UK Student Visa Process From Nepal: Steps, Costs, Documents
How the UK Student visa works from Nepal: CAS, the 28-day funds rule, the £558 fee, IHS, TB test, documents and what gets applications refused.
The short answer
To apply for a UK Student visa from Nepal you need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed institution, proof that you hold the required maintenance money for 28 consecutive days, a TB test certificate from a UKVI-approved clinic, and an online application that costs £558 from outside the UK, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge at £1,035 per year of stay. You can apply at the earliest 6 months before the course starts, and the most common reason Nepalese applications fail is the bank statement, not the grades.
This guide walks through the sequence, the figures, the documents and the three rule changes since 2024 that change what a UK degree is actually worth to a Nepali family. For institution-by-institution detail, see the UK destination hub; to match your marks and budget to courses, use the free Master Reckoner.
The process, step by step
1 · Offer and CAS
Accept the offer, pay the deposit, and the institution issues the CAS. Deposits in this group range from £1,000 (UCB, within one month of offer) to £4,000 (Ulster, before CAS), and up to 50% of first-year tuition at London Met and UCB. Huddersfield London additionally charges a £260 non-refundable confirmation fee before the CAS request. The CAS carries the course, the fee and the amount already paid — every other part of the application keys off it.
2 · Hold the maintenance money for 28 days
£1,483 per month for a course in London, or £1,136 per month outside London, for each month of the course up to a maximum of 9 months. That is £13,347 for London and £10,224 outside London. The money must sit in the account for 28 consecutive days, and the end of that 28-day period must be within 31 days of the visa application date.
3 · Apply online
£558 application fee from outside the UK. The earliest you can apply is 6 months before the course starts. The same £558 applies if you later extend or switch from inside the UK, where the earliest application is 3 months before the course starts.
4 · Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge
Paid as part of the application. Budget £1,035 per year of stay. This gives access to the NHS on the same basis as a UK resident.
5 · TB test and biometrics
Nepal is a country where a TB certificate from a UKVI-approved clinic is required for courses longer than 6 months. Book this before the visa application, not after. Students who leave it late end up pushing their application past the intake deadline.
6 · Arrive and enrol
Enrol by the institution's deadline. Attendance and academic engagement are monitored and reported to the Home Office — a compliance breach puts both the place and the visa at risk.
What the visa itself costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Student visa application (outside the UK) | £558 |
| Student visa extend / switch (inside the UK) | £558 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 per year of stay |
| Maintenance funds — London | £1,483/month, max 9 months = £13,347 |
| Maintenance funds — outside London | £1,136/month, max 9 months = £10,224 |
| Dependant maintenance — London | £845/month per dependant, up to 9 months |
| Dependant maintenance — outside London | £680/month per dependant, up to 9 months |
| TB test | £65 |
| Graduate visa application (later, if taken) | £937 + IHS £1,035/yr |
The dependant rows are shown for completeness only. For a taught masters starting on or after 1 January 2024, dependants are not permitted at all — see the section below before you plan around them.
Maintenance is capped at 9 months regardless of how long the course is, and it is in addition to the tuition on your CAS. Do not add the two together in your head and assume that is the end of it; show the fee already paid on the CAS and the maintenance figure separately, exactly as they appear.
The documents, and where applications break
| Document | What is actually checked |
|---|---|
| CAS | Course, fee and amount already paid. Issued after the deposit. |
| Bank statements | Maintenance held 28 consecutive days, period ending within 31 days of the application date. The single most common refusal point. |
| Academic transcripts and certificates | NEB/+2 or bachelor's transcripts. Nepalese documents may need official translation. |
| English language evidence | IELTS/PTE/TOEFL as the course requires, or an approved national qualification where the institution accepts one — London Met and UWL both publish approved lists for Nepal. |
| TB test certificate | Required for Nepalese applicants on courses over 6 months, from a UKVI-approved clinic. |
| Passport | Valid, with sufficient remaining validity for the course. |
| Sponsor documents | If the funds are not in the student's own name: relationship evidence, sponsor's consent letter and the sponsor's bank statements. Check whose name is on the account before you submit. |
| ATAS certificate | Required for some sensitive science and engineering subjects at postgraduate level. |
Financial evidence is applied strictly: the 28-day rule, the 31-day window and the requirement that the account be in the student's name or a permitted sponsor's name. Prepare the statements around the application date, not months in advance.
Tuition and living costs: build the budget from both halves
Sample published fees from institutions in this module:
| Course | Fee | London for visa purposes? |
|---|---|---|
| Master's — Bradford, classroom-based | £15,700 | No |
| Master's — UCB Band 1 | £17,500 | No |
| Master's — Keele Band 1 (business/MBA) | £18,200 | No |
| Master's — Ulster, standard taught masters | £18,310 | No |
| Master's — Huddersfield MA/MSc | £18,700 | No |
| Master's — Huddersfield LONDON MSc | £18,700 | Yes |
| Master's — London Met (from) | £20,000 | Yes |
| Master's — Gloucestershire Band A | £20,190 | No |
| Bachelor's — Bradford, classroom-based (per year) | £16,100 | No |
| Bachelor's — UCB Band 1 (per year) | £16,500 | No |
| Bachelor's — Ulster (per year) | £17,490 | No |
| Bachelor's — Huddersfield (per year) | £17,600 | No |
| Bachelor's — UCA (per year, 2026/27) | £18,000 | No |
| Bachelor's — Exeter science/engineering (per year) | £31,200 | No |
| International Foundation Diploma — UCB | £11,000 | No |
| Foundation Certificate — UoLIC (Business/Law/Social Sci) | £22,640 | No |
| Pre-Master's — UoLIC (Business/Economics/Finance) | £25,210 | No |
Undergraduate figures marked "per year" are annual. Pathway fees buy the preparation year only — after UoLIC, the family then pays University of Liverpool degree fees for the remaining years.
Living costs by city
The "visa minimum" column is the official Home Office maintenance requirement. The "realistic" and "rent" columns are estimates built from sector norms, not scraped official figures — they exist so a family does not budget to the visa floor and run short.
| City / campus | Visa minimum | Realistic | Room or hall rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| London (UWL, City St George's, St Mary's, Huddersfield London, London Met, Arden London) | £1,483/month | £1,300 – £1,900/month | £800 – £1,300/month |
| Manchester (MMU, Arden Manchester) | £1,136/month | £950 – £1,350/month | £550 – £850/month |
| Birmingham (UCB, Arden Birmingham) | £1,136/month | £900 – £1,300/month | £500 – £800/month |
| Belfast / Coleraine / Derry (Ulster) | £1,136/month | £800 – £1,150/month | £400 – £700/month |
| Bradford / Huddersfield | £1,136/month | £800 – £1,150/month | £400 – £650/month |
| Keele / Staffordshire | £1,136/month | £800 – £1,150/month | £450 – £700/month on campus |
| Plymouth / Exeter / Cornwall | £1,136/month | £900 – £1,300/month | £500 – £850/month |
| Cheltenham / Gloucester | £1,136/month | £850 – £1,250/month | £450 – £750/month |
| Farnham / Canterbury / Epsom / Rochester (UCA) | £1,136/month | £950 – £1,400/month | £550 – £900/month |
| Liverpool (UoLIC) | £1,136/month | £850 – £1,200/month | £450 – £700/month |
The catch: London versus non-London is a Home Office definition tied to the institution's location, not a judgement about how urban a place feels. Epsom and Farnham sit in London's cost shadow but are not London for visa purposes. Confirm which side of the line your specific campus falls on before you calculate what to show in the bank.
Three rules that have changed since 2024
Dependants. For postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, you may bring a partner or child only if the course is a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) or a research-based higher degree — or if you are a government-sponsored student on a course longer than 6 months. A taught MSc, MA or MBA does not qualify. Settle this with your family at the first conversation.
The Graduate Route. 2 years of unsponsored work if you apply on or before 31 December 2026; 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027; 3 years for doctoral graduates. The reduction was announced in the Immigration White Paper of 12 May 2025. A student starting a one-year masters in September 2026 finishes in late 2027 and therefore falls into the 18-month regime.
Skilled Worker. Since 22 July 2025 the general salary threshold is £41,700 per year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher, with a new-entrant/recent-graduate rate of at least £33,400. The median UK graduate salary is £30,000 (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2023/24, published 4 June 2026). Read those three figures side by side before treating the UK as a settlement plan. More guides: /blog.
Common questions
How much money do I need in the bank for a UK student visa from Nepal?
£1,483 per month for a London course or £1,136 per month outside London, for each month of the course up to 9 months — so £13,347 or £10,224. That is separate from and in addition to the tuition fee shown on your CAS, less any fees already paid. The money must be held for 28 consecutive days, with that period ending within 31 days of your application date.
Can I bring my husband or wife on a one-year taught masters?
No. For postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, dependants are permitted only on a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) 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.
Can part-time work in the UK cover my tuition?
No. Permitted working hours depend on the course level and whether it is term-time or vacation, and are set per case on the gov.uk Student visa page — check your CAS rather than assuming the familiar 20-hour figure. The National Living Wage is £12.71 per hour for those aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026. Part-time work helps with living costs; a budget that relies on it to pay fees will fail.
When should I start the process for a September intake?
The earliest you can apply for the visa is 6 months before the course starts, so work backwards from that. Fix the offer and deposit first, because the CAS follows the deposit, then plan the 28-day funds window so it ends within 31 days of the application date, and book the TB test before you apply. Leaving the TB certificate to the end is what pushes Nepalese applicants past their intake.
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/
Fees and visa rules change. Confirm every figure against the institution's own fees page and the gov.uk Student visa page before you pay anything.