UK Student Visa for Nepal: Fees, Funds, Documents

The direct answer

A UK Student visa for a Nepali applicant costs £558 to apply, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year of stay, plus maintenance funds of £1,483 a month (London) or £1,136 a month (outside London) for up to 9 months. Tuition is separate and is confirmed on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) your institution issues after the deposit — it ranges from £15,700 for a classroom-based masters at Bradford to £31,200 a year for a science/engineering bachelor's at Exeter.

This guide sets out the money, the documents, and the two changes — dependants and the Graduate Route length — that catch Nepali families out most often. For institution-by-institution detail, start at the UK hub or run your own numbers through the Master Reckoner.

What the visa actually costs

Maintenance is in addition to the tuition fee shown on the CAS, not instead of it. A student going to London on an £18,700 masters needs to evidence £18,700 plus £13,347 in maintenance — £32,047 in total, less any fees already paid. Quote both figures side by side to a family rather than one combined number; let them see what each part covers.

London and non-London is a Home Office definition tied to where the institution sits, not how the city feels. It is worth £347 a month either way, so confirm which side of the line the specific campus falls on before you budget — Huddersfield's London campus charges the same tuition as its Yorkshire campus but sits in the higher maintenance band.

Tuition fees, by institution

Master's

Bachelor's and pathway

Fees can move after you accept. Plymouth's own fees page flags a possible levy of around 6% on international tuition income and reserves the right to increase fees if it goes ahead. Keele caps any 2026/27 rise at 5% and notifies by 30 April 2026. Ulster also charges a separate clinical placement levy of £12,133 on relevant programmes — check whether the course your student is applying to carries it.

Living costs, by region

The maintenance figure above is a Home Office minimum, not a real-world budget. It is checked at the visa stage; it is not what you actually spend.

London is the one place where the visa floor and the real cost are close. Everywhere else, build the budget on the "realistic" column, not the visa minimum — a family that budgets to £1,136 a month in Bradford has room; one who budgets to it in Farnham does not.

Documents the application actually needs

• CAS — issued by the institution after the deposit. Carries the course, the fee and what has already been paid.
• Bank statements — the 28-day rule. The maintenance amount must sit in the account for 28 consecutive days, and that period must end within 31 days of the application date. This is the single most common refusal point.
• Academic transcripts and certificates — NEB/+2 or bachelor's records, officially translated if needed.
• English language evidence — IELTS/PTE/TOEFL as the course requires, or an approved national qualification where the institution publishes one for Nepal (London Met and UWL both do).
• TB test certificate — required for Nepali applicants on courses over 6 months, from a UKVI-approved clinic. Book this before the visa application, not after.
• Passport with enough remaining validity.
• Sponsor documents, if the funds are not in the student's own name — relationship evidence, the sponsor's consent letter, and the sponsor's bank statements. Check whose name the account is actually in before you submit.
• ATAS certificate, if the postgraduate subject is a sensitive science or engineering field.

Financial evidence is where applications fail. The 28-day rule, the 31-day window and the requirement that the account be in the right name are applied strictly — prepare the statements around the application date, not months in advance.

The dependants rule — raise it first

This is the change most likely to break trust if it comes up late. For postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, a partner or child can accompany the student only if the course is a PhD or other doctorate, or a research-based higher degree — or if the student is government-sponsored on a course longer than 6 months. A taught MSc, MA or MBA does not qualify, regardless of how the family has budgeted. Establish this at the first meeting with any married applicant, not after the CAS is issued.

Work rights, during and after

During study, permitted hours depend on the course level and whether it is term-time or vacation, and are set on the CAS itself — check the document rather than assuming a fixed number. At the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour (21 and over, from 1 April 2026), 20 hours a week works out to about £254 gross in a week. That helps cover living costs. It does not pay tuition, and a budget built on it is a budget that fails.

After graduation, the Graduate Route gives 2 years of unsponsored work if the student applies on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if they apply on or after 1 January 2027 (3 years for a doctorate). A one-year masters starting in September 2026 finishes in late 2027 — that student falls into the 18-month regime. Converting Graduate Route time into long-term settlement means a Skilled Worker sponsor and a salary of at least £41,700 (or £33,400 on the new-entrant discount) — against a median UK graduate salary of £30,000. Treat the Graduate Route as a window to work and recover part of the cost, not as a reliable route to staying permanently.

More detail on costs and outcomes by course is on the UK hub, and the full set of guides is at /blog.

Common questions

Can a Nepali student bring their spouse on a one-year UK masters?

No. For postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, dependants are permitted only on a PhD, other doctorate, or a research-based higher degree, or for a government-sponsored student on a course longer than 6 months. A taught MSc, MA or MBA does not qualify.

How much does a student actually need in the bank?

£1,483 a month for a London course or £1,136 a month outside London, for each month of the course up to 9 months — so £13,347 or £10,224. That is on top of the tuition shown on the CAS, and it must be held for 28 consecutive days ending within 31 days of the application date.

How long is the post-study work visa now?

It depends on the application date, not the course date. Applying on or before 31 December 2026 gets 2 years on the Graduate Route. Applying on or after 1 January 2027 gets 18 months. PhD graduates get 3 years either way.

Is a UK degree worth it if the student can't stay long-term?

Often yes, but for a narrower reason than families assume. A one-year taught masters means one year of fees and living costs rather than two, plus a recognised qualification and typically 18 months to 2 years of UK work experience through the Graduate Route. The value is usually realised back in Nepal, India or the Gulf, not through UK settlement.

Official sources

• University of Exeter — https://www.exeter.ac.uk/
• Ulster University — https://www.ulster.ac.uk/
• Manchester Metropolitan University — https://www.mmu.ac.uk/
• Keele University — https://www.keele.ac.uk/
• City St George's, University of London — https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/
• University of Plymouth — https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/
• University of Huddersfield — https://www.hud.ac.uk/
• University of Huddersfield — London — https://london.hud.ac.uk/
• St Mary's University, Twickenham — https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/
• University of West London — https://www.uwl.ac.uk/
• University for the Creative Arts — https://www.uca.ac.uk/
• University of Gloucestershire — https://www.glos.ac.uk/