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To get a UK Student visa from Nepal you need a CAS from a licensed university, funds for tuition and living costs held for 28 days, a TB certificate and your NOC. You apply online, pay the £558 fee and health surcharge, and give biometrics at VFS Kathmandu. House of Admissions (HOA) gives free guidance from Kathmandu and Pokhara.

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Quick answer

Get an unconditional offer and CAS, obtain your NOC, hold the required funds for 28 days, take a TB test at an approved clinic, then apply online (up to 6 months before your course), pay the £558 fee and health surcharge, and attend VFS Kathmandu.

Visa & Immigration 5 min read

UK Student Visa from Nepal: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026-27

Every step of a UK Student visa application from Nepal, in the order you do them: from the offer and CAS to the NOC, the 28-day funds, the TB test, the online form and VFS biometrics in Kathmandu.

Rahul Chhetri Director, House of Admissions • Putalisadak, Kathmandu
Last updated:

Fees, funds and timings checked on 20 October 2026 against GOV.UK. Maintenance figures change for applications made from 30 November 2026.

Passport and travel documents on a table

UK Student visa from Nepal: key facts

Visa fee (outside the UK)
£558Student visa: apply
Health surcharge (IHS)
£776 a yearAbout £1,164 for a one-year master's; total with the fee about £1,722
Living costs to show
£1,171 or £1,529 a monthOutside London or London, up to 9 months; £1,203 or £1,570 for applications from 30 Nov 2026Student visa: money you need
Funds held for
28 consecutive daysEnding no more than 31 days before you applyFinancial evidence for Student and Child Student visa applicants
Earliest you can apply
6 months before your courseFrom outside the UK
Usual decision time
About 3 weeksAfter your biometrics appointment
TB test
Required from NepalAt an approved clinic in Kathmandu or DamakTuberculosis testing in Nepal
NOC
Needed firstNPR 2,000 online from MoEST, before paying fees abroad

Who Needs a UK Student Visa?

You need a Student visa to study a course longer than six months in the UK. You must have an unconditional offer from a university with a student sponsor licence, which shows up as a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), enough money for your fees and living costs, and English at the level your course requires. GOV.UK

Check your university is licensed on the GOV.UK sponsor register before you pay a deposit.

The Process from Nepal, Step by Step

  1. Accept an offer and meet its conditions. Send final results and English evidence, and pay any deposit your university asks for.
  2. Get your CAS. Your university issues it once the offer is unconditional. Check every detail, including fees paid. See what a CAS is.
  3. Apply for your NOC. The Ministry of Education’s No Objection Certificate is needed before your bank will send fees abroad. It costs NPR 2,000 online and usually takes 1 to 5 working days. See the NOC guide.
  4. Hold your funds for 28 days. Tuition still owed plus living costs, in an account at a regulated bank, for 28 consecutive days. See the 28-day rule guide.
  5. Take a TB test. At IOM in Kathmandu or Damak, or Norvic in Kathmandu. See the TB test guide.
  6. Apply online. You can apply up to 6 months before your course starts. Pay the £558 fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
  7. Attend VFS Kathmandu. Give fingerprints and a photo, and submit documents if asked. Most applicants, including students from Pokhara, use the Kathmandu centre. See the VFS guide.
  8. Answer any credibility interview, then wait. Decisions usually arrive in about three weeks. If granted, you get an eVisa linked to your passport.

How Much Money You Need to Show

You must show the tuition still owed for your first year (as stated on your CAS) plus living costs for up to nine months. Which monthly figure applies depends on the date you submit your application. GOV.UK

Where you studyApplications up to 29 Nov 2026Applications from 30 Nov 2026
Outside London£1,171 a month; £10,539 for 9 months (about NPR 20.5 lakh)£1,203 a month; £10,827 for 9 months (about NPR 21.1 lakh)
London£1,529 a month; £13,761 for 9 months (about NPR 26.8 lakh)£1,570 a month; £14,130 for 9 months (about NPR 27.6 lakh)

NPR figures use HOA’s planning rate of NPR 195 per £1. UKVI converts your balance at the OANDA rate on your application date, so keep a buffer.

Documents Checklist

  • Valid passport
  • CAS reference number from your university
  • Financial evidence: bank statement or letter covering 28 consecutive days, or an education loan letter
  • If the money is in a parent’s account: their consent letter and your birth certificate (with a certified English translation if needed)
  • TB test certificate from an approved clinic
  • Academic documents used to get your offer, if your CAS lists them
  • ATAS certificate, only if your course needs one
  • Certified English translations of any document not in English

Nepal is not one of the nationalities eligible for UKVI’s reduced-documentation arrangement, so plan to submit full evidence of your money and qualifications. University of Exeter list of eligible nationalities

Visa Fee and Health Surcharge

The Student visa fee from outside the UK is £558. You also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 for each year of permission, and £388 for any remaining period of six months or less. Your permission runs for the course plus some extra months, so the surcharge is usually more than one year’s worth.

CourseTypical IHSVisa fee + IHS
One-year master’s£1,164£1,722
Three-year bachelor’s (England, Wales, Northern Ireland)£2,716£3,274
Four-year bachelor’s (Scotland) or foundation + three years£3,492£4,050

Use the official IHS calculator with your CAS dates for the exact amount.

Work Rights and Family

On a degree-level course you can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time during official vacations. You cannot be self-employed or fill a permanent full-time job.

Since January 2024, most taught master’s students cannot bring dependants. Postgraduate research students and some government-sponsored students still can; see the dependant rules.

Why Applications from Nepal Are Refused

Most refusals come from a few preventable problems: funds that dip below the required amount or fall outside the 28-day window, money whose source cannot be explained, inconsistent documents, weak answers under the Genuine Student requirement, and undeclared previous refusals. Read common refusal reasons and the Genuine Student requirement before you submit.

From 1 January 2027, Graduate Route applications give 18 months instead of two years for bachelor’s and master’s graduates. A student starting in 2026 or 2027 will apply after that date. See the Graduate Route guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Every source below was checked on 20 October 2026. Rules and fees change; the official pages are the authority.

  1. Student visa (GOV.UK)
  2. Student visa: apply (GOV.UK), fee, timing and decision times
  3. Student visa: money you need (GOV.UK)
  4. Financial evidence for Student and Child Student visa applicants (UK Visas and Immigration), last updated 31 Dec 2025
  5. Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 584 (Home Office), maintenance rise from 30 Nov 2026
  6. Tuberculosis testing in Nepal (GOV.UK), updated 2 Nov 2025
  7. Check if an institution is a licensed student sponsor (GOV.UK)
  8. No Objection Certificate portal (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Nepal)
  9. Differentiation arrangements (list of eligible nationalities) (University of Exeter), Nepal not listed