UK Student Visa Application Fee 2026: Full Cost Breakdown

Applying for a UK Student visa costs £558 in 2026, whether you apply from inside or outside the United Kingdom. On top of that you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and must prove you hold enough money for living costs, so most students budget considerably more than the application fee alone before their first lecture. The current gov.uk figures for each cost are below, with a worked example you can copy.

TL;DR: Applying for a Student visa costs £558 in 2026. You also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge at £776 per year, so a three-year degree adds £2,328, and you need to prove you hold the maintenance funds required by the official rules. Priority processing is an optional £500 extra.

Costs shift when the Home Office updates its fee schedule, so check the figure against the official UK Student visa guidance before you pay. Planning your wider trip? Our guide to UK travel visa fees compares the main routes side by side.

How much does a UK Student visa application cost in 2026?

The Student visa costs £558 to apply, and the price is identical whether you apply from abroad or switch inside the country. Separate pricing for inside and outside the UK no longer exists, so a student in Lagos and a student extending in Leeds pay the same. The fee is non-refundable once a decision is made, even if the application is refused.

The charge for applications made outside the UK rose to £490 on 4 October 2023, later to £524, and from 8 April 2026 it is £558, as set out in the Home Office fee schedule. Dependants on a Student visa each need their own application and fee, which is easy to forget when a partner or child travels with you. A couple applying together therefore pays two separate visa fees before any surcharge.

How much is the Immigration Health Surcharge for students?

Students pay the surcharge at £776 for each year of their course, and it is charged upfront for the full length of your visa. A one-year master’s means £776; a bachelor’s lasting three years means £2,328 in one payment. In return you get full access to the NHS on the same terms as a UK resident.

The rate jumped on 6 February 2024, when the student rate rose from £470 to £776 a year. That 65% increase is confirmed by the government surcharge service. Courses rarely last a whole number of years, so part-years are rounded: six months or less is charged at half the annual rate, more than six months at the full rate. A 15-month master’s therefore pays £776 plus £388.

Here is where students trip up. The surcharge is not the same as the visa charge, and paying one does not cover the other. You settle the surcharge during the online application, right after the £558, and the page will not let you submit until both are cleared.

Pro tip: If your course dates leave you with an extra few months on the visa (say a September start and a January finish two years later), the Home Office often grants a longer visa than the course length, and the surcharge is billed on that longer period. Ask your university whether the CAS dates can be tightened before you apply.

Total cost of studying: a worked example

A typical international undergraduate on a three-year London course faces roughly £2,886 in mandatory Home Office charges before tuition and living costs. That figure is the £558 visa plus £2,328 in health surcharge. Once you add the maintenance funds, the amount you need in your bank account is much higher.

Say you hold a CAS from a university in central London starting September 2026. You apply from Mumbai in July. The maths runs like this:

The maintenance money is not a fee — you keep it — but you must hold the monthly amount set by the official rules for your course location, for up to nine months, and the balance has to sit in your account for 28 consecutive days under the Student visa money rules. Miss the 28-day window by a day and the application can be refused, with the £558 gone. Funds moved into an account only days before applying do not meet the 28-day requirement.

Where you study affects the total more than most students expect. Move that same course to Manchester or Cardiff and the monthly maintenance requirement is lower, so the total funds you need to prove over the period are noticeably smaller. The visa and health surcharge cost the same wherever you study; only the funds requirement and your living costs change. Students on a tight budget often pick a city outside London for exactly this reason, then treat London as a weekend trip rather than a term-time base.

How to pay the visa fee step by step

You pay this fee online at the end of the application, by debit or credit card, in a single checkout that also collects the health surcharge. There is no bank transfer option and no pay-later route. Follow these steps to avoid a rejected payment.

1. Get your CAS first. Your university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies with a reference number you enter into the form.
2. Complete the online application on gov.uk and reach the payment screen, where the £558 fee appears.
3. Pay the health surcharge in the same session; the system works it out from your course dates.
4. Settle the £558 visa fee by card. Use a card with a high enough limit — a declined payment can cancel the whole submission.
5. Book biometrics at a visa application centre and upload your supporting documents.

Decisions usually take three weeks for applications made outside the UK, or eight weeks inside it, and you can pay to jump the queue through the priority decision service. That option costs £500 and cuts the wait to about five working days. Our breakdown of UK visa processing times covers every route.

Practical tips to keep costs down

Small planning choices — the timing of your funds, the number of dependants, and whether you actually need priority processing — can noticeably change your total. None of these tips cut the £558 itself, yet they stop avoidable waste around it.

• Bank your funds early. Get the maintenance money into your account at least 28 days before you apply so it clears the holding rule.
• Skip priority unless you need it. If your course starts in three months, standard processing is fine and saves £500.
• Count dependants honestly. Each partner or child adds £558 plus their own surcharge; bringing family later can spread the cost.
• Read the fine print in our UK student visa requirements guide and the eligibility and documentation checklist before paying.

Frequently asked questions

Is the visa fee refundable if I am refused?

No. The £558 is non-refundable once a decision is made on your application, even if that decision is a refusal. You only get money back if you withdraw before processing starts. You do get the surcharge back if the visa is refused.

Do I pay the fee and the health surcharge separately?

They are two charges paid in the same online session. The £558 charge and the £776-per-year surcharge appear on consecutive screens, and you cannot submit until both are cleared.

How much is the total for a one-year master’s degree?

Expect £558 for the visa plus £776 for one year of health surcharge, so £1,334 in Home Office charges. On top you must show the maintenance funds required by the official rules.

Does the fee change if I apply from inside the UK?

No. Since the pricing was unified, extending or switching to a Student visa inside the UK costs the same £558 as applying from abroad. Only the decision time differs.

Are there any student groups exempt from the fee?

Most students pay in full. Some government-sponsored scholars, such as Chevening or Marshall award holders, have fees covered by their sponsor, but the exemption is arranged through the scholarship rather than by gov.uk. Students funded by the FCDO or a recognised national government programme should check with their award administrator well before the deadline, because sponsor references sometimes take a fortnight to confirm and a late reference can push your start date back a term.

Can I pay the £558 in instalments?

No. Both the visa fee and the surcharge are paid in one upfront card transaction. Make sure your card limit covers the combined total, which can exceed £2,800 for a three-year course.

What happens to my money if my card payment fails?

A failed card payment usually voids the submission, and you start again. No fee is taken, but you lose your slot. Tell your bank first so a large foreign charge is not blocked as suspected fraud.

Is the surcharge cheaper for short courses under six months?

Yes. Shorter courses can attract a reduced surcharge rather than the full annual rate, and some short courses are exempt. The £558 visa fee still applies in full.

The application fee is only a fraction of what you actually hand the Home Office to study in Britain. If you budget for the surcharge, prove your maintenance funds and time your bank balance correctly, you avoid the refusals that cost applicants both their place and their £558. For updates on rules affecting international students, see our latest student visa news roundup.

Last updated: 2026-07-01 — verified against gov.uk schedule.