The New Bar for UK Proof of Funds

If you’re planning to study in the UK, there’s a quiet update you need to know about: the amount of money you must prove you have — your Proof of Funds (POF) — has gone up again. No press conference, no big announcement. Just a higher number sitting in the visa guidance, waiting to catch out anyone still budgeting off last year’s figures.

We’re calling this the New Bar, because that’s exactly what it is. The UK has raised the bar on what counts as “enough money” to study there, and if your savings plan hasn’t cleared it, your visa application won’t either.

How High Is the New Bar, Exactly?

For students studying in London, the required monthly living-cost figure has climbed from £1,265 to £1,529, and now to £1,570, pushing the total 9-month Proof of Funds requirement to to £14,130. That’s a 24% rise in just over a year.

Outside London, the New Bar has moved from £1,015 a month to £1,203, taking the 9-month requirement to £10,827 an 18.5% increase.

In naira terms, at today’s exchange rate, the London figure alone now sits around ₦25.2 million, up from roughly ₦20.3 million before the increases. That’s an extra ₦4.9 million a family now has to show, on top of tuition, flights, and visa fees. The New Bar isn’t a small adjustment. It’s a real jump.

What Actually Counts Toward the New Bar

Proof of Funds isn’t just “any money you can find.” According to official UK guidance, what counts toward the New Bar is limited to: cash savings held in your own or your parent’s/legal guardian’s bank account, an approved student loan, or funding confirmed through official sponsorship. Money that isn’t held in an acceptable form, or that hasn’t been in the account long enough, does not count, no matter how real it is.

And that brings us to the detail everyone gets wrong.

The 28-Day Rule: Clearing Up the Confusion

There’s a claim going around that the funds-holding period was recently cut from 28 days to 14. We checked the official Home Office guidance directly, and that’s not accurate. The requirement is still a full 28 consecutive days, with your balance checked at the end of that window. If your funds dip below the New Bar at any point during those 28 days (even for a day) your application can be refused.

This is not a detail to guess on. Getting the 28-day window wrong is one of the most common, most avoidable reasons applications get delayed or rejected.

Clearing the New Bar: What To Do Now

The New Bar isn’t going anywhere, and it likely won’t be the last increase. But you can still plan around it:

Check the current figure before you save, not last year’s number. The New Bar has moved twice in about twelve months.

Start your 28-day holding window early and don’t touch it. One withdrawal, even briefly, can reset the clock.

Confirm your funds are in an acceptable form. Cash under a mattress, an informal loan from a relative, or funds in someone else’s account who isn’t your parent or legal guardian generally won’t clear the New Bar.

Build in a currency buffer. Since the New Bar is set in pounds and you’re saving in naira, exchange rate movement between now and your transfer date can quietly push your target higher.

The UK didn’t announce this loudly, but it’s already in effect, and it’s already deciding who gets approved and who doesn’t. Don’t let your application be the one that finds out the New Bar the hard way.

If you want to know exactly what the current Proof of Funds requirement means for your application, or you want someone to double-check your numbers before you submit, talk to us at TGM Education today. We track every change to the New Bar so you don’t have to gamble your application on outdated information.

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