Ask any family sending a child to the UK what worries them most, and it is rarely the course or the IELTS score. It is the bank statement. The money was there, the offer was real, and the visa still came back refused because the balance dipped for two days in July, or the savings sat in an uncle's account, or the statement was a week too old. One technicality, and the fee and several weeks are gone.

The reassuring part is that the funds rule is mostly mechanical. There is a number, a 28-day window, a 31-day deadline, and a short list of people whose money counts. Get those four right and this part of your application is in good shape. Every figure below is correct at the time of writing and checked against GOV.UK, but these figures change, so check the linked pages before you finalise anything.

How much money you need

You add two things together: your outstanding course fees and a fixed monthly amount for living costs. Flights, the visa fee and the health surcharge are not part of this number.

Part one: outstanding course fees

You need the fees for one academic year, or for the whole course if it is shorter. For a one-year master's, that is usually the full tuition fee. The figure that counts is the one on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Anything already paid to the university comes off. If a payment is not on your CAS because you paid afterwards, upload the university's receipt.

Part two: living costs

At the time of writing, GOV.UK asks for £1,529 a month for courses in London and £1,171 a month outside London, for each month of the course up to nine months. A one-year master's needs all nine: £13,761 in London or £10,539 outside London.

London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, and what decides your figure is where you study, not where you live. If more than half of your course is taught in London, you use the London figure. Shorter courses are counted month by month, with a part month rounded up, so a course of six months and one week counts as seven.

Your university accommodation deposit

A deposit paid to your university for university-arranged accommodation can come off your living costs, up to £1,529 at the time of writing, using the amount on your CAS. A deposit paid to a private hostel or student housing company does not count.

LineSample London courseSample course outside London
Monthly living-cost figure£1,529£1,171
Months counted for a 12-month MSc99
Living costs total£13,761£10,539
Sample first-year tuition fee£26,000£18,500
Fee deposit paid, shown on CAS£5,000£5,000
Total to show£34,761£24,039

The tuition fees here are examples. Use the figures on your own CAS.

£0a month for London courses, at the time of writing
£0a month for courses outside London
0 daysin a row the money must be held

Costs on top: visa fee and health surcharge

At the time of writing, the Student visa fee is £558 from outside the UK, and the Immigration Health Surcharge is £776 a year for students. The surcharge follows the length of your visa, not your course.

A course of 12 months or more usually gets up to a month of visa before it starts and four months after it ends, so a one-year master's typically means a visa of a little under 17 months. Visas over a year and up to 18 months are charged at one and a half years, which is £1,164 at the time of writing. Confirm yours with the official calculator.

The 28-day rule and the 31-day rule

The 28-day rule: the full amount must be in the account for at least 28 days in a row. In a row means every day. If an EMI or a fee payment takes the balance below target for even one day, you have to count again from the day it recovers. UKVI counts the 28 days backwards from the closing balance date on your most recent statement or letter, and your evidence must cover the whole period.

The 31-day rule: that most recent statement or letter must be dated no more than 31 days before you apply. The GOV.UK example: apply on 1 January, and you need to show the funds were held for at least the 28-day period ending on 1 December. Leave it longer and the evidence is too old, even if the money is still there.

  1. 01
    1 July: day 1

    The full amount, plus a cushion, is in the account. Move any automatic debits elsewhere. From today the balance must not fall below target.

  2. 02
    28 July: day 28

    You have held the money for 28 days in a row. Download a statement or get a bank letter dated on or after today, covering the whole window.

  3. 03
    28 July to 28 August: apply

    Apply within 31 days of the closing balance date. If the statement closes on 28 July, 28 August is the last day. Aim for the first two weeks instead.

  4. 04
    After you apply

    Leave the money alone until you have a decision if you can. If you pay fees or a hall deposit meanwhile, keep the receipts.

Whose money counts

The money can be in your own name, alone or in a joint account, or in your parent's or legal guardian's name. A partner applying with you, or who already has permission, also counts. The holder must control the account and be able to withdraw the money immediately.

With a parent's account you need two extra documents: a letter from them consenting to you using the money, and proof they are your parent, usually your birth certificate showing their name. A court document naming a legal guardian also works. An affidavit alone is not proof of the relationship.

In many Indian homes the education fund is a joint effort: a grandparent's savings, an uncle's contribution, a sister's salary. That help is welcome, but it must be moved into your account or your parent's account and then sit there for the full 28 days. A sibling's account does not count, and nor does a promise of future support.

Source of moneyCounts?What you need
Your own or joint accountYesStatement or bank letter showing your name
Parent's or legal guardian's accountYesConsent letter plus birth certificate or guardianship document
Education loan in your nameYesLoan letter meeting the UKVI conditions
Official sponsorship, such as a government or universityYesShown on your CAS, or a sponsor letter
Sibling's, relative's or friend's accountNoMove it to an eligible account, then wait 28 days
Education loan in a parent's nameNoThe loan must be made to you
Overdraft or credit limitNoOnly money actually in the account counts
Shares, bonds or cryptocurrencyNoMove it to a savings account first

Fixed deposits are a common question. The rules accept deposit accounts if the money can be accessed immediately, and a certificate of deposit works if the bank confirms the money was held for the 28 days and can be withdrawn at any time. If your FD has a lock-in, or the bank will not confirm access in writing, move the money to a savings account and start the clock there.

The documents that prove it

UKVI accepts bank statements (paper or downloaded), passbooks, certificates of deposit and bank letters. There is no fixed template, but caseworker guidance says a bank record would normally:

  • be printed or electronic, on official stationery, never handwritten
  • show the account holder's name, and every name on a joint account
  • show the account number and the date of the statement
  • show the bank's details, such as contact details or a branch code
  • show the balance, and ideally transactions over time

A bank letter should be on headed paper, signed by a bank official and include contact details UKVI can use to verify it. ATM mini statements are not accepted, and neither are records written or amended by hand. UKVI may check with your bank, and evidence it cannot verify can lead to refusal.

You do not convert rupees yourself. UKVI uses the spot rate on OANDA for your application date, which may differ from your bank's rate. Keep a cushion of five to ten per cent above the minimum so a weak week for the rupee does not leave you short.

Education loan letters

The 28-day rule does not apply to a loan. Instead, the loan letter must:

  • be dated no more than six months before you apply
  • confirm it is a student loan from a government, a government-sponsored student loan company, or an educational loans scheme from a lender regulated for student loans
  • confirm there are no conditions on release other than a successful visa application
  • state the amount and confirm the loan is to you
  • confirm the money will be available to you, or paid to your university, before you travel

A loan sanctioned to your father cannot count as a loan to you, and a letter saying funds will be released only after collateral is registered has a condition on it. Ask your lender for a letter written against these points. If the loan covers only part of your total, show the rest in an account that meets the 28-day rule.

Do Indian applicants have to upload bank evidence?

Yes. At the time of writing, India is not on the GOV.UK differential evidence list of nationalities that can skip uploading financial evidence, and even those students must hold the money. Prepare the full set: statement or letter, consent letter and birth certificate if a parent holds the funds, and a loan letter if you have one.

The genuine student assessment can also look at whether your source of funds is credible and how your family came to have the money. If there is a large recent deposit, from a land sale, a matured policy or a gift, keep the paperwork and be ready to explain it.

Mistakes that get applications refused

These slips can sink an application even when the family has the money.

  • The balance dips for a day. Use an account with no automatic debits, and check every closing balance in the 28 days.
  • Applying before day 28. Count from the day the money landed, not the day you asked for the transfer, and add two days of margin.
  • A statement older than 31 days. If your appointment or application date slips, get a fresh statement.
  • Money in the wrong name. Move a sibling's or uncle's money into your or a parent's account, then wait 28 days.
  • A parent's account with missing paperwork. Prepare the consent letter and birth certificate alongside the statement.
  • Exactly the minimum, in rupees. The OANDA rate on your application date decides the pound value, so hold a cushion.
  • Counting money that is not cash. Overdrafts, shares and locked FDs do not count. Use a savings or current account.
  • A loan letter with conditions. Pending collateral or a parent's name on the loan fails the rules. Ask for a compliant letter.
  • Deducting a deposit that does not qualify. Only deposits paid to your university for its own housing come off.

A worked example: Ananya's numbers

Ananya is a made-up student from Pune with an offer for a one-year MSc at a university in Leeds. Her fee is £18,500 and she has paid a £6,000 deposit, shown on her CAS. She has also paid the university £500 for a room in its own halls, also on her CAS. Her father holds the money in his savings account.

  1. Leeds is outside London, so she uses £1,171 a month at the time of writing.
  2. Living costs stop at nine months: 9 × £1,171 = £10,539.
  3. Outstanding fees: £18,500 − £6,000 = £12,500.
  4. Her hall deposit qualifies and is under the £1,529 cap: £10,539 − £500 = £10,039.
  5. Total to show: £12,500 + £10,039 = £22,539.

Her father converts £22,539 at the OANDA rate, adds about eight per cent, and has the full rupee amount in place by 1 July. He moves his SIP and electricity bill debits to another account. On 30 July Ananya downloads a statement for 1 to 29 July, gets his signed consent letter and scans her birth certificate. She applies on 8 August, well inside 31 days.

Had she paid a private housing company instead, the £500 would not come off and her total would be £23,039, exactly the kind of gap that leaves a balance a few hundred pounds short.

Print the statement, take a highlighter, and check the closing balance for every one of the 28 days against your target in pounds. It takes ten minutes and it is the cheapest insurance in the whole application.
Priya SharmaMentor, MSc Data Science, University of Leeds

Before you apply: your checklist

Tick these off the week before you submit. If any line is not true yet, fix it before you pay.

Before you apply

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Get your file checked before you apply

In the UK community, students who applied last year share their timelines and the small things they wish they had known. If you have a specific doubt, ask a question, or ask TYM AI for a quick first pass on your numbers.

For someone to go through your actual file, book a mentor. Priya Sharma, who did her MSc in Data Science at the University of Leeds, reviews visa files with students before they submit. Once the visa is through, our first month checklist covers what to sort out when you land, and if you are still drafting your statement of purpose, start with SOP openings.

Know your number, hold it for 28 days without a single dip, apply within 31 days of the statement, and keep the money in a name that counts. Everything else is paperwork, and paperwork can be checked.