UK Student visa cost and IHS: budget the two separately
Understand the application fee, chargeable IHS duration and supplier payments before calculating your student budget.
The UK Student visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) are separate budget lines. For the outside-UK Student route used here, GOV.UK lists a £558 application fee. The student IHS rate is £776 per year, with official rules for partial years. These are source-currency references checked on 31 October 2026, not an all-inclusive quote.
Use visa duration, not just course duration
IHS is based on the visa’s duration. A course calendar alone may not describe that period. Check the official IHS calculation for your application and use its chargeable period in the calculator. The UK study preset initially illustrates three chargeable IHS years; it is not a prediction of your course length or immigration permission.
An illustration for 18 chargeable months
If the applicable IHS calculation is one and a half years, £776 × 1.5 is £1,164. Adding the £558 application fee produces £1,722 for those two components. This assumes the stated standard application fee and 18 chargeable months. It excludes dependants and any other applicable payments.
What still belongs in your own budget?
Enter actual quotes for any tests, translations, medical examination, visa-centre services, tuition deposits, insurance and travel that apply to you. These rows are not universal requirements or government-set prices. If your tuition invoice already includes a deposit you paid, enter only the remaining balance as a separate new payment.
Keep financial evidence in the proof-of-funds field. That balance is excluded from payment totals and refusal loss. This tool does not determine the maintenance amount, the evidence period or whether your account meets the rules.
Refusal refunds need separate treatment
GOV.UK states that IHS is refunded in full if the visa application is refused. A refund of IHS does not mean all other costs return. Record tuition, travel and other supplier refund terms separately and select the visa-refusal stage to see the effect on your estimate.
Before you use the result
Confirm the current official fee, enter the correct IHS duration, check each payer and save the breakdown in pounds first. If you switch budget currency, inspect the dated, editable exchange assumptions and allow separately for payment-provider charges. The estimate is personal budgeting information, not immigration or recruitment advice.
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Sources checked for this guide
Check the authority’s current page before paying. Supplier examples in this guide are illustrative unless explicitly identified as a published charge.