As part of your student visa application, you will need to pay the student visa application fee and the immigration healthcare surcharge. This page outlines the amounts charged.
In addition, you need to be aware of the financial requirements to support the student visa application.
The government has announced visa application fees and immigration health surcharge costs will increase in autumn 2023. The timeframe for this has not yet been announced but will be updated on this page when known.
The application fee is currently £363 using the standard service, but this will increase to £490 for applications made on or after 4 October 2023. The amount will be charged in local currency or US dollars, depending on in which country you are making the application. You may find with the exchange rate used, the amount to be paid is higher than the stated cost in Pound Sterling.
Priority and Super Priority services may be available at an additional cost.
There is not usually an additional cost for a standard appointment to enrol biometrics as this is incorporated into the visa application fee. However, there are a small number of Visa Application Centres around the world which do charge an additional fee for an appointment. In addition, some appointment centres may offer premium optional services, which are charged at an extra cost if selected.
Students applying in the US will have additional UPS courier charges, unless the optional premium services are used which are offered at a significantly higher cost.
You will also be required to pay the immigration health surcharge as part of the visa application. See the information below in the relevant tab below.
The application fee is £490 using the standard service, and if you are able to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check' to confirm your identity.
If you are unable to use the app, you will be charged an additional £19.20 to have your biometric information taken. You may be charged an additional amount at the time of booking your biometric appointment if you select a premium appointment.
Priority services, which aim to process a decision within 5 days of enrolling your biometrics/verifying your identity using the app, may be available. The fee for priority service is £990.
You will also be required to pay the immigration health surcharge as part of the visa application. See the information in the tab below.
In addition to the visa application fee, all student visa applicants are required to pay a mandatory immigration health surcharge as part of their visa application in order to access healthcare services in the UK. Payment is made online as part of the visa application.
This is charged at £470 per year for the full duration the new visa will be granted. If the period includes part of a year that is 6 months or less, the amount payable for that year would be £235. The amount will be charged in local currency or US dollars, depending on in which country you are making the application. You may find with the exchange rate used, the amount to be paid is higher than the stated cost in Pound Sterling.
Your visa will be granted for the course duration as outlined on your CAS plus a post-study period.
| Course | Expected IHS fee |
| 3-year undergraduate degree | £1645 |
| 4-year undergraduate degree | £2115 |
| 9-month Masters course | £470 |
| 10-month Masters course | £705 |
| 11-month Masters course | £705 |
| 12-month Masters course | £705 |
| PhD (full time) | £2115 |
Students undertaking the ADTIS pre-sessional course may be charged a higher amount for the immigration health surcharge depending on their main course length as the visa will be issued for a longer period.
If you are applying for your visa within the UK, and the time between the decision on your visa application and your course start date would move the length of your new student immigration permission into the next block of 6 months, you may be asked for a top-up payment.
Students from the EU and Switzerland studying full-time in the UK may be eligible for a full or partial refund of the immigration health surcharge paid with their visa application if they have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued in an EU country or Switzerland. Further information is outlined on our ‘Healthcare in the UK’ webpage.