Understanding the CAS-Required Amount vs the UKVI Financial Requirement
When you prepare a UK Student visa application, two money figures come up that sound alike but aren’t the same. One is the CAS-required amount, which your university sets. The other is the UKVI financial requirement, which comes from the UK government. Mixing them up is an easy way to end up short, because falling short on funds can lead to a visa refusal.
The simplest way to tell them apart is to ask who sets the number and what it’s for. The CAS-required amount is what you pay the university so it will confirm your place and issue your CAS. The UKVI requirement is the amount you must be able to show, in an accepted form, to prove you can pay for your studies and support yourself without public funds.
| CAS-required amount (university) | UKVI financial requirement (immigration) | |
|---|---|---|
| Set by | The UK university | UK Visas and Immigration, through GOV.UK |
| Purpose | To clear your admission and receive your CAS | To show you can pay your fees and support yourself without public funds |
| What it includes | Depending on the university, a deposit or part or all of the first-year tuition, less any approved scholarship | Your outstanding tuition fee plus maintenance (living cost) funds |
| How it’s paid or shown | Paid directly to the university | Shown through a loan letter, official sponsorship, or money held in an accepted account for a continuous period |
What Happens If Your Loan Sanction Falls Short
If your sanctioned amount doesn’t cover your university payment and your living costs, a CAS deposit funding shortfall can hit you in two places at once: the money you owe the university, and the money you need to show for your visa. The consequences of such a shortfall are as follows:
- Visa risk: UKVI needs to see enough money for your course fees and living costs. If the evidence falls short, your application can be refused.
- University holds: An unpaid tuition balance can stop your registration and enrolment, depending on the university’s policy.
- Out-of-pocket pressure: Your family may have to find cash quickly to cover the difference.
Ways to Cover the Shortfall
- A top-up loan, from your current lender or a new one. Lender guidance, including from HDFC Credila, treats going back to your existing bank first as the standard move. Whether a top-up is approved depends on how much loan eligibility you have left and what’s already outstanding. If your original lender won’t extend further, switching to another bank or an NBFC such as Credila or Avanse is the fallback.
- What a top-up costs. A top-up loan for UK student visa funding is often priced above your original loan, at roughly 12% to 15%, and the lender may ask for extra collateral. Extra security can sometimes help you get a better rate in return.
- Your own or your family’s savings for the rest. This is the most common mix: the loan covers most of the cost, and savings cover the remainder. Savings aren’t covered by the loan-letter route, so the money has to be held for 28 days in a row.
- A family member or organisation as an additional sponsor. If someone is providing extra funds, their contribution can be documented through an official sponsor letter, provided it meets UKVI’s requirements.
- Scholarships or university bursaries. If you’re awarded one, it reduces the outstanding CAS balance directly, the same way a paid deposit does.
How to Use a Sponsor Letter or Combined Funding for Your CAS and Visa
If your education loan does not cover the full amount, you can combine it with personal savings or financial support from a sponsor. UKVI accepts different funding sources, provided you meet the required financial criteria.
- If a sponsor is covering part or all of your expenses, their letter must be dated within six months of your visa application, and include their name, contact details, and the amount they are willing to provide. It should clearly state whether they are covering your full costs or only a part of them.
- If the sponsor is covering only part of your expenses, you must show evidence of the remaining funds through savings, a loan or a combination of both.
- If your sponsorship is already mentioned on your CAS, you generally do not need a separate sponsor letter. Also, where the sponsorship letter meets UKVI’s requirements, you may be able to use it as evidence without waiting for the funds to be transferred.
Steps to Take If Your Deposit Deadline Is Approaching
- Work out your exact shortfall first. Compare the amount on your loan sanction letter against the outstanding tuition on your CAS plus the maintenance figure for your location. Don’t rely on a rough estimate.
- Contact your lender about a top-up straight away. Start with your existing bank before you look at NBFCs, since that’s usually your fastest route to an approval.
- In parallel, line up the rest of the money. If a sponsor’s savings will cover part of the gap, get those funds into place early, because they need 28 days in a row, and get them to issue a compliant letter.
- Ask the international office about the deposit deadline. UK universities differ in how rigid their deadlines are, and asking directly is faster than assuming.
- Don’t wait for the loan to be disbursed before you apply. UKVI needs a loan letter confirming the money will be available before your course starts. It doesn’t need the cash to have landed in your account.
Common Mistakes That Delay Loan-Based CAS Deposits
- Using a loan letter that’s more than 6 months old when you apply.
- Relying on a generic finance letter. It needs to give the amount, say the loan is for you, and confirm the money will be available before your course starts, with no conditions beyond your place on the course.
- Assuming a paid deposit counts automatically. It only counts if it shows on your CAS, so check before you apply.
- Letting the balance dip below the required amount during the 28 days, for the part of your funding that isn’t covered by the loan. One day below the line means the count starts again.
- Assuming an informal loan from family, or a promise from an employer, will be accepted. Neither is among the types of evidence UKVI accepts.
- Overlooking exchange rates. Money held in another currency is converted to pounds on the date you apply, so a currency move between checking your balance and applying can create a gap or make one worse.
How a Funding Shortfall Affects Your Visa Timeline
A shortfall slows your application down because you can’t submit with confidence until the full amount is in place.
- Delayed CAS: Many universities won’t issue your CAS until the required payment has been made.
- The 28-day count starts again: For your own or a parent’s money, UKVI counts 28 days in a row back from the closing balance date of your latest evidence. Any dip below the required amount means you have to rebuild the 28 days.
- Missed intake: While you arrange emergency funds, the process stalls, and your intended start date is at risk.
- Refusal risk: UKVI may check your evidence with your bank. If it can’t verify it, your application may be refused.
How Fateh Education Helps You Bridge a Loan Shortfall
A loan that falls short of your CAS requirement is not something you have to sort out alone. At Fateh Education, our counsellors work with students on exactly this kind of gap, with the aim of closing it without putting your deposit deadline or your visa timeline at risk.
We start by recalculating your actual shortfall against your CAS and UKVI’s maintenance figure, so you’re working from the real number. From there we go through your options with you: a top-up loan, a sponsor letter, or a mix of the two, whichever gets you there fastest.
If a sponsor letter is part of the plan, we help you check it’s set up the way UKVI expects, with the right date, the right details and the amount or coverage stated clearly, so it doesn’t come back as a reason for delay. We also track your deposit and CAS deadlines next to your funding plan, since paperwork timing is usually what costs students the most time. If there’s a gap between your loan sanction and your CAS amount, talk to a Fateh Education counsellor before you decide how to handle it.
Conclusion
A loan that doesn’t cover the whole CAS-required amount is a common problem, and it can be fixed. The key is to separate the two numbers, what your university needs from you and what UKVI needs to see, and then close each gap with evidence that UKVI actually accepts. A top-up loan, savings held for the full 28 days, official sponsorship, or a scholarship can each play a part.
Start early, check every letter against the rules before you submit, and speak to your lender and your university while there’s still time to adjust. Planning the funding alongside the deposit deadline is what keeps a shortfall from turning into a delay.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, you can combine funding sources as long as the total meets the requirement.
UKVI needs to see enough money for your course fees and living costs. If your evidence falls short, the application can be refused. Close the gap before you apply, for example with a top-up, savings held for 28 days, or sponsorship from a parent or a relative.
It depends on the university, because UK universities vary in how rigid their deposit deadlines are. Contact the international office, explain that your loan is delayed, and ask directly.
No. A partial scholarship reduces your overall tuition fee, but it does not reduce the university's fixed CAS deposit requirement.
You can ask. Approval depends on how much loan eligibility you have left and what's already outstanding. Start with your existing bank. If it won't extend further, another bank or an NBFC such as Credila or Avanse is the fallback. Expect a top-up to cost more than your original loan, and the lender may ask for extra collateral.
Lenders typically ask for your admission letter and fee structure, KYC documents, academic records, income proof and bank statements for your co-applicant, and collateral papers if the loan is secured.
Yes. They are two separate checks. The CAS amount is what you pay the university. The visa requirement is your outstanding fees plus living costs, shown in an accepted form. A loan that covers the university payment can still leave you short on living costs for the visa, and the reverse can happen too, so check both numbers.