Uk raises student visa funds requirement to £14,130 for Nigerians

Foreign students looking to study at a university in the United Kingdom will have to prove they have more money to cover their living expenses under revised student visa requirements.

Under the new rules, applicants eyeing London will need to prove they have £1,570 per month, instead of the previous fee of £1,529, to cover their living costs, raising the maximum requirement for a nine-month course to £14,130.

Monthly fees for students outside London will rise from £1,171 to £1,203, bringing the total for a nine-month course to £10,827.

The maintenance requirement funds must be held in addition to course tuition fees, visa application costs, and the immigration health surcharge. Student visa fees cost £558 while the annual immigration health surcharge is billed at £776.

The changes will take place from November 30, according to a statement of changes in immigration rules published by the Home Office on September 3.

Students applying from the deadline will need to provide evidence that they have enough maintenance money combined with tuition fees for one academic year. The total funds must be held for at least 28 consecutive days before application.

The money can be held in the student’s own account, a parent’s account, a student loan or official financial sponsorship.

Those who have been living in the UK with valid immigration permission for at least a year on the date of their application do not normally need to prove that they meet the financial requirement.

The changes come as Britain continues to tighten its international student system, building on measures introduced since 2024 to curb what the government describes as an abuse of the student route.

Nigerians, who make up a significant chunk of international students in the UK, will be among those most affected by the higher financial requirements.

Home Office data released in August shows that Nigerians, with a headcount of 3,820, accounted for the third-highest number of student visa extensions last year, behind only Chinese and Indian nationals.

Nigeria was also the third most common nationality granted study visas with 26,060 (seven percent) recipients.