UK Student Visa by Country: Find Your Guide
While the UK Student Visa requirements are broadly the same for everyone, nationality decides whether the route is open at all, whether you must prove your English, whether you must send financial evidence up front, and whether you need a tuberculosis test. This hub page helps you find guidance specific to your country.
- Section
- Student & Graduate
- Reading time
- 6 min
- Last checked
- 25 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Since 26 March 2026, Student entry clearance applications are refused for nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.
- Core requirements (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, money, English) are the same for all countries.
- A tuberculosis test is required if you have been living in a listed country for 6 months or more and are coming to the UK for 6 months or more.
- Money may be held in any currency; it is converted using the spot rate on www.oanda.com for the date of application.
- Nationals of the 'differential evidence requirement' countries do not have to send financial evidence up front.
- The published decision time is 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside it.
The UK Student Visa has the same core requirements regardless of where you apply from, but nationality decides four things: whether the route is open to you at all, whether you must prove your English, whether you must send financial evidence up front, and whether you need a tuberculosis test. This hub connects you to country-specific guides and sets out those differences.
Four Nationalities the Route Is Closed To
Since 26 March 2026 the Immigration Rules say a person must not be applying for entry clearance as a Student as a national or citizen of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan. This was brought in by the statement of changes published on 5 March 2026, alongside an equivalent restriction on Skilled Worker applications from Afghan nationals. It is written into the entry requirements for the route, not applied case by case.
Country-Specific Guides
We have detailed guides for the countries that send the most students to the UK:
For country-specific immigration guides covering all visa routes (not just students), see our country guides:
Key Differences by Region
South Asia
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are all on the tuberculosis test list. None of them is on the differential evidence requirement list, so financial evidence normally has to be sent with the application. Money may be held in any currency and is converted at the spot rate on the date of application. See our South Asia regional guide for shared requirements.
China
China, Hong Kong and Macau are all on the tuberculosis test list. China and Hong Kong are on the differential evidence requirement list, so financial evidence does not have to be sent up front, though it may still be asked for before a decision. Whether an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate is needed depends on the subject, not the nationality — but Chinese nationals are not on the exemption list, so the subject test is what decides it. The published decision time is 3 weeks.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Most sub-Saharan African countries are on the tuberculosis test list. Botswana and Mauritius are on the differential evidence requirement list; Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are not, and none of them is on the majority English-speaking list, so an English test or a qualifying degree is normally needed. Cameroon and Sudan are two of the four nationalities the route is closed to. Money must be shown as held for 28 days in a row. See our country guides for Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.
Middle East
Most Middle Eastern countries are not on the tuberculosis test list; Iraq is. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are on the differential evidence requirement list. Money in any currency is accepted. See our Middle East regional guide.
Europe
EU and EEA nationals now need a Student visa to study in the UK. Irish citizens do not, and neither does anyone with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Most EU and EEA countries are on the differential evidence requirement list, though Russia and Ukraine are on the tuberculosis test list. Ireland and Malta are on the majority English-speaking list; the other EU countries are not, so an English test or a degree taught in English is normally needed. See our guides for France, Germany, and Italy.
North America and Australasia
Australia, New Zealand and the United States are on the majority English-speaking list, and GOV.UK also treats Canadian nationals as not needing to prove English. None of the four is on the tuberculosis test list, and all are on the differential evidence requirement list. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are also on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme nationality exemption list. See our North America and Australasia guides.
Universal Requirements
Regardless of your country, every Student visa applicant needs:
- A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies from a licensed student sponsor, used within 6 months of being issued
- Money for fees and living costs: course fees for one academic year plus £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month outside it, for up to 9 months — £13,761 and £10,539 — held for 28 days in a row
- English at the level recorded on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies: B2 for degree level and above, B1 below it
- A current passport or other valid travel document
- Payment of the £558 visa fee and the healthcare surcharge at £776 a year
For the complete requirements, see our Student visa requirements guide.
After You Arrive
Whichever country you are from, your first steps in the UK will be similar. See our first week in the UK checklist and our guide to opening a UK bank account.
For official information, see the GOV.UK Student visa page and the Tuberculosis test countries list.
Questions and answers
Do Student Visa requirements differ by country?
The core requirements are the same everywhere: a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, money to support yourself, and English at the required level. Nationality changes four things. Since 26 March 2026 the Immigration Rules refuse entry clearance as a Student to nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. Nationals of a list of majority English-speaking countries do not have to prove their English. Nationals of a separate 'differential evidence requirement' list do not have to send financial evidence up front. And a tuberculosis test is required if you have been living in a listed country.
Which countries require a tuberculosis test for a Student Visa?
A tuberculosis test is required if all three of these are true: you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, you have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, and you were living there (or in another listed country) within the last 6 months. The list runs to about a hundred countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Iraq and most of sub-Saharan Africa. The full list is published on GOV.UK and changes from time to time, so check it rather than relying on any summary.
Are English language test requirements different by nationality?
The level does not change by nationality: B2 for a course at UK bachelor's degree level or above, B1 below that. What changes is whether you have to prove it with a test. Nationals of the listed majority English-speaking countries are exempt, and so are people whose degree was taught in English. The list of approved tests is the same for everyone, though which providers you can use depends on whether you take the test inside or outside the UK.
How do processing times differ by country?
The published service standard is the same everywhere: a Student visa application made outside the UK is usually decided within 3 weeks, and one made inside the UK within 8 weeks. GOV.UK also runs an online service to check the current processing time for your own application, and lists reasons a case may take longer, such as documents needing verification or an interview. Paying for a faster decision is available on some applications, and you are told when you apply whether it is.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.