Prepare financial evidence for your student visa

When you apply for a student visa, the UK government will expect you to have a specific minimum amount of money to pay for your course and support yourself while you study in the UK.

You can prove you have enough money using:

• a student loan from a government, government-sponsored loan company, or a regulated student loans scheme
• an official financial sponsorship (for example, from a national government or university)
• your own money
• your parent's (they must provide a letter confirming they agree to you using it this way)
• your partner's money, if your partner is in the UK or applying at the same time.

If you are using bank accounts, the accounts must allow immediate access to money and must have been held for 28 consecutive days. The evidence must be from no more than 31 days before the date you apply for your visa. 

You cannot use:

• overdrafts
• cryptocurrency
• stocks and shares
• pensions
• bank accounts that are not regulated by the financial regulatory body in the country in which the bank operates
• bank accounts that do not use electronic record-keeping

Visit the UK government’s guidance on financial evidence to get detailed information on:

• how the government calculates how much money you’ll need
• the types of funds you can use to meet your visa’s financial requirement
• the documents you can provide to prove you have enough money
• evidence that will not be accepted
• nationalities that don’t need to submit financial evidence.

All students should ensure they meet the finance requirements, but not all students need to submit proof of finances with their application. It's important not to submit any documentation unless UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires it.

If you have any questions, email advint@st-andrews.ac.uk to contact the University’s International Advice team.