Student Visa supporting documents
This page outlines the supporting documents required when applying for a Student visa.
Differential Evidence Requirement
Where you are from a country under the 'Differential Evidence Requirement', you don’t need to submit financial documents with your visa application. The list of counties covered by this is in paragraph ST22.1 of the Immigration Rules.
However, the caseworker can request to see these so you must ensure you have the correct documents as outlined below. You do still need to submit all other required documents that apply to you.
Format of documents, translations and verification
The Home Office now accepts both original and copies of documents.
Documents provided must be in English otherwise you must provide a certified English translation of your document with your application.
Where you have translated an original document into English, the translation must include:
- Date of translation
- Translator or translation company’s contact details
- Full name of the translator
- Signature of the translator, or an authorised official
- A sentence confirming it is an accurate translation of the original document
In some cases, UKVI will take action to verify if certain documents are genuine. If they decide to do this, they will contact the organisation (for example bank, overseas government sponsor or university) that has issued that document directly.
It's very important that the organisation they contact responds to UKVI, as if they don't get confirmation from them that the document is genuine, they will not consider that document as evidence to support your visa application. This could lead to the visa application being refused.
Passport or travel document
You must provide a current and valid passport or travel document.
UKVI does not require that a passport is valid for any particular period of time after arrival in the UK, but it must be valid when you make your application and when you arrive in the UK.
If your passport will expire very shortly after you arrive in the UK, it is advisable to renew it before you apply for your Student visa, if there is time to do so. If your passport will expire at any other point during your time in the UK, you should check with the passport issuing authority in your home country if you will be able to replace it in the UK. This is possible for most nationalities, but not all.
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
Where you have a BRP, you must submit this as part of your application.
Where you are applying outside the UK, you will need to enrol your biometrics at a visa application centre as part of your application.
Where you are applying inside the UK you will need to enrol your biometrics at a UKVCAS centre operated by the Home Office's commercial partner.
You will be given a deadline by which to attend your appointment when you submit the payment for your visa application online. You will then be directed to the UKVCAS website to book your appointment.
You may be invited to use an app to provide your biometrics instead if you have given biometrics before and they were given less than five years ago.
Where you are a EU, EEA or Swiss national, you will usually be invited to use an app to provide your biometrics.
Tuberculosis test certificate (applying outside the UK)
Where you are applying outside the UK from a country that requires a TB test certificate, you must include this within your application. Visit the page below to check if you need to provide a TB test certificate:
ATAS
Where your course requires ATAS clearance you must apply for an ATAS clearance certificate and provide this with your visa application. Visit the page below to check if you need to provide an ATAS clearance certificate:
Previous sponsor consent
Where you were previously financially sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency, you must provide a letter from your past financial sponsor giving unconditional consent for you to remain and re-enter the UK if:
- the government or international scholarship agency sponsored you for both tuition and living expenses; and
- you completed the course that they sponsored you for in the previous 12 months before the date you submit your visa application
Under 18 - parental consent
If you are under 18, you must provide:
- A letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) giving their consent to your application
- A letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) giving their consent to your care arrangements and you living and travelling independently in the UK
- Evidence of the relationship between you and your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) (eg birth certificate, adoption certificate, court letter)
The letter must be signed by both parents, or just one parent if that parent has sole responsibility for you.
As well as the letter below that you will need for your Student visa, there are additional documents that you will need to provide to the University, and additional University requirements that you will need to meet if you will be under the age of 18 when you start your studies here. This is different from what you need for your Student visa application. If this applies to you, read the information here carefully.
Parent/Guardian Consent to Study Letter (PDF, 130kb)
Confirmation of Acceptance Studies (CAS)
You must enter the CAS reference number given to you by the University in your visa application form.
Academic qualifications
Where you're studying below degree level, you must provide any documents listed on your CAS with your visa application, unless you are from a differential evidence country.
If you're studying below degree level and you're from a differential evidence country, you do not need to submit your academic qualifications with your visa application.
You should keep the qualification documents listed on your CAS safe with you, so you can submit them if UKVI contact you to request them.
Where you're studying below degree level and you're not from a differential evidence country, you must submit acceptable evidence of your qualifications with your visa application.
Acceptable evidence includes:
- Certificate or certificates of qualification
- Transcript of results
- Printouts of qualification or transcript results from the awarding body’s online checking service
Where you are studying at degree level or above, you don’t need to provide documents showing your previous qualifications with your visa application, even if they are listed on your CAS.
Financial documents
If you have been in the UK for 12 months or more, and you apply for your visa inside the UK before your current visa expires, you will automatically meet the financial requirement. You won’t need to submit your financial documents.
Where you have had absences from the UK in the 12 months before the date you submit your visa application, UKVI's guidance on the financial requirement suggests that you will still meet the requirement if you have only had holidays and short absences. UKVI list being absent from the UK for at least three months as an example of where you would not meet this requirement.
If you have had one or more absence(s) from the UK in the 12 months before you submit your visa application, and the total time you were outside the UK was more than three months, we would advise that you don’t automatically meet the financial requirement.
If you don’t automatically meet the financial requirement, and you are not from a differential evidence country, you must provide evidence to show you have adequate funds.
If you are from a differential evidence country, you don’t need to submit financial documents with your visa application, but you should prepare documents that meet the requirements below in case UKVI contacts you to request them.
For new students, this is your first year’s tuition fees plus living costs. You can deduct any amount of the tuition fee that has already been paid to the University.
If you are a continuing student, you will need to show funds to cover the outstanding tuition fee for the academic year that your CAS has been issued in plus living costs.
Living costs are £1023 per month of your course up to a maximum of nine months. Therefore, if the length of your course is nine months or more this amount is £9207.
Maintenance requirements will be increased from £1,023 to £1,136 per month (up to a maximum of 9 months), for applications made under the Student route on or after 2 January 2025.
Further guidance on financial requirements and documents required is on pages 40 to 44 of the Student Visa Guidance.
The rules and guidance no longer set out specific criteria that a financial document must meet (except for loan letters). More guidance on what UKVI caseworkers may expect to see when assessing if they are satisfied with the evidence is published below:
Also see 'Examples of Financial Documents' below.
Self-funded students
You must show that you have held the correct amount of money for at least 28 consecutive days before the date you complete your visa application online.
Your funds must not have dropped below the required amount during this time.
Acceptable documents include:
For loans:
- A letter confirming your Education Loan
- The loan must be from either a government; or
- A government sponsored student loans company, or
- An educational loans scheme regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK, or where the money is held overseas, official regulator for the country the money is held in.
For bank documents:
The financial institution or bank must:
- Use electronic record keeping; and
- Be regulated by the appropriate regulator in the country it is in; and
- UKVI must be able to make verification checks with the bank and may check that they are regulated as above on the bank's website
List of regulatory authorities and supervisory agencies
The funds held must be:
- In your name; or
- In your partner's name (only if they are applying at the same time as you or if they have already been granted a visa); or
- In your parent or legal guardian's name; and
- Held in a personal bank or building society account; and
- Can be accessed immediately
As long as the funds can be withdrawn and accessed immediately, you can use the following types of funds:
- Current accounts
- Deposits
- Savings accounts
- Pensions
- Investment accounts
The document itself must be:
- A current bank statement dated no more than 31 days old
- A bank letter dated no more than 31 days old confirming your funds have been held for 28 days
- A deposit certificate issued at least 28 days after the date of deposit and dated no more than 31 days old
You can now use electronic statements from online banking, and there is no longer any need to get these stamped by the bank.
Students using parent’s bank account
Where you are using your parent’s bank account, you must provide all of the following documents:
- Letter from your parent/guardian confirming their relationship to you and their permission for you to use their funds
- Legal document confirming your relationship with your parent/guardian (birth certificate, government-issued household register, adoption certificate or court document naming legal guardian)
- A financial document from your parent/guardian (which meets the above requirements)
Sponsored students
Where you are partly or fully sponsored by an official financial sponsor you must submit a letter confirming the details of the funding. Any dependants must also be named on the letter for the funds to be counted towards their maintenance.
Sponsor letters are only accepted from:
- The British Council
- The British government or your home government
- An international organisation or company (with an office in more than one country)
- A University
Examples of financial documents
We have created some examples of supporting documents that may help guide you on whether your financial documents will meet UKVI's requirements. The series of documents we have created below is not an exhaustive list of the different types of financial documents that could be provided.
If you need more information, refer to the Student Visa guidance and Guidance on Financial Requirement below.
Bank account documents & deposits
Certificate of Deposit (PDF, 1477KB)
Bank Statement -Received through the post (PDF, 1484KB)
Bank Statement - Printed In Bank Branch (PDF, 648KB)
Bank Statement - From Online Banking (PDF, 679KB)
Building Society Passbook (PDF, 790KB)
Sponsor letters
Official Financial Sponsor Letter - Living Costs Not Fully Covered (PDF, 1305KB)
Official Financial Sponsor Letter - Living Costs Fully Covered (PDF, 1137KB)
Loans for education
Loan Letter - From a bank or financial institution (PDF, 1714KB)
Loan Letter - US Loan from William D Ford Program (PDF, 1322KB)