Proof of Funds for a Student Visa: Current Figures by Country (2026)

What proof of funds means

When you apply for a student visa or a study permit, the immigration authority asks for two separate things: proof that a university has admitted you, and proof that you or your family can actually pay for the study and the living costs while you are there. The second part is called proof of funds, financial capacity, proof of financial support or financial evidence depending on the country. It is checked by the visa office, not by the university, and it is checked against a published minimum figure or a published method for calculating one. A strong admission offer does not substitute for it.

The figures below come from each country's own visa authority. They change, usually once a year, so check the source link again close to the date you apply.

Germany: the blocked account

Germany's most common route is a blocked account, a Sperrkonto, opened with a bank the German missions approve. The account holder can withdraw only a fixed monthly amount, so the balance actually lasts through the year rather than being spent in the first weeks. The German Missions in Bangladesh state the current balance required as EUR 11,904, released at a maximum of EUR 992 a month (dhaka.diplo.de). The Federal Foreign Office describes the same mechanism and says the exact amount for your case is set by the mission handling your application, so check with that mission directly (auswaertiges-amt.de). A formal sponsorship declaration from a German resident, a Verpflichtungserklarung, or a confirmed scholarship can replace all or part of the blocked account.

Canada: proof of financial support

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires a study permit applicant to show funds for the first year of study, on top of tuition and travel, which are shown separately. For a single applicant applying to a school outside Quebec on or after 1 September 2026, the amount is CAD 23,448 (canada.ca). The figure rises with each family member coming with the applicant, and it is reviewed every September against Statistics Canada's low income cut-off. Applicants going to Quebec instead follow the amount the province's own immigration ministry publishes. Accepted evidence includes a Guaranteed Investment Certificate from a participating Canadian bank, proof of a student loan, bank statements covering the last six months with the source of the money shown, or a signed letter of financial support from a sponsor together with the sponsor's own documents.

Australia: financial capacity

The Department of Home Affairs requires a subclass 500 student visa applicant to show enough money for travel, tuition, and 12 months of living and, for school age dependants, schooling costs. The published living cost component is AUD 29,710 a year for the applicant, with a further set amount for a partner or a child travelling with the student (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au). Study Australia, the government's own site for prospective international students, points applicants to the same Home Affairs checklist tool for the current figures rather than restating them, because they change (studyaustralia.gov.au). Home Affairs also checks where the money came from and whether the applicant or sponsor has a credible history of earning or holding it, so a large deposit made just before applying is scrutinised rather than accepted at face value.

United Kingdom: money you need to show

The UK Student visa sets a fixed monthly figure for up to nine months, and the figure depends on whether the course is in London. Outside London the amount is GBP 1,171 a month; inside London it is GBP 1,529 a month. This maintenance amount is separate from the first year's course fees, the amount your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies states you still owe (gov.uk). The timing rule is strict: the maintenance money must sit in the account for 28 days in a row, and the closing balance must be dated within 31 days of the visa application. A balance that dips below the required amount on even one day inside that 28 day window resets the clock.

United States: the I-20 and cost of attendance

The United States does not publish one national figure. Instead, the school's designated school official calculates a Cost of Attendance for the specific programme, tuition, fees, health insurance and a living estimate, and enters it on the Form I-20 before the form can be issued. The applicant or sponsor must then show liquid funds covering that first year figure, with a credible plan for the years after. Study in the States, the Department of Homeland Security's own information site, describes the accepted evidence as family bank statements, documentation from a sponsor, financial aid letters, scholarship letters, or an employer letter showing salary (studyinthestates.dhs.gov). The same evidence is reviewed again at the visa interview, alongside the rest of the application, as described on the State Department's student visa page (travel.state.gov).

How long the money has to sit in the account

Only the UK publishes an exact holding period: 28 consecutive days, ending inside a 31 day window before the application. Canada asks for six months of statements so the visa office can see where the money came from, which is a documentation window rather than a legal minimum holding period. Germany does not set a minimum number of days for the blocked account itself, but because opening one and transferring the money into it takes several weeks with most providers, missions advise starting well before the visa appointment. Australia and the United States do not publish a fixed number of days either. Both instead judge whether the funds look genuine, which makes a sudden, unexplained, single deposit the single most common reason a bank balance is questioned in all four countries.

What counts as proof

Every country accepts the applicant's own savings. Most also accept a close family sponsor's funds, provided the relationship and the sponsor's own ability to pay are documented, and an education loan from a recognised bank. Scholarship or stipend letters count everywhere and, in Germany, can reduce the blocked account amount directly. What differs is the paperwork. Canada and Australia want a clear paper trail for every large deposit. The UK wants the account itself, not just a sponsor's promise, to hold the money for the full 28 days. The United States is the most flexible about the form the evidence takes, because there is no fixed government figure to match it against, only the school's own cost of attendance.

Mistakes that get applications refused

Refusals connected to money follow a few patterns across all five countries. A single large deposit shortly before the statement date, with no explanation of where it came from, is the most common. A sponsor letter without evidence that the sponsor can actually produce the money, such as their own bank statements or payslips, is another. Counting the same pool of money toward both tuition and living costs, instead of showing enough for both, is a frequent error in first applications. For the UK specifically, a statement dated more than 31 days before the application, or a balance that fell below the required amount at any point in the 28 day window, leads to a refusal on the papers alone, regardless of how much money is in the account by the time of the interview. For Germany, opening the blocked account too late to have it confirmed before the visa appointment causes avoidable delays rather than an outright refusal, but the effect on the study plan is often the same lost intake. In every country, the fix before reapplying is the same: get the amount and the accepted evidence right for that specific country, keep the paper trail for every deposit, and check the current figure on the visa authority's own page rather than a third party estimate.