Study abroad • United Kingdom

UK Student Visa 2027: CAS, Financial Requirements, Documents & Application Steps

Getting a university offer is exciting, but it does not by itself give you permission to study in the United Kingdom. For most international students coming for a degree or another qualifying course, the immigration step begins with a licensed student sponsor, a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies—usually called a CAS—and a Student visa application that matches the details on that CAS.

The process is not especially mysterious. Where people get into trouble is usually in the small things: applying before the CAS is ready, misunderstanding how much money must be shown, using a bank statement that does not meet the timing rule, forgetting a tuberculosis certificate, or assuming an old blog’s dependant rules still apply. If you approach the visa as a document-verification exercise rather than an essay competition, it becomes easier to manage.

Who can use the UK Student visa route?

GOV.UK says the Student visa is for people aged 16 or over who have been offered a place on an eligible course by a licensed student sponsor, can meet the financial requirement, and can meet the English-language requirement that applies to their course and circumstances. If you are 16 or 17 and attending an independent school, the Child Student route may be the relevant route instead.

Your provider must be able to sponsor international students. A university appearing in search results or accepting an academic application does not automatically tell you everything about sponsorship. Before paying a large non-refundable deposit, confirm the institution and course can support the Student visa route you need.

The CAS is the bridge between admission and immigration

Once your institution is ready to sponsor you, it issues a CAS reference. Think of the CAS as a structured immigration record of your offer: the institution, course, dates, fees and other information UKVI expects to see. You need the CAS before you submit the visa application, and GOV.UK says you must apply within six months of receiving it.

Read the CAS details rather than treating the reference number as the only important part. If your name, passport information, course dates, tuition payments or qualification details are wrong, ask the university’s international or visa team to correct the issue before you apply. A mismatch that can be fixed in a day before submission can become far more inconvenient after biometrics.

How early can you apply?

If you are applying from outside the UK, the current rule allows an application up to six months before the course starts. From inside the UK, the earliest point is generally three months before the course start, and you must also meet the switching or extension rules that apply to your current immigration status.

GOV.UK currently says applications made outside the UK are usually decided within three weeks, while in-country Student applications are usually decided within eight weeks. “Usually” is not a guarantee. Background checks, missing evidence, seasonal demand and individual circumstances can make a case take longer.

I would not build an international flight itinerary around the shortest published processing time. Wait until the visa has been granted and you understand the date from which you are allowed to enter.

Current Student visa application fee and health surcharge

As of the date this guide was checked, the Student visa application fee is £558 whether you apply from outside the UK or extend/switch from inside. The Immigration Health Surcharge is separate and depends on the length of permission granted. The online application calculates the amount due.

Budget for both. A common planning mistake is to save for tuition and maintenance while forgetting that immigration fees are paid before travel and may be substantial, especially for a longer course.

How much money do you need to show?

The financial requirement has two main pieces: any course fees that remain payable for the relevant period and a maintenance amount for living costs. Your CAS shows the course fees and may record qualifying payments already made.

For Student visa applications under the current rules, the published maintenance requirement is:

• £1,529 per month for study in London, for up to 9 months;
• £1,171 per month for study outside London, for up to 9 months.

That means the maximum maintenance figure under this calculation is £13,761 for London or £10,539 outside London, before adding any course fees you still need to demonstrate. These are immigration evidence figures, not a promise that your personal living costs will match them.

The 28-day financial evidence rule is where timing matters

When financial evidence is required, the funds generally need to have been held for at least 28 consecutive days, and the end of that 28-day period must fall within the permitted period before the visa application. The exact evidence rules also cover acceptable accounts, currencies, student loans and official financial sponsorship.

Do not move money in and out casually during the evidence period. If a parent is supporting you, check whether the relationship and consent evidence is required. If your funding comes from a scholarship or qualifying loan, use the evidence format the rules specify rather than substituting an informal letter.

Some nationalities and circumstances benefit from a differential evidence arrangement and may not have to upload financial documents initially. That does not remove the underlying requirement, and UKVI can still request the evidence. Keep it ready.

What documents should you prepare?

The core documents include a valid passport or travel document and your CAS. Depending on your circumstances, GOV.UK may also require or request evidence of funds, an ATAS certificate for certain postgraduate subjects and nationalities, parental consent for applicants under 18, proof of relationship to a parent or guardian, tuberculosis test results, or sponsor consent if you have recently received certain official financial sponsorship.

The important phrase is “depending on your circumstances.” A generic checklist from another student may be missing the document that applies specifically to you. Use the online application and the official guidance as the final checklist.

TB testing: check early, not after the visa form

Applicants who have lived in certain countries and are coming to the UK for more than six months may need a tuberculosis certificate from an approved clinic. The rules depend on where you have lived, not simply the passport you hold.

If the requirement applies, book early enough that a clinic appointment does not become the reason your entire visa application is delayed.

ATAS can affect some postgraduate applicants

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme applies to certain sensitive subjects at postgraduate level for specified nationalities. If your course requires ATAS, the certificate needs to be handled as part of the immigration process. Your university should indicate whether your programme is in scope, but you can also use the official ATAS guidance.

Do not assume every engineering, computing or science course needs ATAS. Equally, do not assume a course is exempt because a friend in a similar department did not need it.

Can your partner or children come with you?

UK Student dependant rules are now much narrower than they were several years ago. Eligibility depends on the type of study and sponsorship, among other factors. Many taught master’s students cannot simply add a partner and children as Student dependants.

Where dependants are eligible, they have their own maintenance requirement. The current GOV.UK figures are £845 per month for up to nine months for each dependant in London and £680 per month for up to nine months outside London, subject to the detailed rules and exemptions.

Check this before accepting an offer if moving with family is essential. Do not build your plan around an outdated pre-2024 assumption.

Working while you study

Student visa work conditions depend on the level and type of course and the sponsor. Your visa or eVisa tells you what you can do. The route generally restricts self-employment and certain work such as professional sport. Do not accept paid work until you understand the conditions attached to your own permission.

A part-time job can help with ordinary spending, but it should not be the foundation of your visa funding plan. The financial requirement exists because the UK expects you to be able to support the study plan without relying on future work.

The Graduate visa changes for 2027 matter when comparing courses

GOV.UK currently states that the Graduate visa allows successful graduates to stay for two years if they apply on or before 31 December 2026, but 18 months if they apply on or after 1 January 2027. PhD and other doctoral graduates can stay for three years under the current rule.

If post-study work is part of your decision, use the rule that is likely to apply when you actually finish, not the one that applied to somebody who graduated earlier. Immigration policy can change again, so treat today’s rule as current planning information rather than a lifetime promise.

A document order that keeps the application manageable

Start with admission and CAS accuracy. Then calculate finances and identify the date on which your 28-day evidence period will be complete. While that clock is running, organise TB testing, ATAS if relevant, translations and identity documents. When the evidence window is valid, complete the form using the CAS and your documents side by side.

Before paying the fee, read the form once more for dates and numbers. Course start date, tuition fee, payments already made, sponsor details and passport data are all easy to verify before submission and harder to explain after a mistake.

What to do after approval

Successful applicants now receive digital immigration status in many cases. Follow the instructions to access your eVisa and make sure the passport you intend to travel with is properly linked to your UKVI account.

GOV.UK says students on courses longer than six months can generally arrive up to one month before the course begins; for courses of six months or less, the usual maximum is one week. You cannot arrive before the start date on the permission granted.

Keep your university’s arrival instructions, accommodation address, CAS details and key documents available during travel. Border questions are usually straightforward when your study plan and paperwork are consistent.

Reasons a strong academic applicant can still create visa problems

A visa officer is not re-marking your university application. Problems are more likely to come from eligibility and evidence: money that does not meet the rules, documents that cannot be verified, inconsistent information, an incorrect immigration route, or concerns that arise from the individual circumstances of the application.

Avoid “visa hacks.” If a piece of evidence is weak, improve the evidence rather than writing a dramatic explanation around it. If money belongs to a sponsor, document the relationship and source properly. If a document is not in English or Welsh, follow the translation rules.

Before you submit: a short final check

• Is your institution a licensed student sponsor?
• Is every important detail on the CAS correct?
• Are you applying within the allowed time?
• Have you calculated course fees plus the correct London/outside-London maintenance figure?
• If financial evidence is required, does it satisfy the timing rule?
• Have you checked TB and ATAS requirements?
• If you plan to bring family, are you actually eligible to sponsor dependants?
• Are all dates, names and passport details consistent across the form and evidence?

Official sources

• GOV.UK — Student visa overview
• GOV.UK — eligible courses and CAS
• GOV.UK — documents
• UKVI — financial evidence
• GOV.UK — Student dependants

Funding and visa planning should happen together. If you still need funding, compare the current opportunities in our Scholarships hub. For the broader process—course selection, documents and arrival planning—return to the Study Abroad hub.

Immigration note: StepOut Travel provides general information, not a guarantee of visa approval or legal representation. Use the current GOV.UK rules for your individual application.