What a UK student visa actually costs
The advertised fee is the smallest part of it. This separates what you hand over from what you only have to prove you hold, and works out the health surcharge properly, which is where most budgets go wrong.
Figures assessed against official UK government sources on 3 October 2026.
You pay the Home Office
£1,722
- Visa application
- £558
- Health surcharge
- £1,164
You must prove you hold
£10,539
- Course fees
- £0
- Living, 9 months
- £10,539
You do not hand this over. You prove it is there.
Your visa is granted for roughly 16 months, your course plus the extra the Home Office adds on either side. The surcharge is charged across that whole period and rounds up in half years, which is why it is more than £776 even on a one year course.
Not included: your TB test, which is compulsory from Nigeria and priced by the clinic, and any priority service you choose to pay for.
The surcharge is where budgets break
Two things catch people, and they compound:
- It is charged across your visa, which runs past the end of your course
- It rounds up in half years, so 13 months and 18 months cost the same
So a one year master's does not cost one year of surcharge. Budget for the figure the application quotes you, and treat anything you worked out by multiplying as a floor.
Paying and proving are different things
The fees go to the Home Office. The proof of funds does not go anywhere: you show it has been in an acceptable account for 28 consecutive days. The funds calculator works out that figure and its dates.
Common questions
- How much does a UK student visa cost?
- £558 for the application from outside the UK, plus the immigration health surcharge at £776 a year for students. The surcharge is usually the larger of the two.
- Why is the health surcharge more than one year on a one year course?
- It is charged across the length of your visa, not your course, and your visa runs past the end of the course. It also rounds up in half years, so a 16 month visa costs a year and a half.
- Is the proof of funds money part of the cost?
- No. You prove you hold it, you do not pay it to anyone. It still has to be real and it still has to sit in an acceptable account for 28 consecutive days.
- What is not included here?
- Your TB test, which is compulsory if you have lived in Nigeria for six months or more and is priced by the clinic, and any priority service you choose to buy.
Does your own plan actually hold up?
Pathminder checks your dates, your budget and your documents against the rules on this page, and tells you what is missing before it costs you an application fee.
Check your planFree. No card required.
Where these figures come from
Every number on this page comes from official UK government guidance, not from agents or forums. Rules move without notice, so confirm anything your application depends on at the source.