To study in UK from India, get a licensed sponsor’s CAS and a separate Student visa. As of September 2026, show unpaid tuition plus £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 outside London, for up to nine months, held 28 days. Degree students at a compliant university may work 20 hours a week in term. Graduate permission is two years if you apply by 31 December 2026, and 18 months from 1 January 2027. A PhD stays three years.
To study in UK, an Indian applicant needs an offer from a licensed Student sponsor and, separately, permission from UK Visas and Immigration. The offer is the academic place. The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is what the sponsor issues for the visa. Russell Group membership is a university grouping, not a visa category.
Last updated: 27 September 2026 Breadcrumb: Home → Study in UK → Study in UK for Indian students
A plan to study in UK fails when a ranking stands in for a budget. Global Edge counsels study abroad UK applicants from Green Park, New Delhi, using SPEC9 profile evaluation before a deposit moves. The country page is the Study in UK hub.
How do you study in UK from India?
How do I study in UK from India?
You study in UK from India with an offer from a licensed sponsor, a CAS once conditions are met, and a Student visa. From outside the UK you can apply six months before the course. UKVI usually decides within three weeks. You receive an eVisa. Do not travel before the start date on that permission.
Master’s applications usually go to the university. Undergraduate applications usually go through UCAS, with an earlier deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. Confirm the year on UCAS. The order from shortlist to landing is in UK Admission Process: Complete Journey from Shortlisting to Arrival.
What does it cost to study in UK in 2026?
What are the costs to study in UK?
Costs to study in UK are unpaid fees on the CAS, living costs of ÂŁ1,529 a month in London or ÂŁ1,171 outside London for up to nine months, a ÂŁ558 visa fee, and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Student surcharge guidance is ÂŁ776 a year for applications from 6 February 2024. There is no single national tuition fee.
UKVI’s money page uses the unpaid CAS amount plus that monthly formula. Nine months is £13,761 in London or £10,539 outside London. “London” means the City of London and the 32 boroughs. Convert pounds on the day you arrange the funds.
| Cost head | As of 27 September 2026 | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid course fees | The figure on your CAS | A national UK fee |
| Living costs, London | ÂŁ1,529 a month, up to 9 months | Your rent quote |
| Living costs, outside London | ÂŁ1,171 a month, up to 9 months | Automatic for every non-London campus |
| Student visa fee | ÂŁ558 per person | The health surcharge |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | ÂŁ776 a year at the student rate | The higher Graduate-route rate |
| TB test in India | Clinic fee; certificate lasts 6 months | Optional if the stay is 6 months or more |
Applicants need ÂŁ1,529 per month for courses in London or ÂŁ1,171 per month outside London, for up to nine months. The money must be held for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of the application.
Source: UKVI — Student visa: money | https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/money
Those rates rise on 30 November 2026. The HC 584 explanatory memorandum (3 September 2026) aligns Student maintenance that day with 2026/27 home maintenance loans. The money page still showed ÂŁ1,529 and ÂŁ1,171 on 27 September 2026. Re-read it if you apply on or after 30 November 2026. This guide does not invent the new monthly number.
What UK student visa rules apply when you study in UK?
What should Indian families budget for on a UK student visa?
Budget a CAS, English at CEFR B2 for a degree, funds held 28 days, and a TB certificate if the stay is six months or more. India is on the TB list and not on the differential evidence list. Term-time work is capped where it is allowed. A partner should not assume they can join a taught master’s.
Degree-level English is CEFR B2, via a Secure English Language Test, the university’s own B2 assessment, or another listed route. The course score can be higher. India is not on the nationality exemption list. A TB test is required for six months or more from a listed country, and India is listed. The certificate lasts six months from the x-ray.
“You must be one of the following: a government-sponsored student starting a course that lasts longer than 6 months, or a full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) that lasts 9 months or longer. If your postgraduate level course starts on or after 1 January 2024, it must be either a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8), or a research-based higher degree.”
Source: UKVI — Student visa: your partner and children | https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/family-members
| Question | Admission | UK student visa |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | The university | UKVI |
| Key document | Offer, then conditions | CAS from a licensed sponsor |
| English | The course’s own score | CEFR B2 at degree level |
| Money | The deposit | Unpaid CAS fees plus monthly living costs, for 28 days |
| Family | Not a visa rule | Dependants only in the cases above |
Appendix Student allows 20 hours a week in term for a full-time degree at a compliant provider, and full-time work outside term. No self-employment and no public funds. Twenty hours does not prove living costs. Job prospects after that sit on a Graduate visa: most work is allowed if you are in the UK, the provider has reported completion, and you apply before the Student visa ends. It cannot be extended and it is not settlement.
A Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. A PhD or other doctorate is 3 years. The application fee on this page is ÂŁ937, plus a healthcare surcharge the page describes as usually ÂŁ1,035 a year.
Source: UKVI — Graduate visa | https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa
A September 2026 master’s that ends in 2027 will usually apply in 2027, so the 18-month length is the one to plan around. Starting in 2026 does not lock two years.
Myth: A one-year UK master’s is a two-year work visa and a path to settlement.
Reality: The Student visa covers the course. The Graduate visa is separate and non-extendable, and its non-doctoral length follows the application date. Re-read the Graduate page in the month you finish.
A TB certificate lasts six months from the x-ray, so a test taken the week the offer arrives can expire before the CAS and the 28-day funds window are ready.
Source: UKVI — TB test | https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa
Which scholarships help when you study in UK?
Do scholarships replace the funds rules?
Only when UKVI can see the award. A fee waiver on the CAS lowers unpaid tuition. A living-cost award must meet the financial-evidence rules. A discount that never reaches the CAS does not shrink the 28-day balance. Chevening is a separate competition, not a line on the visa form.
Chevening in India is the UK government’s scholarship, funded by the FCDO and partners. The 2027–28 window is open until 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. Work-experience rules require at least 2,800 hours after the undergraduate degree, over a minimum of two years; this cycle also says the degree was completed by October 2024. The course must be a full-time autumn master’s of nine to twelve months. University awards are smaller and must be read off the CAS.
If the fee and the bank date are not lining up, Global Edge can test the shortlist before you pay a deposit — talk to the Green Park team.
What should an Indian family check before they study in UK?
Which UK universities accept Indian students?
Any licensed Student sponsor can, if you meet that course and the Student visa rules. There is no Russell Group list of universities for Indian students. Membership is not a visa, a scholarship, or a lower funds figure. Use the Russell Group’s own member list, then the course page you can afford. Many strong sponsors sit outside that group.
The Russell Group publishes its members. From 1 June 2026, sponsor compliance guidance requires a refusal rate under 5 percent, enrolment of at least 95 percent, and completion of at least 85 percent. Completion rises to at least 90 percent from 1 June 2027. Take a CAS only for a course you will start.
India is not on the differential evidence list, so plan to show the money. A loan from SBI, HDFC Credila, Avanse or Axis works only when the letter matches UKVI’s finance rules. A three-year Indian bachelor’s is a course-page decision, not a national percentage.
What changed for anyone about to study in UK?
The Student fee is ÂŁ558 from 8 April 2026. Non-doctoral Graduate applications from 1 January 2027 are 18 months. Sponsor thresholds tightened on 1 June 2026. Maintenance rises on 30 November 2026. A ÂŁ925 provider levy from 1 August 2028 is not a 2026 visa fee.
The Department for Education published that levy on 13 July 2026. Fee tables show the move from ÂŁ524 to ÂŁ558. IHS guidance sets ÂŁ776 a year for students on applications from 6 February 2024. Unchanged: you still need a CAS, degree-level English is still B2, India still needs a TB test for a stay of six months or more, and the 20-hour term-time cap remains. Re-read the Student visa overview before you pay.
The usual counselling slip is sequence. A family pays a deposit, then moves the maintenance money to the university a week before biometrics, so the 28-day balance fails. Another file rests on a loan that pays out only after the visa. The offer was real. The funds story was not. The result still depends on that file and that month’s rules.
Guidance only. Outcomes vary. Verify the live GOV.UK pages for your intake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I study in UK with a three-year Indian bachelor’s?
Often yes for a master’s, and sometimes no. Each course page sets the rule on a three-year Indian degree, including subject and marks. There is no UKVI percentage. If the page asks for a four-year degree or a pre-master’s, the marksheet will not override it. Check before you pay a deposit.
Does India skip the bank-funds check?
No. India is not on the differential evidence list. Show unpaid CAS tuition and ÂŁ1,529 a month in London or ÂŁ1,171 outside London, for up to nine months, held 28 days. A person already in the UK on a visa for 12 months is treated differently. A fresh applicant from India should not rely on that exception.
Can my spouse join a taught master’s?
Not on the ordinary taught route if the course starts on or after 1 January 2024. Dependants are for a government-sponsored student on a course longer than six months, or for a PhD, other doctorate, or research-based higher degree. Read the family page against the course title on the CAS before you plan a joint move.
I start in September 2026. Is the Graduate visa still two years?
Only if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 and you qualify. From 1 January 2027 the non-doctoral grant is 18 months. A PhD stays three years. A September 2026 master’s ending in 2027 will normally apply in 2027. You must finish the course and apply in the UK before the Student visa expires.
Will 20 hours of work prove London living costs?
No. The visa looks at money already held, or at a loan or official sponsorship that meets the finance rules. Future wages do not count. Twenty hours is a work condition for many degree students, not a funds substitute. Budget rent from the maintenance money and any award printed on the CAS.
Does Chevening replace a university application?
No. You still need an eligible full-time UK master’s, plus at least 2,800 hours of work after graduation over a minimum of two years. The 2027–28 India window closes at 11:00 UTC on 6 October 2026. Missing it does not block a self-funded Student visa. A campus fee discount is a separate, smaller decision.
The Bottom Line
- Takeaway 1: To study in UK, separate the offer, the CAS and the Student visa, and fund the CAS figure plus the monthly living-cost rule.
- Takeaway 2: Many degree students may work 20 hours in term. The Graduate visa is 18 months for non-doctoral applications from 1 January 2027.
- Takeaway 3: Scholarships and a Russell Group name do not replace funds, English, the TB test or dependant limits.
Global Edge, from Green Park, can pressure-test whether this intake fits your marks and your bank dates. The decision stays yours. The rules stay with UKVI.
Interested to Study Abroad?
Book a free counselling / SPEC9 profile evaluation with Global Edge — study abroad consultants in Delhi. Our team has counselled 57,000+ students across 21+ countries and assists with university shortlisting, applications, SOP & LOR, scholarships, education loans, visa file preparation, and pre-departure briefing.
- Phone: +91-11-48475000
- Email: office@globaledge.net.in
- Head Office: S-6, 2nd Floor, Green Park Extension Market, New Delhi – 110016
- Enquire / talk to us: https://globaledge.net.in/contact-us/
Can Indian students study in UK in 2026?
Yes, if a licensed sponsor issues a CAS and the Student visa file meets the rules for that intake.
Study in UK can fit when:
- Course, English and the 28-day funds are realistic before the deposit
- You plan for 18 months on the Graduate visa if you apply from 1 January 2027
- A taught master’s without a partner on the visa is acceptable
Study in UK is a weak fit when:
- Future wages are meant to prove living costs
- You need dependants on a taught course after the January 2024 restriction
- A ranking or a scholarship rumour is treated as permission to fly
Sources
- UKVI — Student visa
- UKVI — Student visa: money you need
- UKVI — Student visa: knowledge of English
- UKVI — Student visa: your partner and children
- UKVI — Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants
- UKVI — Countries where you need a TB test
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Student
- UKVI — Graduate visa
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Graduate
- Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026
- Explanatory memorandum, Statement of Changes HC 584, 3 September 2026
- Student sponsor compliance (accessible)
- DfE — International student levy
- Home Office — Immigration Health Surcharge guidance
- Chevening — India
- Chevening — Work experience
- Russell Group