Student Visa Financial Evidence: The Complete Checklist

What the Home Office requires

To obtain a UK Student Visa, you must prove you have enough money to cover your outstanding course fees plus living costs for up to nine months. The living cost amounts are set by the Home Office: currently £1,023 per month for courses in London and £820 per month for courses outside London.

The 28-day rule

Your bank statements must show that the required funds have been held continuously for at least 28 consecutive days. The closing date of the 28-day period must be no more than 31 days before the date of your application. This is one of the most common reasons for student visa refusals — if the funds dip below the required level even once during the 28 days, the application will fail.

Accepted forms of evidence

The Home Office accepts bank statements or bank letters from regulated financial institutions. The document must show the account holder’s name, the account number, the date of the statement, the financial institution’s name and logo, and the closing balance. Online printouts without the bank’s official header are generally not accepted.

Parental or third-party sponsorship

If someone else is funding your studies, you need their bank statements showing the required funds, a signed letter confirming they consent to fund your studies, and proof of your relationship (such as a birth certificate for a parent). The sponsor’s name must match on all documents.

Official financial sponsorship

If you are sponsored by a government, international organisation, or other official body, you need an official letter confirming the sponsorship, the amount, and what it covers (fees, living costs, or both). This must be dated no more than six months before your application.

Common mistakes

The most frequent errors we see are: funds not held for the full 28 days, statements showing a different currency without proper conversion evidence, missing pages from bank statements, account holder name not matching the passport exactly, and applying too late after the 28-day window. Guide Bridge checks every figure before submission to make sure nothing is missed.