Study in the UK from Pakistan

A Pakistani student needs FSc or A-Levels, IELTS around 6.0, a CAS from a licensed university, and proof of £1,171 per month in living costs outside London or £1,529 in London. The visa fee is £558 plus £776 a year for the health surcharge. Two changes are coming: maintenance funds rise on 30 November 2026, and the Graduate Route drops from two years to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027.

Check if you qualify Document checklist

United Kingdom at a glance

Updated Sept 2026

Checked against official government sources on 14 September 2026. PKR conversions use the open-market rates of that date: £1 = PKR 379, $1 = PKR 279, C$1 = PKR 205, A$1 = PKR 202, €1 = PKR 325. Figures set by governments and universities change every intake — confirm before you apply.
Main intakes	September (largest), January, a few May starts
Undergraduate tuition	£12,000 – £38,000 per year depending on university and subject
Living cost — applying now	£1,171/month outside London, £1,529/month in London, for up to 9 months
Living cost — from 30 Nov 2026	£1,203/month outside London, £1,570/month in London
Funds holding period	28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of applying
English requirement	IELTS 6.0 overall for undergraduate, 6.5 for Masters
Visa type	Student visa, sponsored by a licensed institution
Visa application fee	£558 applying from Pakistan
Health surcharge (IHS)	£776 per year of the course
Work during study	20 hours per week in term time
After graduation	Graduate Route — 2 years if you apply by 31 Dec 2026, 18 months from 1 Jan 2027, 3 years for PhD

What you need from a Pakistani qualification

After FSc / HSSC

Most UK universities do not admit FSc directly to year one of a bachelor's degree. The normal route is a one-year International Foundation Year, after which you enter year one. Around 60–70% in FSc is typical for foundation entry.

After A-Levels

Direct entry to year one with three A-Levels. Grade requirements run from CCC at post-1992 universities to AAA at the most selective.

After a Pakistani bachelor's

A 4-year HEC-recognised bachelor's with a 2.5–3.0 CGPA gets you onto most taught Masters. A 2-year bachelor's usually does not, and needs a Masters or a pre-Masters on top.

After DAE

A three-year diploma is often accepted for year one of a related engineering or computing degree, sometimes with advanced standing.

What it costs

Per year

Indicative annual costs for an international undergraduate. Tuition varies widely by university and subject; medicine and dentistry sit far above this range.
Item	Local currency	Approx. PKR
Tuition — classroom subjects	£12,000 – £20,000	PKR 4.5m – 7.6m
Tuition — lab, engineering & Russell Group	£22,000 – £38,000	PKR 8.3m – 14.4m
Living — outside London (9 months)	£10,539	PKR 4.0m
Living — London (9 months)	£13,761	PKR 5.2m
Visa fee	£558	PKR 211,000
Health surcharge, 3-year course	£2,328	PKR 882,000

PKR conversions are approximate and move with the exchange rate. Use them for planning, not for budgeting to the rupee.

The Student visa, step by step

7 stages

Accept an unconditional offer and pay the deposit the university asks for.
Receive your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) — a reference number, not a document.
Hold the required maintenance funds in an acceptable account for 28 consecutive days. The closing balance must be dated no more than 31 days before you apply.
Complete the online application, pay the £524 fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Book biometrics at the visa application centre in Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi.
Complete a TB test at an IOM-approved clinic — mandatory for Pakistani applicants.
Attend a credibility interview if one is requested, and submit your documents.

Two dates to plan around. Maintenance funds rise on 30 November 2026 — applying on 29 November means showing £10,539 outside London, applying on 1 December means £10,827. What counts is the date you lodge the visa application, not your course start date. And the Graduate Route drops from two years to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027, so a 2026 graduate who applies promptly keeps the full two years. Separately, the 28-day holding rule still catches more Pakistani students than anything else: money that lands a week before you apply does not count, however much of it there is.

Working after your degree

The Graduate Route lets bachelor's and master's graduates stay and work without a job offer. The length now depends on when you apply: two years for applications made on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. Doctoral graduates keep three years either way. The permit cannot be extended. It is also not a route to settlement by itself — you must switch to a Skilled Worker visa for that, which needs an employer holding a sponsor licence and a salary above the published threshold. If the post-study period is a significant part of why you are choosing the UK, the 1 January 2027 line is worth planning around.

Before you apply

Two things decide whether a the UK application works: whether your documents are attested correctly, and whether your English score meets both the university and the visa requirement. Get those wrong and nothing else you do matters.

The Pakistani attestation chain — IBCC, HEC, MOFA and embassy, in order
Undergraduate document checklist
Postgraduate document checklist
English test requirements by country

United Kingdom — common questions

5 answers

Can I apply to a UK university without IELTS?

Sometimes. A number of UK universities accept a medium-of-instruction letter from a Pakistani institution, or run their own online English test. But the visa itself may still require a UKVI-approved SELT depending on your course level, and a university that waives English at application can still require it before enrolment. Treat 'without IELTS' offers carefully and check what the CAS will say.

How much bank balance do I need for a UK student visa from Pakistan?

Tuition for the first year that you have not already paid, plus living costs. For applications lodged before 30 November 2026 that is £1,171 per month for up to nine months — £10,539 outside London, or £1,529 per month and £13,761 in London. From 30 November 2026 the figures rise to £1,203 and £1,570 per month, so £10,827 and £14,130. The money must sit in the account for 28 consecutive days and the closing balance must be dated within 31 days of your application.

Is a 2-year Pakistani bachelor's degree accepted in the UK?

Rarely for direct Masters entry. Most UK universities treat a 2-year BA or BSc as below an honours degree. The usual routes are a pre-Masters programme, or completing an MA or MSc in Pakistan first. Some universities will consider a 2-year degree plus several years of relevant professional experience — it is worth asking, but do not plan around it.

Which UK intake should I apply for?

September if you can. It has the most courses, the most scholarship money and the fullest student intake. January is a genuine option if you are waiting on an IELTS retake or attestation, but the course list is shorter. Applying for September means starting the file the previous November or December.

Do I need to pay the full tuition before the visa?

No. Universities normally ask for a deposit of £2,000 to £5,000 to issue the CAS. Whatever you have paid is deducted from the maintenance funds you must show, so paying a larger deposit lowers the bank balance requirement.

Check these figures yourself

Official sources

GOV.UK — Student visaEligibility, application fee, what you can and cannot do
GOV.UK — Student visa money requirementsMaintenance amounts and the 28-day rule
GOV.UK — Immigration health surchargeThe per-year IHS rate

Every figure on this page was taken from these sources on 14 September 2026. Governments revise fees, thresholds and rules without notice, and we would rather you verified a number than took ours on trust. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will correct it.

Compare with other destinations

4 more

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