Study Abroad Expert | Updated On - Oct 1, 2026
The UK Home Office will raise Student route maintenance funds from November 30, 2026. The change hits Indian students filing fresh Student visa applications this winter or for Fall 2027 intakes. Under the September 2026 Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, London applicants must show £1,570 (₹2.00 lakh) per month and those outside London £1,203 (₹1.53 lakh) per month. The new caps replace the £1,529 (₹1.95 lakh) and £1,171 (₹1.49 lakh) thresholds set on November 11, 2025.
- Applicants studying in London must show £1,570 (₹2.00 lakh) per month for up to nine months, a maximum of £14,130 (₹17.98 lakh).
- Outside London the monthly bar moves to £1,203 (₹1.53 lakh), capping at £10,827 (₹13.77 lakh) for a full nine-month course.
- The new amounts apply only to Student Route applications submitted on or after November 30, 2026; earlier submissions stay on the current rates.
The Home Office says the revision aligns Student route maintenance with the support available to home students for the 2026/27 academic year. Indian applicants budgeting on last year’s numbers will need to top up their bank balance before applying.
Also Read: UK Student Visa 2026
What the Home Office Actually Changed
The revision touches the two maintenance tiers that decide almost every Indian Student visa file. The Home Office kept the nine-month cap and the London or non-London split intact and only lifted the monthly rate.
| Maintenance requirement | Before (until Nov 29, 2026) | From Nov 30, 2026 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| London, per month | £1,529 (₹1.95 lakh) | £1,570 (₹2.00 lakh) | £41 (₹5,000) |
| London, 9-month cap | £13,761 (₹17.51 lakh) | £14,130 (₹17.98 lakh) | £369 (₹47,000) |
| Outside London, per month | £1,171 (₹1.49 lakh)
|
£1,203 (₹1.53 lakh) | £32 (₹4,000) |
| Outside London, 9-month cap | £10,539 (₹13.41 lakh) | £10,827 (₹13.77 lakh) | £288 (₹37,000) |
Exchange rate used: £1 = ₹127.22.
The 28-day holding rule stays put. Applicants still need the full amount sitting in an eligible account for 28 consecutive days, with the closing balance dated within 31 days of the online application. The same conditions the UK Student Visa Proof of Funds rules already check will continue to apply, only against the new thresholds.
Key Insight: The rise is not a fee. It is proof-of-funds you show, then keep. Applicants still get to spend the money on rent, tuition and living costs after landing in the UK, but the bank balance must clear the new bar on the day the file is submitted.
What Indian Students Now Have to Show in Rupees
Beyond tuition and airfare, an Indian family funding a taught master’s needs the full maintenance amount blocked for four weeks before filing.
- London monthly proof-of-funds: £1,570 ≈ ₹2.00 lakh.
- London nine-month cap: £14,130 ≈ ₹18.00 lakh.
- Outside London monthly: £1,203 ≈ ₹1.53 lakh.
- Outside London nine-month cap: £10,827 ≈ ₹13.79 lakh.
For a family that already parked money at the November 2025 threshold, the extra buffer needed is roughly ₹47,000 for a London course and ₹36,700 for a course outside London. On top of maintenance, the standard UK Student Visa Fee sits at £524 and the Immigration Health Surcharge at £776 per year of study.
What it means for Indian Students: A one-year taught master’s in London now needs a bank balance of about ₹18 lakh in maintenance alone, held untouched for 28 days, on top of first-year tuition of £22,000 to £38,000. Loan sanction letters and education-loan disbursements have to be dated to satisfy the 28-day window.
Why the Home Office Says It Is Raising the Bar
The UK Home Office Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules ties the new figures to the UK’s 2026/27 home student maintenance support. The intent is parity: international students should show funds equivalent to what a UK-domiciled student receives as a maintenance loan for the same year.
In practice that means the Student route rate now tracks UK inflation and the rise in the London or non-London rent index each cycle. A similar update was made on November 11, 2025 for the previous academic year. The Home Office has signalled these annual revisions will continue as part of the wider Student route review.
How Should Indian Applicants Time Their Application?
The cut-off is the online submission date, not the CAS date or the course start date. Applicants filing before November 30, 2026 stay on the older £1,529 or £1,171 figures. Files submitted on or after that day fall under the new caps automatically.
January 2027 intake applicants and September 2027 Intake in the UK hopefuls with a CAS in hand are the two groups most directly affected. Anyone still waiting on loan disbursement or a sponsor letter should build the extra ₹36,700 to ₹47,000 into the funding plan now, rather than at CAS stage.
Key Caveat: The Home Office refuses applications where the 28-day balance dips even briefly below the required amount. Currency conversion on the assessment date uses the OANDA rate the caseworker looks up, not the applicant’s bank rate. Keep a cushion of at least 5% above the threshold to absorb FX swings.
Action Plan for Indian Applicants Filing After November 30
- Confirm whether your university sits in the London tier or outside; the postcode decides the maintenance bar, not the campus city name.
- Recalculate the 9-month total using the new £1,570 (₹2.00 lakh) or £1,203 (₹1.53 lakh) monthly rate for your tier.
- Deposit or block the full amount at least 35 days before the visa filing date to clear the 28-day holding rule with a buffer.
- Get an updated bank certificate on your submission day showing the balance held for the full 28 days.
- Deduct any first-year accommodation already paid to the university, up to a maximum of £1,570, from the maintenance total shown.
Indian applicants targeting a January 2027 or September 2027 UK start now have a firm number to fund against. Files submitted on or after November 30, 2026 must clear the new £1,570 (₹1.95 lakh) (London) or £1,203 (₹1.49 lakh) (outside London) monthly bar. Anyone with a CAS ready and funds already parked should consider submitting before the cut-off to lock in the older thresholds.
Next Key Date for UK Applicants: The revised maintenance rules go live on November 30, 2026. Applicants with a CAS in hand and funds already blocked can still file at the older £1,529 or £1,171 rates up to and including November 29, 2026.
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