UK Student Visa 28-Day Bank Statement Rule Guide 2026

1. What Is the UK Student Visa 28-Day Financial Rule?

If you are required to prove funds for a UK Student visa, you normally need to demonstrate that you have held the required level of funds for a consecutive 28-day period. The required amount can include: • Any outstanding course fees shown on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), subject to the Student route rules; and • Living-cost funds of £1,529 per month for study in London, or £1,171 per month for study outside London, for up to 9 months. The 28-day requirement applies when the applicant is relying on personal funds. A qualifying student loan or official financial sponsorship can satisfy the financial requirement under separate rules. If the applicant has been living in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months on the date of a permission-to-stay application, they generally meet the financial requirement without having to show funds.

2. How the 28-Day Period Is Calculated

The 28-day period is calculated by counting backwards from the date of the closing balance shown on the most recently dated financial evidence. The financial evidence must cover the entire period for which the funds are required to have been held. The most recently dated financial evidence must be dated no more than 31 days before the date of the visa application. Example: If the closing balance on the evidence is dated 1 August, the required funds must have been held at the required level for the preceding 28-day period. The evidence itself must also fall within the 31-day period before the application date. Do not confuse the 28-day holding period with the 31-day evidence-age rule. They are two separate requirements.

3. Current 2026 Student Visa Maintenance Amounts

For applications subject to the current Student financial requirement, the living-cost amount is £1,529 per month for study in London and £1,171 per month for study outside London. The amount is calculated for up to 9 months. Therefore, the maximum living-cost component is: • London: £13,761 for 9 months (£1,529 × 9) • Outside London: £10,539 for 9 months (£1,171 × 9) The applicant may also need to demonstrate outstanding course fees for the relevant academic year as shown on the CAS. If the course lasts for less than 9 months, the required living-cost period is based on the applicable course length under the Immigration Rules. Part months are rounded up to the next full month.

4. When You Do Not Need to Show the 28-Day Bank Funds

Not every Student visa applicant has to demonstrate personal bank funds under the 28-day rule. You generally do not need to show the financial requirement if you are applying for permission to stay and have been living in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months on the date of application. You can also satisfy the financial requirement through qualifying evidence of: • An eligible student loan; or • Official financial sponsorship from an organisation permitted under the Immigration Rules. These alternatives have their own documentary requirements and should not simply be treated as ordinary bank-account funds.

5. Acceptable Personal Bank and Building-Society Accounts

Where personal funds are used, the funds must be held in an account that meets the Immigration Rules requirements and allows the funds to be accessed immediately. Permitted account types can include personal current, deposit and savings accounts, and certain other accounts where the funds are immediately accessible. The account must be controlled by the applicant or, where permitted for a Student application, by the applicant's parent or legal guardian. The rules also permit certain partner-held funds in specified circumstances. UKVI may verify financial evidence directly with the bank. If the evidence cannot be satisfactorily verified, the application can be refused.

6. Using a Parent or Legal Guardian's Bank Account

A Student visa applicant can rely on funds held in an account belonging to a parent or legal guardian, provided the relevant requirements are met. The applicant must provide evidence proving the relationship and written consent from the parent or legal guardian to use the funds. Examples of relationship evidence can include: • Birth certificate naming the parent; • Adoption certificate; • Court documentation naming a legal guardian; or • Other qualifying government-issued relationship evidence. The original wording 'biological parent' is too narrow because the Immigration Rules expressly include legal guardians.

7. Student Loans and Official Financial Sponsorship

A qualifying student loan or official financial sponsorship can be used to meet the Student financial requirement without treating the loan or sponsorship as ordinary 28-day personal bank funds. For example, an eligible student loan must be evidenced by a compliant student loan letter. The rules specify requirements concerning the date of the letter, the nature of the loan, amount, applicant, release conditions and availability of the funds. Official financial sponsorship can come from qualifying government, international or educational organisations. Where the Student sponsor provides financial sponsorship, the relevant funding should be reflected in the CAS; otherwise the required official sponsorship evidence must be provided. Therefore, the statement that every applicant must personally hold the full maintenance amount for 28 days is not universally correct.

8. Fixed Deposits and Certificates of Deposit

Certificates of deposit are expressly recognised as possible evidence of funds for Student applicants. The underlying funds must satisfy the applicable financial rules, including the requirement concerning immediate access where the account/instrument is being used as personal funds. A fixed-term product should therefore not be described as automatically accepted merely because it has existed for 28 days. The applicant must ensure that the specific product and evidence satisfy the current Immigration Rules. The evidence should clearly demonstrate the amount held and the relevant dates.

9. Stocks, Shares, Bonds and Other Investments

The Immigration Rules do not treat ordinary shares, bonds and other non-permitted financial instruments as equivalent to immediately accessible personal bank funds. Appendix Finance specifically excludes shares, bonds and credit cards and also excludes pensions where the funds cannot be withdrawn immediately. The safest way to satisfy the ordinary personal-funds requirement is therefore to use an account or financial instrument expressly permitted by Appendix Finance and where the funds are immediately accessible. Cryptoassets should not be presented as an accepted form of Student visa financial evidence. Applicants should instead rely on a permitted source of funds.

10. Foreign Currency and the OANDA Exchange Rate

If the required funds are held in a foreign currency, UKVI converts the amount to pounds sterling using the spot exchange rate shown on OANDA for the date of the visa application, subject to the exceptions in Appendix Finance. The current rules provide alternative FCDO Consular Exchange Rate treatment for currencies that do not appear on OANDA. The rules specifically identify Syrian pounds and Mongolian tugrik, and separately provide FCDO treatment for Iranian rials. Therefore, it is not technically correct to say that OANDA is used without exception for every foreign currency.

11. Using More Than One Bank Account

Applicants can in appropriate circumstances rely on funds evidenced through more than one account. Home Office financial guidance explains that the evidence can be considered cumulatively where the closing balances of the relevant accounts fall within the required 31-day evidence period and the required funds were held for the necessary 28-day period. The evidence should therefore be organised so that the closing dates and the 28-day holding period can be clearly established for all accounts being relied upon. Do not assume that two accounts automatically solve a shortfall if one account was below the required level for part of the relevant period.

12. What the Bank Evidence Must Show

The financial evidence should allow UKVI to establish the identity of the account holder, the financial institution, the amount held and the relevant dates. Acceptable evidence can include: • Bank statements, including electronic statements; • Building-society passbooks; • Certificates of deposit; and • Qualifying bank or building-society letters. The evidence must be genuine and verifiable. UKVI can contact the financial institution to verify the evidence.

13. Common 28-Day Rule Mistakes

Common mistakes include: • Using an outdated statement whose latest evidence date is more than 31 days before the application; • Counting 28 calendar days from the wrong date; • Having insufficient funds during part of the required period; • Forgetting unpaid course fees when calculating the required amount; • Using a parent's funds without relationship evidence and written consent; • Assuming a student loan is subject to exactly the same evidence rules as personal savings; • Using an investment instrument that does not satisfy the immediate-access requirement; • Using the wrong foreign-exchange date; or • Providing financial evidence UKVI cannot verify.

14. Worked Example of the 28-Day and 31-Day Rules

Suppose an applicant's latest bank evidence has a closing balance dated 1 August. The applicant must demonstrate the required level of funds for the applicable 28-day period ending on that closing-balance date. The evidence must also be dated no more than 31 days before the application date. The two tests should be checked separately: 1. Was the required amount held for the complete 28-day period? 2. Is the latest financial evidence within 31 days before the application date? If both conditions are satisfied, the evidence can meet the timing requirements, subject to all other financial-evidence rules.

Key Takeaways & Summary

• Funds must remain continuously above the minimum required threshold for 28 consecutive days.
• The closing date of your bank statement must be within 31 days of your online visa submission date.
• Accounts held by parents require birth certificate proof and parental consent letters.
• Always verify foreign currency balances against OANDA rates on the date of application.
• Stocks, shares, bonds, and crypto assets are strictly rejected by UKVI.

Official References & Related UK Hubs

Frequently Asked Questions (6 Interlinked FAQs)