Money requirements and financial evidence

Listed on your CAS statement and your offer letter.

More information on paying your tuition fees.

Students must show that they have held sufficient money to support themselves throughout their study or up to a maximum of 9 months, whichever is shorter.

The amount required is £1,171 per month of your course up to a maximum of 9 months. If your course lasts more than 9 months then the amount of living expenses you must show will be £10,539.

More information on living expenses and budgeting.

Payments towards tuition fees or university-owned accommodation only can be deducted from the total requirement.

Any amount paid for tuition fees and listed on the CAS as fees paid can be deducted.

A maximum of £1,529 can be deducted for university-owned accommodation fees paid. Evidence of payments must be on your CAS or via official receipts.

No deduction can be made for private accommodation or halls of residence not directly operated by the University.

You must show you have held the required funds in a suitable bank account every day for at least 28 consecutive days before the date you submit and pay for your online visa application. The closing balance must continue to meet requirements.

The end of this 28-day period and the closing balance must be no more than 31 days before your application submission date.

Original personal bank statements or passbooks covering a consecutive 28-day period. The end of those 28 days and the closing balance must be no more than 31 days before the date of your application.

Statements must show:

• your name
• account number
• date of statement
• name and logo of bank/building society
• that your balance has not fallen below the required amount for the full 28-day period. if using an overseas account the currency must be clearly shown on the statement. Please include the currency conversion of the lowest balance using OANDA currency conversion. The Home Office use the date of your application as the date of currency conversion so please prepare for possible fluctuation
• the end of the 28-day period cannot be more than 31 days before the date you submit your visa application
• that the required funds have been in your account up until the closing balance of the statement

Accepted bank statements are:

• bank statements on official letter-headed paper
• electronic bank statements. These must contain all the details highlighted above
• joint account statements, as long as you are named as one of the account holders and they include all the information highlighted above

If you cannot get a suitable bank statement, you may use a letter from your bank or building society including all the information highlighted above and stating that you have held the required minimum balance for at least a 28 day period.

You can use a bank statement, bank letter or passbook for an account belonging to one or both of your parents (or legal guardian/s) to show that you meet the Home Office maintenance requirements. You cannot use bank statements belonging to anyone else (extended family or friends).

Statement details must meet requirements as above.

You will also need to submit some additional documents to prove your relationship to your parent/s or legal guardian:

• legal documentation (or notarised copy) establishing the relationship (this would be either your birth certificate, a certificate of adoption or a court document stating the name of the legal guardian/s)
• signed and dated letter from the parent/s (or legal guardian/s) which confirms your relationship and that they have given their consent to the funds being available to you to study in the UK. We have produced a template parental financial letter for you to adapt and use

If you will be receiving sponsorship from an official financial sponsor for part or all of your tuition fees and/or living costs you will need to submit an original letter from your financial sponsor confirming this.

What is an official financial sponsor?

Only the following types of sponsors are considered by the Home Office to be official financial sponsors:

• the British Government
• your home government
• the British Council
• an international company or organisation*
• a university (UK or overseas)
• a UK independent school

* An international company has a presence in more than one country. The Home Office have advised that they will check the letterhead of the sponsorship letter and/or online to establish this.

When submitting your visa application you will need to provide an original letter from your sponsor printed on letterheaded paper and including the following information:

• your name
• the name and contact details of your financial sponsor
• the date of the letter (this should be recent i.e. dated in the last 6 months)
• the length of your sponsorship
• the amount of money that your sponsor is giving you or a statement that your official sponsor will be responsible for paying all of your tuition fees and living costs

If your financial sponsor is only covering part of your tuition fees and/or living costs then you must show any shortfall in a suitable bank account.

If you are no longer financially sponsored and your sponsorship ended within 12 months of making your application, your former sponsor must still provide a letter saying that they agree that you can stay in the UK. If the financial sponsor does not give consent, the Home Office could invalidate or refuse your application.

If you take out a loan to pay for your studies in the UK, a letter confirming receipt of the loan may be used for your visa application.

The loan letter(s) must be from a regulated financial institution (see below). It must be dated no more than 6 months before the date of your application. The letter(s) must be the original (not a copy) and must clearly show all of the following:

• your name
• the date of the letter
• the financial institutions' name and logo
• the amount of money available to you as a loan
• that the loan is provided by your national government, their state or regional government, a government-sponsored student loan company or is part of an academic or educational loan scheme

The financial institution must be regulated by either the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulatory Authority or, in the case of overseas accounts, by the home regulator (the official regulatory body for the country the financial institution is in and where the money is held) for student loans.

You cannot use loans held in the name of your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) as evidence of money held by you. There must be no conditions placed on the release of the loan funds to you, other than your Student Visa application being successful.

If you have made payments to Cardiff University for either tuition fees or University-owned accommodation*, make sure that this information is included on your CAS statement or that you can provide official Cardiff University payment receipts in your supporting documents. If your CAS needs updating, contact the Student Visa Compliance Team via the Student Connect portal.

Money paid to Cardiff University which is confirmed as paid on either your CAS statement or via official receipts can be deducted from the total maintenance requirements.

* Only a maximum of £1,529 can be deducted from the maintenance requirements for any University-owned accommodation fees that have been paid.