UK Student visa · Financial requirement check
Will your bank statement pass the UK student visa financial requirement?
Quick answer
UKVI doesn't just check that you have the money. It checks that you've held it for 28 consecutive days, that the statement is dated within 31 days of your application, and that every naira in there is explained. Miss any of those and you're refused — ₦1,026,117 gone, and your intake with it.
What UKVI actually requires
28-day rule
The required funds must sit at or above the maintenance level for 28 consecutive days without dipping — even once, even for a single day.
31-day rule
The closing balance on your statement must be dated within 31 days of your application date.
The required amount
Your outstanding first-year course fees plus living costs: £1,529/month for up to 9 months in London, or £1,171/month outside London.
Source of funds
Large deposits need a documented, believable origin, or they read as borrowed money parked to impress.
Whose account
Your own account, or a parent's with a birth certificate and a written consent letter. A sponsor's account that isn't a parent generally will not do.
The 28-day rule is where most Nigerian applicants fail — and it's usually invisible to them. Your balance can end high and still have dipped below the threshold on day 12. Grid Report reads every day of the period, not just the closing figure.
What we see most on UK study applications
The dip you didn't notice
School fees or rent went out mid-period and the balance dropped under the line for three days. The closing balance looks perfect. The application is refused.
The helpful deposit
Family sends money to strengthen the application. Because it arrived on day 20, the 28-day clock restarts and the statement is now worthless.
Wrong account holder
Funds in an uncle's or sibling's account. UKVI accepts your account or a parent's — not a cousin's, not an employer's.
Statement dated too early
You pulled it while gathering documents, then applied six weeks later. It's outside the 31-day window and gets thrown out before anyone reads the numbers.
The wrong institution
Your money is real, your balance is right, your dates are clean — and UKVI still won't look at it because the statement came from a microfinance-licensed bank. Moving funds takes time; finding out four days before your appointment doesn't help you.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 28 days have to be the last 28 days?+
Not the literal last 28 days — but the statement's closing balance must be dated within 31 days of the day you apply, and the required amount must have stayed at or above the threshold for 28 consecutive days ending on or before that closing date. If the balance dropped below the line on any day in that window, the count restarts.
Can I use my parents' account?+
Yes — with your birth certificate proving the relationship and a signed letter from them consenting to your use of the funds. The same 28-day, 31-day and source-of-funds rules apply to their statement. An uncle's, sibling's or employer's account is not accepted.
What if my school fees are already partly paid?+
Then you show less. The maintenance requirement is based on your outstanding first-year tuition plus living costs, so anything already paid to the university reduces the amount your statement needs to prove. Make sure your CAS reflects what's been paid.
Does a fixed deposit or savings account count?+
Only if the funds are immediately accessible — you must be able to withdraw the money without notice. A fixed deposit you can't break, or an investment you can't liquidate on demand, doesn't count as available maintenance, however real it is on paper.
My statement is from Opay/Kuda — is that accepted?+
Being readable and being accepted are two different things. UKVI restricts which institutions it accepts financial evidence from, and statements from microfinance-licensed banks are often rejected outright no matter how healthy the balance. If your funds sit in a neobank, move them to a commercial bank and let them settle well before you apply — it's a problem to solve four weeks out, not four days.
Check it before UKVI does.
₦2,500, about two minutes. Cheaper than one hour of the delay a refusal costs you.
Check my statementLast updated: 13 August 2026. UKVI figures last reviewed: 13 August 2026. Always confirm the current figures on gov.uk before applying.