How This Calculator Works

The UK student visa requires you to prove you can support yourself financially during your studies. The amount depends on where you study (London costs more) and how long your course runs.

This calculator uses the official UK Home Office rates effective from November 11, 2025. For London, you need £1,529 per month for living costs. Outside London, it’s £1,171 per month. Even if your course is 2 years long, you only need to show maintenance for the first 9 months plus your first year’s tuition fees.

The tuition fees you enter should be what you still owe after any deposits or scholarships. If your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) shows you’ve paid £5,000 of a £20,000 course, enter £15,000 here. Don’t include the full amount unless you genuinely haven’t paid anything yet.

Who Needs to Show Proof of Funds?

Not everyone applying for a UK student visa needs to submit financial documents upfront, but everyone needs to have them ready. Here’s who must definitely prepare proof of funds:

• Nigerians and most non-EU nationals: Nigeria is not on the UK’s differential evidence list, so you must provide financial documents with your application.
• Anyone applying from outside the UK: If you’re making your first student visa application, prepare these documents.
• Students without financial sponsors: If you’re self-funding or your parents are funding you, proof of funds is mandatory.

You don’t need to submit financial documents if you’ve been living in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months and you’re applying to extend your visa from inside the UK. But this exemption only works if you’ve stayed continuously. Short holidays are fine, but if you left the UK for 3+ months, you lose this exemption.

Even if you’re from a “low risk” country that doesn’t need to submit documents upfront, UKVI can still request them at any time. So prepare everything properly, even if you think you might not need it immediately.

What Counts as Acceptable Proof of Funds?

UKVI is extremely strict about what financial documents they accept. Here’s what works:

• Bank statements: Personal or savings account in your name or your parent’s name, showing the full 28-day period. Online statements are fine if they show all required information (account holder name, account number, bank logo, running balance).
• Bank letters: A letter on official letterhead from your bank confirming the account balance and stating the funds have been held for 28 consecutive days. Must be dated within 31 days of your application.
• Education loans: Loan sanction letters from government or regulated student loan providers. Must confirm the loan is unconditional (except for visa approval) and funds are available immediately.
• Official financial sponsorship: Letters from governments, scholarship agencies, or universities confirming they’ll cover your fees and/or living costs.
• Fixed deposits: Acceptable if they can be liquidated immediately and you have a letter from the bank confirming this.

If your documents are not in English, you must provide certified translations. The translator must be qualified and their credentials must be included with the translation.

When Do You Need to Show These Funds?

Timing is everything with UK visa financial requirements. The 28-day rule is non-negotiable. You must show that the required funds have been in your account (or your parent’s account) for at least 28 consecutive days before you apply.

Here’s how the timeline works. Let’s say your bank statement is dated January 15, 2026. That statement must show that from December 18, 2025, to January 15, 2026 (28 days), your balance never dropped below the required amount. Then you have until February 15, 2026 (31 days after the statement date), to submit your visa application.

If you miss that 31-day window, your bank statement becomes invalid and you need a fresh one showing another 28-day holding period. This has caught out many applicants who prepared documents too early or waited too long to apply.

The balance can’t dip below the required amount even for a single day during those 28 days. If your balance was £15,000 on day 1 but dropped to £13,000 on day 15 (and you needed £14,000), that entire 28-day period is void. You’d need to wait for a new 28-day period where the balance stays above the threshold continuously.

Where Should the Money Be Held?

Most Nigerian students use their parents’ bank accounts for proof of funds, and that’s completely acceptable. But you need the right supporting documents to prove the relationship.

If using your parent’s account, you must provide your birth certificate showing your parent’s name, plus a signed letter from your parent stating they give you permission to use these funds for your studies. Some visa officers also ask for proof that your parent actually controls the account (like a bank letter confirming they’re the account holder).

Joint accounts are tricky. If it’s a joint account between you and your parent, that’s usually fine. But if it’s between your parent and someone else (like your other parent), make sure both account holders’ names are clear on the statements, and ideally get a letter confirming you have access to the funds.

For Nigerians, domiciliary accounts (dollar or pound accounts) make life easier. Since you need to show funds in GBP (or a convertible currency), having the money already in pounds or dollars avoids exchange rate confusion. If your funds are in Naira, UKVI will convert them using OANDA exchange rates, and you need to account for potential rate fluctuations between when you check and when they assess your application.

Why Does London Require More Money?

It’s not arbitrary. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Rent alone can eat up £800 to £1,200 per month for a single room in student accommodation. Transport, food, and basic living costs are all significantly higher than in cities like Manchester, Birmingham, or Leeds.

The Home Office sets London maintenance at £1,529 per month versus £1,171 outside London. That’s a difference of £358 per month, or £3,222 over 9 months. For a full year’s course, that gap adds up quickly.

If your university has campuses in multiple locations, check your CAS carefully. The location listed there determines which rate applies. Some universities have their main campus in London but satellite campuses outside. If your course is primarily taught outside London, you use the lower rate even if your university’s address is technically in Greater London.

How Do Education Loans Work for UK Visas?

If you’re taking an education loan to fund your UK studies, it can count toward your proof of funds, but only if it meets strict conditions. The loan must be from a government, government-sponsored student loan company, or a regulated financial institution recognized in your country.

Your loan sanction letter must clearly state the loan amount, confirm it’s for educational purposes, and specify that the funds will be released once your visa is approved (this is the only condition UKVI accepts). If your loan has other conditions like collateral requirements or co-signer approval still pending, it won’t be accepted.

For Nigerian students, loans from banks like GTBank, Access Bank, or First Bank work, but the letter must be on official bank letterhead with proper stamps and signatures. The letter should also confirm the financial institution is regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

If your loan only covers part of your expenses (say, £10,000 out of a £25,000 requirement), you still need to show the remaining £15,000 in cash savings held for the full 28 days. You can’t mix loan timelines with cash timelines.

What Happens If Your Funds Are Slightly Below?

UKVI does not give leeway for being “close enough.” If you need £25,000 and you show £24,950, your application can be refused. This isn’t them being difficult, it’s because the rules are absolute. There’s no margin for error.

Some students make the mistake of calculating to the exact penny and then bank charges or currency conversion fees eat into their balance. Always build in a buffer. If you need £20,000, aim to show £21,000 or £22,000. This protects you from unexpected deductions, exchange rate shifts, or minor calculation errors.

Also remember that if you’re converting from Naira to GBP, the rate UKVI uses (OANDA) might be different from the rate you saw when you transferred money. Check OANDA specifically, not your bank’s rate or Google’s rate, to avoid surprises.

Common Mistakes That Lead to Visa Refusals

Quick Reference: POF Requirements by Course Type

All tuition fees are examples only. Check your CAS for actual outstanding fees.

How Much Extra Should You Actually Have?

The official POF requirement is the bare minimum UKVI wants to see for your visa application. But in reality, you need more money than that to survive comfortably in the UK.

Think about arrival costs: flights (£400 to £800), initial accommodation deposits (often one month’s rent plus deposit, so around £1,500 to £2,000), basic furniture or kitchen supplies if you’re not in university halls (£300 to £500), winter clothing if you’re coming from Nigeria (£200 to £400), and emergency funds for the first month while you get settled.

A realistic buffer is at least £3,000 to £5,000 above the UKVI minimum. If your POF requirement is £25,000, try to have £28,000 to £30,000 available. This extra cushion protects you from exchange rate drops, unexpected expenses, and gives you breathing room when you arrive.

Also remember that many students underestimate UK living costs. The £1,171 per month outside London or £1,529 in London is tight. Rent alone can take up 60-70% of that. Factor in groceries, transport, phone bills, and occasional social activities, and you’ll see why having extra funds matters.

What If You’re Bringing Dependents?

If you’re bringing a spouse or children on dependent visas, you need additional proof of funds for each dependent. Currently, dependents require £845 per month per person (regardless of whether you’re in London or outside).

So if you’re studying in London for 12 months and bringing your spouse, you’d need: your maintenance (£1,529 × 9 months = £13,761) + spouse’s maintenance (£845 × 9 months = £7,605) + your tuition fees. That’s a significant jump in required funds.

The same 28-day rule applies to dependent funds. Everything must be held continuously for 28 days, and all documents must be dated within 31 days of your application. Many students apply for their own visa first, then bring dependents later once they’re settled and working part-time in the UK.

Final Checklist Before You Apply