Immigration Health Surcharge for Students: How Much You Pay and How It Is Worked Out

TL;DR: The Immigration Health Surcharge for students is £776 for each year of your UK Student visa, paid upfront when you apply. It is charged on the whole length of your visa, not just your course, in half-year blocks. A typical 12-month master's gives about 17 months of visa, which is charged as 18 months: £1,164. A dependant aged 18 or over usually pays the same. It is refunded in full if your visa is refused.

The Immigration Health Surcharge is one of the larger payments in a UK Student visa application, and it is easy to miscalculate. A common slip is to multiply £776 by the length of the course. The Home Office charges on the length of the visa, which includes time before and after your course. If you are budgeting the immigration health surcharge for students, from Sri Lanka or anywhere else, this guide shows you how the number is worked out, with a worked example you can copy.

Planning your UK budget and not sure the totals add up? Check your eligibility with Prosper.

What the Immigration Health Surcharge is and what it costs

The surcharge, often shortened to IHS, is a charge for using the National Health Service while you live in the UK. GOV.UK sets the student rate at £776 per year. The same rate applies to students' dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants and applicants under 18. Most other visa routes pay £1,035 per year.

The student rate rose from £470 to £776 on 6 February 2024, under the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2024. The rate that applies is set by the date you submit your application. GOV.UK shows no announced change to the student rate.

How the surcharge period is calculated

You pay for the full length of the visa you are given. GOV.UK sets the blocks like this:

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Where the length of your visa comes from

The visa length comes from your course dates on your CAS plus the extra time the Immigration Rules allow. Under Appendix Student, a course of 12 months or longer gives you up to one month before the course starts and four months after it ends. A course of 6 months or longer but under 12 months gives one month before and two months after. Home Office staff guidance adds that part-periods are rounded up into the next six-month block.

Worked example: a 12-month master's

Take a one-year taught master's starting in September, applied for from outside the UK.

• One month before the course, 12 months of course, four months after: 17 months of visa.
• 17 months falls in the "more than 1 year, up to 18 months" block, so it is charged as 18 months.
• 1.5 years × £776 = £1,164.

The Home Office staff guidance uses this exact case: a 12-month course with 17 months of leave pays for 18 months. Add the £558 Student visa application fee and the visa-related total is £1,722 per person, before tuition and living costs. Our guide to UK student visa cost shows the full picture. If a partner aged 18 or over comes with you on a route that allows dependants, they usually pay the same surcharge as you.

When you pay and when you get it back

You pay the surcharge as part of your online Student visa application, at the same time as the application fee. GOV.UK sets out the refund rules:

• Full refund if your visa is refused, if you withdraw before a decision, or if you paid twice for the same application.
• Partial refund if you are granted less time than you applied for, or if a dependant is refused (you get that dependant's surcharge back).
• No refund if you withdraw after the visa is granted, do not travel, or leave the UK early.

What the surcharge gives you

GOV.UK says you can start using the NHS from the date your visa starts. You still pay for some services, such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests.

The Graduate visa is a separate payment

If you stay on after your degree on the Graduate visa, that is a new application with its own fee and its own surcharge. The Graduate visa fee is £937, and the surcharge is charged at the general rate of £1,035 per year, not the student rate. GOV.UK sets the Graduate visa at two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. Budget for it separately rather than assuming the student surcharge covers it.

Applying from Sri Lanka

• The surcharge is paid in pounds online during the application, so check that your card allows international payments of this size before you start.
• Pay only once your CAS details and course dates are final, because the surcharge is calculated from those dates.
• The surcharge is a payment, not money you show. It is separate from the maintenance funds you must hold in your account.

FAQ

How much is the Immigration Health Surcharge for a one-year master's? For a typical 12-month master's applied for from outside the UK, £1,164, because 17 months of visa is charged as 18 months.

Do students from Sri Lanka pay a different surcharge rate? No. The student rate of £776 a year applies to every nationality.

Is the surcharge refunded if my visa is refused? Yes, in full. It is also refunded if you withdraw before a decision.

Does the surcharge cover dental and prescription costs? No. You can use the NHS, but you still pay for prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests.

Do I pay again for the Graduate visa? Yes. It is a new application with its own surcharge at £1,035 a year.

PS: The surcharge is one line in a budget that also covers tuition, deposit, funds and travel. If you want that whole budget checked against your course and intake, start here: check your eligibility with Prosper.

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