Applying again from inside the UK?
Student Visa Extension Cost in the UK: Fee, IHS and Calculator
An in-UK Student visa application costs £558 plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, which depends on how long your new visa will last. Use the calculator for an estimate, then check the exact figure when you apply.
Admissions guidance only. HOA does not give advice on individual immigration cases, and no university offer guarantees a visa.
Student visa cost calculator
For an application made inside the UK. Use the course length on your CAS.
- Visa length: course plus time after it
- 1 year 4 months
- Health surcharge, per person
- £1,164
- Application fee, per person
- £558
- Estimated total
- £1,722
An estimate. UKVI works out the exact surcharge from your dates when you apply. Faster decisions, if offered, cost extra.
How Much Does a Student Visa Extension Cost?
£558 per person, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 for each year of your new visa. A final part-year of 6 months or less is charged at half rate, £388, and a part-year of more than 6 months at the full £776. The fee is the same whether you apply inside or outside the UK, and the same each time you extend.
Your visa lasts longer than your course: a course of 12 months or more comes with 4 extra months. So a one-year master’s means about 16 months of surcharge, £1,164, and a visa total of £1,722 before tuition. There is no biometrics fee. A faster decision, if offered, costs £500 or £1,000 extra.
The facts at a glance
Checked against the sources cited on 13 October 2026.
- Application fee
- £558 per person, to extend or switch from inside the UK.GOV.UK, Student visa
- Health surcharge
- £776 a year; half that for a part-year of 6 months or less, a full year for more than 6 months.GOV.UK, healthcare surcharge
- Visa length
- Your course plus 4 months for courses of 12 months or more, or 2 months for 6 to 12 months.Appendix Student, ST 25.3
- Biometrics
- No fee. Prove your identity with the ID Check app or at a UKVCAS service point.GOV.UK, Student visa: extend
- Faster decision
- £500 for priority (usually 5 working days) or £1,000 for super priority (usually the next working day), if offered.GOV.UK, faster decision
- Money to show
- None if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more when you apply.GOV.UK, Student visa: extend
- If refused
- The health surcharge is refunded in full, usually within 6 weeks.GOV.UK, healthcare surcharge refunds
- If you cancel
- The application fee is refunded if you cancel before giving your fingerprints and photo.GOV.UK, cancel your application
Typical Totals by Course Length
For one person applying from inside the UK, with the visa running from the start of the course. Planning a second master’s or a longer course? Use the calculator.
| Course | Visa length | Surcharge | Total with £558 fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-year master’s | 1 year 4 months | £1,164 | £1,722 |
| 15-month master’s | 1 year 7 months | £1,552 | £2,110 |
| Two-year master’s with a placement | 2 years 4 months | £1,940 | £2,498 |
| Three-year bachelor’s | 3 years 4 months | £2,716 | £3,274 |
| Four-year bachelor’s, such as in Scotland | 4 years 4 months | £3,492 | £4,050 |
Why is the surcharge more than £776 for a one-year master’s? Because the visa covers your course plus 4 months. Sixteen months is one full year at £776 plus a part-year of 4 months at £388: £1,164 in surcharge, £1,722 in total.
How the Health Surcharge Is Worked Out
- Start with your course length, from your CAS.
- Add the time after the course: 4 months for a course of 12 months or more, 2 months for 6 to 12 months, 1 month for a short pre-sessional course, 7 days for other short courses.
- Charge £776 for each full year.
- For any part-year left over, add £388 if it is 6 months or less, or £776 if it is more.
The exact amount is worked out from your dates when you apply, so it can differ from the typical figures here. GOV.UK’s immigration health surcharge calculator gives the figure for your dates. You pay the surcharge as part of your online application.
Already Paid the Surcharge on Your Current Visa?
You still pay the surcharge for the whole of your new visa. But if you are extending or switching inside the UK and your old and new payments cover the same period, you may get part of it back. GOV.UK refunds an overlap of 6 months or more, rounded down to the nearest 6 months. An overlap of less than 6 months is not refunded.
GOV.UK’s example: if you have paid twice for a 15-month period, you get a refund for 12 months.
Refunds If You Are Refused or Withdraw
| Situation | Application fee | Health surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Your application is refused | Not refunded | Refunded in full, usually within 6 weeks |
| You cancel before giving your fingerprints and photo | Refunded, within 4 weeks | Refunded in full |
| You cancel after that, before a decision | Not usually refunded | Refunded in full, within 6 weeks |
| Your application is granted | Not refundable | Only an overlap of 6 months or more, as above |
A priority or super priority fee can be refunded if you are eligible, but you have to ask for it: it is not automatic.
Dependants, Funds and University Costs
Dependants pay the same £558 fee and £776-a-year surcharge each. For courses starting from 1 January 2024, only postgraduate research students and government-sponsored students can bring dependants (Appendix Student, ST 31.1). If you are in the UK as a dependant yourself, you may not need to switch at all: studying on a dependant visa.
Money to show is not a fee, but if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months you must hold up to 9 months of living costs for 28 days: £1,171 a month outside London or £1,529 in London, rising to £1,203 and £1,570 for applications made on or after 30 November 2026. Visa ending soon? Plan around your expiry date.
University costs, such as a deposit and tuition, are separate from the visa and set by each university. HOA confirms them with you in writing before you pay anything.
Want the full cost for a specific course? A counsellor can check the fees and your visa costs with you, free.
Check my study optionsHow to Pay for a Student Visa Extension
Everything is paid online, as part of the application.
-
Get your CAS
The course dates on your CAS set how long your visa will last.
-
Work out your surcharge
Use the calculator on this page, then check the exact figure on GOV.UK.
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Check whether you need to show money
Not if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more.
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Apply online and pay
Pay the £558 fee and the health surcharge as part of the online application.
-
Choose a faster decision if you need one
If it is offered, priority costs £500 and super priority £1,000.
-
Prove your identity
Use the ID Check app or a UKVCAS appointment. There is no biometrics fee.
-
Apply before your current visa expires
Then stay in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
The application fee is £558 per person, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 for each year of the new visa, half rate for a final part-year of 6 months or less. For a one-year master’s the total is usually £1,722.
£776 a year for students and their dependants. A part-year of 6 months or less costs £388, and a part-year of more than 6 months costs a full £776. Your visa includes time after your course, so count that too.
Because a course of 12 months or more comes with 4 extra months on the visa. Sixteen months is one full year at £776 plus a part-year of 4 months at £388, making £1,164.
No. GOV.UK lists £558 both to apply from outside the UK and to extend or switch from inside the UK.
No. The fee is set per application, not by how many times you have extended. A second or third extension costs the same £558, plus the surcharge for the new visa.
Each dependant pays the same fee and surcharge as you. Only postgraduate research students and government-sponsored students can bring dependants for courses starting from 1 January 2024.
Sometimes. You are told when you apply whether a faster decision is available. Priority costs £500 extra, usually a decision within 5 working days, and super priority £1,000, usually by the end of the next working day.
No. There is no fee for giving your fingerprints and photo. You can also prove your identity with the UK Immigration: ID Check app.
The health surcharge, yes: it is refunded in full, usually within 6 weeks. The application fee pays for the decision itself, so it is not refunded.
Yes, for the whole of the new visa. If the two payments cover the same period of 6 months or more, GOV.UK refunds the overlap, rounded down to the nearest 6 months.
Not if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more on the date you apply. Otherwise you need up to 9 months of living costs, held for 28 consecutive days.
No. HOA’s admissions guidance and application support are free to students at every stage. You pay the visa fee and surcharge to the Home Office directly.
Guides for Students Already in the UK
Each guide answers one question. The first one is where you can ask a counsellor to check your options.
- Graduate visa to Student visaSwitch inside the UK, and check your options
- Academic progressionWill your next course count?
- Second master’s in the UKVisa rules, PSW and costs
- Dependant visa to Student visaSwitch, or study as you are
- Can you extend a Graduate visa?And what to do before it ends
- Student visa expiringYour options before it ends
- Student visa extension costFees, surcharge and a calculator
- February 2027 intakeUniversities we could confirm
Key Terms
- Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
- A payment made with most UK visa applications that gives access to the NHS. Students and their dependants pay £776 a year, half that for a part-year of 6 months or less.
- Time after the course
- The extra permission a Student visa includes after the course end date: 4 months for courses of 12 months or more, 2 months for 6 to 12 months (Appendix Student, ST 25.3).
- Priority and super priority
- Optional paid services for a faster visa decision: £500 for a decision usually within 5 working days, £1,000 for one usually by the end of the next working day.
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
- The reference a licensed university issues for an unconditional offer. Its course dates set the length of the visa, and so the surcharge.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page was checked against these sources on 13 October 2026. If GOV.UK and this page ever disagree, GOV.UK is right.
- GOV.UK, Student visa
- GOV.UK, Student visa: extend your visa
- GOV.UK, Healthcare surcharge: how much you pay
- GOV.UK, Healthcare surcharge: refunds
- GOV.UK, Cancel your application: getting a refund
- GOV.UK, Get a faster decision on your visa
- Home Office, Immigration Rules, Appendix Student (ST 12, ST 25.3, ST 31)
- GOV.UK, Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 584
- UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration health surcharge calculator
About This Guide
Who wrote it. House of Admissions (HOA), a UK-only education consultancy founded in 2016, with offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara. All 20+ HOA counsellors hold the British Council’s UK counsellor certification, and HOA’s guidance is free to students.
Who checked it. Reviewed by Rahul Chhetri, Director. Every rule and figure was checked against the sources above on , and each one links to its source.
What it is not. Admissions guidance, not immigration advice. For advice on your own case, speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Related Guides
Know the Full Cost Before You Commit
A counsellor can check your course dates, the visa costs and the university’s fees with you, free.