain British Overseas Territories are not required to submit maintenance evidence at the point of application, although UKVI reserves the right to request it. Even for those nationals, funds must remain available because spot checks can occur before a decision is issued.</p> <hr> <h2 id="the-28day-rule-and-approved-account-types">The 28‑day rule and approved account types</h2> <p>Cash funds must sit in one or more eligible accounts for a consecutive 28‑day period, ending no more than 31 days before the date the online application is submitted. UKVI uses the closing balance on each day; if the balance dips below the required level for even one day within that 28‑day window, the evidence is invalid.</p> <p>Acceptable accounts include:</p> <ul> <li>Personal current or savings accounts in the applicant’s name</li> <li>Investment accounts where the funds can be accessed immediately</li> <li>Parent or legal guardian accounts (with additional proof)</li> <li>Joint accounts, provided the applicant is a named holder or the parent‑applicant relationship is proven</li> </ul> <p>Financial evidence must be on official stationary, show the institution’s logo, and include the account number, account holder’s name, and a transaction history covering the full 28 days. Electronic statements are accepted if they carry the bank’s branding and are either stamped by the bank or accompanied by a letter of authenticity.</p> <h3 id="using-a-parent-or-guardians-account">Using a parent or guardian’s account</h3> <p>When relying on a parent’s bank balance, the applicant needs:</p> <ul> <li>A birth certificate, certificate of adoption, or court document naming the parent and the applicant</li> <li>If the certificate is not in English, a certified translation</li> <li>A signed letter dated within the last 31 days confirming the parent’s consent to use the funds and confirming</li> </ul>