Effective 8 April 2026, the UK Student Route application fee rose from GBP 524 to GBP 558. It is a small percentage rise, but paired with the IHS and the Home Office cost-of-living benchmarks, the practical total for a Nepali applicant is worth mapping.
The total UK visa-side outlay in 2026
- Student Route visa fee: GBP 558.
- Immigration Health Surcharge (student rate): GBP 776 per year of the visa. A 12-month Master pays roughly GBP 776 to GBP 1,036 depending on visa length. A 3-year Bachelor pays approximately GBP 2,328.
- Priority processing (optional): an additional fee for a 5-working-day decision, or the Super Priority service for next-working-day decision.
Dependants
- Dependants pay the standard IHS rate of GBP 1,035 per year, not the student discount.
- Since 1 January 2024, taught postgraduate applicants cannot bring dependants. PhD research applicants remain eligible.
Financial evidence (Home Office benchmark)
- Living costs: GBP 1,334 per month outside London or GBP 1,483 per month in London, for up to 9 months. That works out to approximately GBP 12,006 or GBP 13,347 depending on city.
- Held for 28 consecutive days in the applicant’s account or in the sponsor’s account (with sponsorship evidence) before applying.
Practical impact on Nepali applicants
- The additional GBP 34 in visa fee is not a decision-changing amount by itself. The bigger financial line remains the IHS — pay it in one go with the application, budget it as a fixed cost.
- For a 1-year Master applicant, total UK Government-side charges (visa + IHS) are approximately GBP 1,334 to GBP 1,600 depending on visa length. Confirm on the visa application before you pay.
- For a 3-year Bachelor applicant, the same total is approximately GBP 3,000 for visa and IHS.
What has not changed
- The English requirement (CEFR B2 minimum from January 2026).
- The dependant ban on taught postgraduate applications from 1 January 2024.
- The Graduate Route as it currently applies — the reduction to 18 months for Bachelor and taught Master applies to Graduate visa applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027 (Statement of Changes HC 1099, 14 October 2025).
See our full Study in UK hub, the UK student visa process guide and our detailed Graduate Route changes explainer.