UK Student Visa Fees and IHS Guide for Nepali Students explains the current GBP 558 application fee, the GBP 776 annual student healthcare surcharge rate, how visa length affects the charge, costs for dependants, optional priority services and refund rules. The exact NPR amount is not fixed because the application is priced in pounds and the card exchange rate, bank charge and visa duration can change the total.
Information checked on 24 July 2026. Home Office fees and surcharge rates can change, so confirm the live GOV.UK Student visa and IHS calculator before paying.
UK Student visa fee facts at a glance
| Item | Current guidance |
|---|---|
| Student application outside the UK | GBP 558 for each main applicant and dependant |
| Student IHS rate | GBP 776 per year of immigration permission for students and their dependants |
| IHS calculation basis | The full visa length, which can be longer than the teaching period |
| Short outside-UK permission | No IHS when the visa itself is for 6 months or less |
| Part-year charging | More than 6 months but less than 1 year is charged as a full year |
| Optional priority service | GBP 500 for non-settlement priority and GBP 1,000 for super priority when offered |
| NPR budget | Depends on the payment provider’s live exchange rate and any card or bank charges |
What payments make up the Student visa cost?
The main government payments are the Student visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Optional priority service, visa application centre services, translations, TB screening, ATAS preparation, document delivery and payment-card charges are separate where applicable.
Tuition fees, university deposits, maintenance funds and flight costs are not part of the Home Office application fee. Build separate budget lines so one payment is not accidentally counted twice.
Current Student visa application fee
From 8 April 2026, the Home Office fee table lists GBP 558 for a Student application made outside the UK. The public Student visa page shows the same amount.
This fee pays for the application to be considered; it does not buy approval. Paying the correct amount does not repair an invalid CAS, insufficient funds or another eligibility problem.
Each dependant pays a separate application fee
The GBP 558 fee applies to each main applicant and each dependant applying from outside the UK. A family of three therefore has three application fees before IHS and other expenses.
First confirm that the Student route permits dependants in the applicant’s circumstances. The UK Student dependant visa guide explains the restricted eligibility rules.
What is the Immigration Health Surcharge?
The IHS is paid as part of most eligible visa applications so the holder can use the National Health Service on broadly the same basis as a resident during valid permission. It is an immigration charge, not a private insurance premium.
Some NHS services can still involve charges, including prescriptions in England, dental treatment and eye care. Travel insurance can cover risks that the IHS does not, such as trip disruption or repatriation.
Current student IHS rate
The current reduced rate is GBP 776 per year for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants and applicants under 18. Most other immigration routes use a higher annual rate.
The rate is applied to the immigration-permission length calculated by the application system. Do not multiply it only by the number printed in the course title.
Why visa length can exceed course length
Appendix Student normally adds time before and after the course. For a course lasting 12 months or more, current rules usually provide one month before and four months after, subject to the timing of the grant.
A 12-month master’s course can therefore produce permission lasting about 17 months. IHS uses that visa length, so the payment can be based on 18 months rather than one teaching year.
How the IHS charges part of a year
For an application from outside the UK, no surcharge is due where the visa itself lasts six months or less. If it lasts more than six months but less than one year, the full annual amount is charged.
For permission longer than one year, the calculation uses full-year and half-year bands. A period over one year but no more than 18 months is charged at one and a half times the annual student rate.
One-year master’s planning example
If the expected permission is about 17 months, the IHS planning amount is 1.5 years at GBP 776, or GBP 1,164. Add the GBP 558 application fee for a government-payment estimate of GBP 1,722 before optional services and bank charges.
This is an illustration, not a payment quote. The official application calculates the exact permission period and surcharge from the entered course and visa details.
Two-year course planning example
A course lasting two full years can produce permission of roughly 29 months when one month before and four months after are included. That falls in a 2.5-year charging band in a typical calculation.
At GBP 776 per year, 2.5 years equals GBP 1,940 for IHS. Adding the GBP 558 application fee gives GBP 2,498 before optional services. Verify the actual amount generated by the application.
Three-year bachelor’s planning example
A three-year course plus the usual pre-course and post-course periods can produce permission of roughly 41 months. A planning calculation can therefore use 3.5 years of IHS.
At the current student rate, 3.5 years is GBP 2,716. With the GBP 558 application fee, the government-payment planning figure is GBP 3,274 before priority, card or application-centre charges.
Short courses and the six-month rule
The IHS exemption is based on visa length, not only course length. GOV.UK says an outside-UK applicant does not pay the surcharge for a visa of six months or less.
A course near six months can receive permission extending beyond teaching dates. Let the official calculator determine the result rather than assuming that a six-month course automatically means zero IHS.
Use the official IHS calculator
The application normally directs the student through the healthcare-surcharge calculation and payment. Enter the course dates and immigration details consistently with the CAS.
Keep the IHS reference and payment receipt. If the amount appears very different from the expected planning figure, check the course dates, visa category and dependant record before continuing.
What happens if the IHS is underpaid?
GOV.UK says UKVI sends an email if the surcharge has not been paid or the amount is insufficient. An applicant outside the UK normally has seven working days to pay the outstanding amount.
Failure to pay in full within the stated time can cause the application to be turned down. Monitor the application email and spam folder throughout processing.
Optional priority and super-priority fees
The 8 April 2026 fee table lists GBP 500 for a non-settlement priority service and GBP 1,000 for super priority. These services are available only when offered for the application and location.
Faster service changes the intended decision time, not the evidence standard or outcome. A verification check, interview or complex issue can still take longer.
Visa application centre service charges
A visa application centre may offer optional appointment times, document scanning, courier return or premium facilities. These are not the Student visa fee and do not improve the legal strength of the application.
Use the official centre linked from the application. Decline add-ons that are not useful, and keep itemised receipts for any service purchased.
Converting the cost to Nepalese rupees
The final NPR debit depends on the live GBP rate used by the payment processor or card issuer, plus foreign-transaction fees and possible bank margins. A fixed NPR figure in a blog can become inaccurate quickly.
Before submission, ask the card issuer about online international limits, authentication, foreign-currency markup and available balance. Keep a buffer rather than funding the exact search-engine conversion.
Payment-card preparation in Nepal
- Confirm the card can make an international online payment
- Check transaction and daily limits
- Keep the registered phone available for authentication
- Ensure the available balance covers exchange movement and charges
- Use a stable internet connection and official application page
- Save the confirmation and transaction reference
If someone else pays, record who owns the card. Any refund normally returns to the account or card that made the payment.
Application fee and financial requirement are separate
The money used to pay the visa fee and IHS should not be confused with funds that must remain available for Appendix Finance. Removing money from the evidence account during the 28-day holding period can break the financial requirement.
Use the UK Student visa bank statement guide to coordinate the holding period and payment date.
Tuition paid and the CAS
Tuition already paid to the sponsor can reduce the outstanding first-year course fees used in the maintenance calculation when it is recorded on the CAS or supported as permitted. This does not reduce the Home Office application fee or IHS.
Check the tuition and accommodation-payment entries on the CAS before applying. A deposit to an agent should not be treated as a payment to the university unless the sponsor’s official record confirms it.
Does paying IHS mean all healthcare is free?
No. IHS gives access to NHS services during valid permission, but standard patient charges and exclusions can still apply. It also does not reimburse private care chosen outside NHS arrangements.
The UK Student healthcare and NHS guide covers GP registration, prescriptions, dental care and insurance planning.
IHS refund after visa refusal
GOV.UK says the IHS is fully refunded when the visa application is refused. The refund is automatic and normally returns to the original payment account or card.
For an application made outside the UK, the public guidance says the refund can arrive up to six weeks after refusal. If an administrative review later succeeds after the IHS was returned, the surcharge must be repaid.
IHS refund after withdrawal
A full IHS refund is due if the application is withdrawn before a decision. No separate claim is normally needed; it returns to the payment method used.
Withdrawal can affect the CAS, course timing and immigration strategy. Do not withdraw solely to chase a refund without understanding the consequences.
Partial IHS refunds
A partial refund can arise where the successful visa is shorter than requested, a dependant is refused or an in-country applicant paid twice for an overlapping period that qualifies. The rules use defined half-year calculations.
Keep the decision and original IHS reference. Contact UKVI if an expected automatic refund has not arrived within the published timeframe.
When IHS is not refunded
The current refund page says there is no refund merely because a successful applicant decides not to travel, leaves the UK before permission ends, or is told to leave before the visa expires. Other listed exclusions also apply.
Do not describe IHS as a refundable deposit. It is a charge linked to the immigration permission, subject only to the published refund categories.
Visa application fee refunds are different
The visa application fee and IHS have separate refund rules. Cancelling before the application has moved past the relevant identity or evidence stage can make the application fee refundable in the circumstances described by GOV.UK, while a decided refusal does not create the same automatic application-fee refund as IHS.
Use the official cancellation service and read the eligibility result before withdrawing. Priority-service refunds also have their own request process.
Build a complete visa-payment budget
Include:
- GBP 558 application fee per person
- IHS based on each person’s visa length
- Optional priority service only if selected
- Visa application centre add-ons only if needed
- Card, bank and exchange-rate buffer
- TB test and travel to the approved clinic
- Translations, courier and document preparation
Keep this budget separate from tuition, maintenance evidence, accommodation, flights and initial living costs.
Step-by-step payment checklist
- Confirm the current fees. Open GOV.UK on the submission day.
- Check the CAS dates. Use correct course and permission inputs.
- Estimate the IHS. Plan with the full visa length.
- Count every applicant. Include eligible dependants separately.
- Protect financial evidence. Do not break the 28-day balance.
- Prepare the card. Check limit, OTP access and exchange buffer.
- Choose optional service deliberately. Priority does not guarantee approval.
- Save receipts. Keep fee, IHS and service references.
- Monitor email. Respond promptly to any underpayment request.
Common fee and IHS mistakes
- Budgeting only for the course years and ignoring extra visa months
- Forgetting separate fees and IHS for dependants
- Using a fixed old NPR conversion
- Breaking the financial-evidence balance to make the payment
- Assuming priority service guarantees a positive decision
- Paying unnecessary application-centre add-ons
- Entering course dates that do not match the CAS
- Ignoring an IHS underpayment email
- Expecting IHS back after choosing not to travel on a successful visa
Fees in the application timeline
Pay only after the CAS, financial dates and application answers are ready for final submission. The online application date can affect financial evidence, so do not submit merely to test a card.
Use the UK Student visa application timeline from Nepal to coordinate CAS, funds, TB, ATAS, biometrics and the payment date.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the UK Student visa fee from Nepal?
The current outside-UK application fee is GBP 558 for each main applicant and dependant. Confirm it on GOV.UK on the payment date.
How much is the Student IHS rate?
The current reduced rate is GBP 776 per year of visa permission for students and their dependants. Part-years are charged under the published bands.
Why is my IHS higher than the course-year calculation?
The visa can include permission before and after the course. IHS uses the full immigration-permission length, not only the teaching period.
Is IHS refunded if the Student visa is refused?
Yes. GOV.UK says the IHS is fully and automatically refunded after refusal, normally to the original payment method.
Does priority service guarantee a Student visa?
No. It changes the intended processing speed when available but does not change the rules, evidence checks or decision standard.
Official sources
- GOV.UK: Student visa fees
- Home Office fees from 8 April 2026
- GOV.UK: how much IHS to pay
- GOV.UK: IHS refunds
- GOV.UK: refunds after cancelling an application
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Student
Guidance and payment planning in Nepal
For a visible review of the CAS dates, budget and complete visa document sequence, use MKS Education study in the UK guidance. Students comparing IELTS, PTE, GRE, GMAT or SAT preparation can review options at MKS Prep. GOV.UK and the payment page remain the final authorities for the amount due.