IHS Fee for International Students in the UK
The UK Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year, paid with the £558 visa fee. Full cost breakdown for Nepali students applying for a UK student visa.
IHS fee for international students in the UK: the direct answer
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for a UK student visa is £1,035 per year of the visa. It is paid upfront, in one lump sum, at the same time as the £558 visa application fee — before you travel, not after you arrive.
The IHS is not optional and it is not the same thing as the visa fee or your maintenance funds. It is a separate charge that gives you access to NHS healthcare for the length of your visa, and it has to be paid in full as part of the online application before a decision is even made.
What the IHS actually covers
The IHS pays for NHS treatment while you're in the UK on a student visa — the same access a UK resident has, funded through this charge instead of National Insurance. You pay it once, for the whole length of the visa you're being granted, not per year you actually stay.
This matters for budgeting: the amount isn't tied to how long your course lasts in calendar terms, it's tied to how long the visa itself is granted for, which can run a little beyond the course end date. Your visa decision letter shows the exact number of years used in the calculation — check that figure rather than assuming it matches your course length exactly.
Full cost of applying for a UK student visa
These three charges sit alongside each other. None of them replace the others, and none of them include your tuition fee.
| Item | Cost | When it's paid |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application fee | £558 | Once, at the time of application |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) | £1,035 per year | Upfront, for every year of the visa |
| TB test certificate | £65 | Before applying, from a UKVI-approved clinic (required for Nepalese applicants on courses longer than 6 months) |
Add your own course length to the IHS figure to work out your total — the application portal does this calculation for you automatically, so don't try to pre-calculate a final number before you reach that stage.
Proof of funds: what you need besides the IHS
Visa costs are the smaller part of the bill. The bigger number is maintenance — the living-cost funds you must show you hold, separate from tuition and separate from the IHS.
| Location | Monthly minimum | Maximum months counted |
|---|---|---|
| London | £1,483/month | 9 months |
| Outside London | £1,136/month | 9 months |
This maintenance requirement is capped at 9 months regardless of how long your course actually runs, and it is in addition to the tuition fee shown on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) — it is not a substitute for it and the two figures are never added together on the form, they're checked separately. For example, a classroom-based master's at the University of Bradford is priced at £15,700 (bradford.ac.uk) — your maintenance funds sit on top of that, not instead of it.
London and non-London is a Home Office definition tied to where your specific institution is based, not a judgement on how big the city feels. Confirm which side of that line your named campus falls on before you calculate anything — it's the difference between the two monthly figures above.
Documents that go with the IHS payment
The IHS is paid inside the visa application, alongside a set of supporting documents. The ones that most often trip up a strong applicant:
- CAS — issued by your institution after the deposit; carries the course, the fee, and what's already been paid. Everything else on the application keys off this document.
- Bank statements — the 28-day rule. Your maintenance amount must sit in the account for 28 consecutive days, and that period must end within 31 days of your application date. This is the single most common refusal point, more common than the amount itself being short.
- TB test certificate from a UKVI-approved clinic, for courses longer than 6 months.
- Sponsor documents, if the funds aren't in your own name — relationship evidence, the sponsor's consent letter, and the sponsor's own bank statements. Check whose name is actually on the account before you submit anything.
- English language evidence, as required by your specific course.
Catches worth knowing before you pay
The IHS, visa fee and TB test are fixed, published charges — there's little room for surprise there. The real risk sits in the maintenance funds and in what the visa does and doesn't permit:
- Maintenance funds are checked against the 28-day rule, not just the final balance on the day you apply. A large deposit made the day before you apply, even if it covers the full amount, can fail this check.
- For a taught master's starting on or after 1 January 2024, dependants are not permitted at all — only a PhD, another doctorate, or a research-based higher degree qualifies for a dependant visa (or government sponsorship on a course over 6 months). If a student is planning to bring a spouse, this needs to be discussed before any fee is paid, not after.
- The maintenance figure is a Home Office minimum, not a realistic living budget. Treat it as the number the visa checks, and build a separate, more generous number for the year itself.
Before applying anywhere, run your own numbers through the Master Reckoner — it matches course, cost and entry requirements in one place, which is a better starting point than pricing the visa first and the course second. For a wider look at UK study costs and routes, see the UK hub, and browse other guides for the post-study work and funds-evidence side of the process.
Common questions
How much is the UK Immigration Health Surcharge for international students?
The IHS is £1,035 per year of the visa, paid upfront as part of the visa application — it is not billed annually once you're in the UK.
Is the IHS fee separate from the visa application fee?
Yes. The visa application fee is £558 and the IHS is £1,035 per year — they're two different charges paid together in the same application, not two names for the same cost.
Do I need extra money in the bank for the IHS and TB test?
The IHS (£1,035 per year) and TB test (£65) are paid at the time of application, separately from the maintenance funds you must hold in your bank account. Your maintenance funds — £1,483/month in London or £1,136/month outside London, for up to 9 months — are a different requirement checked under the 28-day rule, and none of these figures are added together on the form.
How much does the whole UK student visa application cost?
You're looking at three separate figures to add up yourself: the £558 visa fee, £1,035 per year for the IHS, and the £65 TB test. On top of that sits your maintenance requirement (£1,483/month in London or £1,136/month elsewhere, up to 9 months), which is proof of funds rather than a fee — and none of it includes the tuition fee on your CAS, which is billed and paid separately.