The question of how much money a student visa requires sounds as if the answer were a number. Each country does have one, and all of them are set out below. But a family that compares countries by those numbers is comparing things that are not alike. In Germany the sum has to be placed in an account it cannot be withdrawn from. In the United Kingdom it has to sit in an ordinary account for 28 days. In the Netherlands the university checks it, not the consulate. In the United States there is no figure at all, only a Form I-20 that the university will not issue without evidence of money.
It is not the sums that differ. Four other things do: the period over which the money is counted, who checks it, whether it has to be frozen, and whether the threshold moves over time. We take the countries in turn and then put them in one table.
Germany: an annual sum in a blocked account
The official Study in Germany portal gives the figure plainly: in most cases applicants have to prove they have €11,904 at their disposal for one year. This is the Regelbedarf, the estimated amount a student needs to live in Germany for twelve months. The sum is annual, and it has to be shown in full before entry.
The portal lists five acceptable forms of proof: documents certifying the parents' income and assets, a guarantee from someone with permanent residence in Germany, a deposit in a blocked account, a bank guarantee, and a scholarship award from a recognised provider. In practice, for most applicants from outside the EU, the working option is the blocked account, the Sperrkonto: the money is paid in ahead of time and released in equal monthly instalments. Study in Germany adds its own warning: which form is actually required must be confirmed with the German embassy in the applicant's country.
The practical consequence is that a family does not merely need to have €11,904. It needs to take that sum out of circulation for a year, which is a different burden from producing a bank statement.
United Kingdom: monthly, for 28 days, with a cut-off date
GOV.UK sets the requirement by month and by location: £1,529 a month for courses in London and £1,171 a month outside it, for up to nine months. The first year's course fee, as stated on the CAS, is added on top. London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs.
The distinctive feature is not the amount but the timing. The money must have been held for at least 28 consecutive days, and the end of that period must fall within 31 days of the date of application. GOV.UK's own example: for an application submitted on 1 January, the funds must have been in the account for at least the 28-day period ending on 1 December. Transferring the money the day before applying does not work.
There is an exemption. Applicants from countries on the differential evidence requirement list are not asked to provide financial evidence by default, although UKVI may still request it. The list runs from Australia to the United States by way of most of the EU, Brazil, China, Japan and the Gulf states, and it is checked by nationality, not by country of residence.
Netherlands: monthly, checked by the university, indexed
The Dutch model differs in who does the checking. The residence permit application is made not by the student but by the host institution, which acts as a recognised sponsor before the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the IND, and gathers the documents. Study in NL puts it directly: once you enrol, the institution contacts you to start the procedure.
The IND figure for 2026 for higher education is €1,130.77 a month. It is revised every year and tied to social security norms, so what applies now will have changed by the next intake. Where someone living in the Netherlands is funding the studies, the IND assesses that person's income instead, and the threshold is different: from €2,766.67 a month for a single financier to €3,467.77 for a couple.
France: monthly, and recently raised
France counts by month across the whole period of study. From 1 August 2026 the threshold is 47 per cent of the gross SMIC, the national minimum wage, which at the current rate comes to about €877.50 a month against the previous €615. The figure is now indexed and will rise with the SMIC.
For applicants from countries covered by the Études en France procedure, the application passes through the Campus France platform before the visa stage, which changes both the sequence and the fee: €50 rather than €99 for countries outside the procedure.
United States: no figure, but a Form I-20
The American system is built the other way round from the European one. There is no single federal threshold. Study in the States states the requirement in general terms: a student must have the resources to cover tuition, books, living expenses and travel for the period of study. And the evidence is collected not by the consulate but by the university, through its designated school official, before it issues the Form I-20.
The sum to be shown therefore equals whatever the university itself puts on the I-20, and it varies several times over between a state university and a private college. Acceptable evidence includes family bank statements, documentation from a sponsor, financial aid and scholarship letters and an employer's letter showing salary. The same documents are carried to the visa interview and to the port of entry.
| Country | Threshold | Period | Who checks | Frozen? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | €11,904 for the year | One year | Consulate | Usually yes: blocked account |
| United Kingdom | £1,529 a month in London, £1,171 outside | Up to 9 months, plus first-year fee | UKVI | No, but 28 consecutive days |
| Netherlands | €1,130.77 a month | Period of study | University, then IND | No |
| France | ≈ €877.50 a month (47% of SMIC) | Period of study | Consulate via Campus France | No |
| United States | The figure on the Form I-20 | Period of study | University (DSO), then consulate | No |
What actually needs comparing
Converted to a year, the orders of magnitude converge: roughly ten to fourteen thousand euros across the European countries, and noticeably more in the United States, where the university sets the cost. But the same sum means a different burden.
- Annual against monthly. Germany wants everything at once; France and the Netherlands spread a comparable sum across the months. For a family with income but no savings these are different tasks.
- Frozen against evidenced. A blocked account removes the money from circulation for a year. The British 28 days and the Dutch statement do not.
- Fixed against indexed. The French threshold has been tied to the SMIC since August; the Dutch one is revised every January. A figure from last year's guide is almost certainly out of date by the time of application.
- Who checks. Where the university collects the evidence, the applicant reaches the consulate with a pack already approved. Where the consulate checks, the questions arrive at the least convenient moment.
Comparing countries by a single figure is pointless. What has to be compared is the shape of the requirement: annual or monthly, frozen or on a statement, fixed or floating.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do you need for a German student visa?
In most cases €11,904 for one year, according to Study in Germany. The sum is usually paid into a blocked account and released monthly. The exact form of proof is set by the German embassy in the applicant's country.
How much do you need to show for a UK Student visa?
£1,529 a month for London or £1,171 outside it, for up to nine months, plus the first year's course fee on the CAS. The money must have been held for 28 consecutive days, and that period must end within 31 days of the application.
Does the money have to be frozen?
It depends on the country. Germany usually requires a blocked account. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and the United States check the funds through statements and letters but do not take the money out of circulation.
What is the amount for a Dutch student residence permit?
The IND figure for 2026 for higher education is €1,130.77 a month. The application is made by the host institution as a recognised sponsor, and the figure is revised every year.
How much do you need to show for a US student visa?
There is no single threshold. The sum equals the cost of tuition and living expenses the university states on the Form I-20, and it varies widely between institutions. The university collects the evidence before issuing the I-20, and the consulate then reviews it.
Can a scholarship count as proof of funds?
Yes. In all five countries an award letter from a recognised provider is accepted as proof. But scholarship decisions often arrive after the visa deadline, so the budget is planned as though there were no scholarship.
EDMONT checks the shape of each country's financial requirement while the shortlist is being built rather than after an offer: across applications to Europe, we cost the full year, set it against what the consulate will ask for and in what form, and run the scholarship work alongside the application rather than after it.