Financial requirements and supporting documents

Please note that until further notice, the University will not be accepting financial evidence from the following financial institutions:

KJL Microfinance Bank Limited - Nigeria

Trust Investment Bank - Pakistan

Please do not submit documents issued by these institutions as part of a request for Student visa sponsorship, as they will not be accepted.

In order to make a successful Student visa application, you must be able to show the Home Office that you have enough money for your course fees and living costs while you are in the UK. Please refer to Appendix ST: Student of the Immigration Rules. We also recommend that you refer to our Financial Evidence Guidance, which explains the Home Office requirements and has examples of the documents they can accept.

How much money do I need to show?

Students who will be studying at our London Bloomsbury and Moorgate campuses will need to show:

• Enough funds to cover the first year’s tuition fees; and
• £1,334 for every month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months.

Students who will be studying at a campus outside London will need to show:

• Enough funds to cover the first year’s tuition fees; and
• £1,023 for every month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months.

Please note the following:

• Any advance payments of tuition fees you have made to the University can be deducted from the amount you need to show the Home Office.
• Even if your course is longer than 9 months, you only need to show 9 months of funds.
• You must show funds for your living costs, even if you will be living with family during your studies.
• You cannot deduct any payments made for accommodation from your living costs.

You will need to show you have enough funds using documents which meet the Home Office’s requirements. Please see Appendix Finance of the Immigration Rules. It is very important that your documents meet all of the requirements. Incorrect financial evidence is the main reason that students have their visa application refused.

Self-funded students

Self-funded means you will be paying for your studies in the UK. You can use funds held in your name or a parent or guardian’s name, but not another relative or a friend. A guardian must be a legal guardian who has been appointed by a court in your country.

You can use any of these documents as financial evidence:

• Personal bank statements
• Bank statements in your parent or guardian’s name
• A letter from your bank or parent or guardian’s bank
• A certificate of deposit

The documents must meet all of these requirements:

• The required funds (your tuition funds and living costs) must have been held in the bank account for a period of 28 consecutive full days from the date of the closing balance on the bank account.
• It must be cash funds in the bank e.g. a current or savings accounts. Other accounts or funds will not be accepted e.g. bonds, credit cards, overdrafts, lines of credit and shares.
• The funds must not have dropped below the required amount, even for one day or even by a small amount.
• The documents must have been issued no more than one month before the date of your application.
• The documents must be in English or translated into English by a professional translator or company.
• Joint accounts can be used, but not business or corporate accounts.
• You can use funds in more than one account, but the required funds must be available in all of the accounts at the same time.
• If the bank account is in a parent or guardian’s name, you will also need to provide evidence of your relationship (e.g. birth certificate, adoption certificate or court document) and a letter of permission from them to use their funds.

Sponsored students

A sponsored student is one who is receiving official financial sponsorship from one of the following:

• a government
• the British Council
• an international organisation
• an international company
• a university or an independent school

Your sponsor will need to provide you with a letter which meets all of these requirements:

• Includes your full name
• Has the name and contact details of your sponsor
• Has the date of issue
• States the length of your sponsorship
• States the amount of money you are receiving towards your course fees and/or living costs; or contains a statement that your sponsor will cover all of your fees and living costs
• Printed on the official letter-headed paper of the sponsor and endorsed with their official stamp.

Student loans

If you have obtained a loan to fund your studies in the UK, you will need a letter that confirms it is provided by the national government, the state or regional government or a government sponsored student loan company or is part of an academic or educational loans scheme. The loan must also be in your name (not a parent or guardian’s) and confirm the funds will be available to you before you travel to the UK.

If the loan does not meet all of these requirements, you will need to transfer the funds into your bank account and use bank statements from the account as your financial evidence. The statements must meet the same requirements as for a self-funded student.

You will need to submit all of the following documents with your Student visa application:

• A valid passport. This should be the same passport which you submitted as part of your application to the University. If your passport information has changed, please email our Visa Compliance Team.
• Two recent passport sized photographs.
• Financial evidence that fully meets the Home Office's financial requirement.
• A fully certified translation of any documents which are not in English.
• TB screening certificate (If you come from a country where this is required). For further information about this requirement, please see below.

You must submit the original documents with your application and not copies or scans. This includes your financial evidence.

You do not have to submit evidence of your English language or qualifications with your visa application. The University of Law is classed by the Home Office as a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance and so our students are exempt from submitting these documents with their visa application.

Students from certain countries must be tested for TB if they are coming to the UK to study for more than 6 months. Click here for the Home Office list of countries where TB testing is required. You must obtain a TB screening certificate from an accredited clinic if this condition applies to you. If you submit your visa application without this certificate, it will be refused. Please read this document for further information.

Different arrangements for some nationals

The Home Office has set out differentiation arrangements for applicants from certain countries. Those who qualify do not have to submit financial evidence with their visa application. To qualify for these arrangements you must meet be a national (passport holder) of one of the countries listed in section ST 22.1 of Appendix ST: Student of the Immigation Rules.

You qualify for these arrangements if you are applying for your visa in the UK, your country of nationality or a country where you hold residency.

Residency exemption for students applying in the UK

The Home Office has set out arrangements for applicants applying for their Student visa from inside the UK. If you have been living in the UK for a period of 12 months or more before the date of your visa application, you do not have to submit financial evidence with your visa application.

You qualify for this exemption if you have been living in the UK for a period of 12 months or more legally under any immigration category.

Remember that these arrangements only exempt you from submitting these documents with your visa application. You must still have the required funds available to you. Even if you qualify for these arrangements, the Home Office may ask you to submit financial evidence after receiving your visa application. If you fail to comply with this request, your visa application will be rejected.