What a One-Year UK Master's Really Costs in Visa Fees

Ask three UK study guides what the Immigration Health Surcharge costs a master's student and you may get three answers. Most of the confusion comes from one detail: the surcharge is calculated on the length of your visa, not the length of your course, and the rule for part years is not "round up to the next full year".

The surcharge, calculated properly

For students, the surcharge is £776 per year. For a visa longer than a year, gov.uk sets out the rule like this:

• Over one year and up to 18 months: you pay the yearly cost plus half of it
• More than 18 months but under two years: you pay two full years
• For a visa of more than six months but under a year: the full yearly cost
• For six months or less: no surcharge if you apply from outside the UK

A one-year master's is usually granted a visa of about 16 months, which covers the course plus a few extra months. Sixteen months falls in the "yearly cost plus half" band, so the surcharge is £776 + £388 = £1,164. Some guides assume it rounds up to two full years, which would give £1,552. That overstates it by £388.

The visa fee

The Student visa application fee from outside the UK is £558. Put together with the surcharge, a typical one-year master's costs about £1,722 in visa-related fees (£558 plus £1,164), before tuition and before the money you need to show.

The money you need to show is going up

You must show maintenance funds for up to nine months of living costs and hold them for 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of your application. The figures gov.uk currently lists are £1,171 a month outside London and £1,529 in London.

The government has announced an increase of about 2.7%, through a Statement of Changes laid on 3 September 2026. For applications made on or after 30 November 2026, the amounts rise to £1,203 a month outside London and £1,570 in London. Over nine months that is:

• Outside London: £10,539 now, £10,827 from 30 November
• London: £13,761 now, £14,130 from 30 November

If your application falls close to 30 November, the date you submit matters. Plan your 28-day holding period around the figure that will apply when you apply, not the one that applied when you started saving.

What a typical budget looks like

For a one-year master's outside London, applying after 30 November: £10,827 in funds to show, about £1,722 in visa and surcharge fees, and tuition on top, which varies widely by university and course. The funds you show are yours to keep and spend on living costs, while the fees and tuition are gone once paid. Keeping those two categories apart is the single most useful thing you can do when you build a budget, which is why our cost calculator separates them.