Study in the UK: Costs, Visa, Universities and Scholarships for Pakistani Students

The United Kingdom is one of the most popular destinations for Pakistani students, and for good reasons. Teaching is in English, most master's degrees take only one year, there is a large Pakistani community, and the Graduate Route lets you stay and work after you finish. The UK also offers some of the best known fully funded scholarships open to Pakistanis, including Chevening and the Commonwealth Scholarships.

The trade-off is cost. International tuition is high, and visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge add up quickly. Planning your budget carefully is the single most important step.

All PKR figures in this guide use £1 ≈ PKR 377 (approx. open-market rate, September to October 2026). Rates move, so recalculate before you transfer money.

Quick facts	United Kingdom
Language of teaching	English
Academic year and intakes	Main intake September/October; some courses start in January (and a few in May)
Typical tuition (international)	Undergraduate approx. £16,000 to £30,000 a year (PKR 6 to 11.3 million); taught master's approx. £17,000 to £35,000 (PKR 6.4 to 13.2 million); medicine and top MBAs much higher
Monthly living costs	Approx. £1,000 to £1,400 outside London; £1,500 to £2,200 in London
Part-time work	Up to 20 hours a week in term time at degree level; full time in official vacations
Post-study work	Graduate Route: 2 years if you apply by 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027; 3 years for PhD graduates

Budget options: what you can do on every budget

There is no free public university option in the UK, but there are several realistic routes depending on how much your family can spend.

Budget	Route	What it looks like
Fully funded (little or no family money)	Chevening, Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships (via HEC), university-funded PhD studentships, Gates Cambridge, Clarendon (Oxford), Rhodes	Tuition, monthly stipend, flights and visa costs covered. Very competitive. Chevening needs 2 years of work experience; Commonwealth needs a HAT score via HEC. PhD funding usually comes through a supervisor or a doctoral training programme.
Partial funding plus family support (approx. PKR 4 to 8 million a year)	GREAT Scholarships (£10,000 off tuition), university international merit awards (often £2,000 to £10,000), choose a lower-fee university in a cheaper city	You still pay most of the tuition and all living costs, and you must show the full maintenance funds for your visa. Cities like Glasgow, Leicester, Portsmouth or Newcastle keep costs down.
Self-funded, mid-range (approx. PKR 9 to 12 million for a one-year master's)	Mid-ranked university outside London, one-year taught master's	Tuition approx. £17,000 to £22,000 plus living costs approx. £11,000 to £14,000 for the year. The one-year format is the main saving compared with two-year degrees elsewhere.
Self-funded, premium (approx. PKR 15 million and above)	Russell Group or London university, or a three-year bachelor's	Tuition £25,000 to £40,000+ a year plus London-level living costs. Strong brand value, but plan for the full amount before you apply.

Tip: one-year master's degrees are the UK's biggest money saver. A UK master's often costs less in total than a two-year degree in the US or Canada, even with higher yearly fees.

University costs

Public vs private. Almost all UK universities are publicly funded but set their own international fees, so the "public" label does not mean cheap. Fees vary by subject: classroom subjects (business, law, humanities) are cheaper than lab subjects (engineering, sciences), and clinical medicine can exceed £45,000 a year.

Typical international tuition (2026/27, approx.):

• Bachelor's: £16,000 to £30,000 a year (PKR 6 to 11.3 million); three years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually four in Scotland.
• Taught master's (MSc, MA, LLM): £17,000 to £35,000 for the whole one-year course (PKR 6.4 to 13.2 million).
• PhD: approx. £18,000 to £30,000 a year if self-funded, but most strong PhD offers come with a studentship.

Application fees. Undergraduate applications go through UCAS (approx. £28.50 for multiple choices in recent cycles; changes yearly). Most postgraduate applications are made directly to universities and are often free; some charge £50 to £100.

Deposits. Many universities ask for a tuition deposit (often £2,000 to £5,000) before they issue your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies).

Recruitment pauses. Since late 2025, several UK universities have paused or limited recruitment from Pakistan because the Home Office tightened its visa refusal threshold for sponsors. Check each university's current position for Pakistani applicants before you pay any fee.

Living costs

Approximate monthly costs for one student in shared accommodation (2026, changes yearly):

City	Rent (room)	Food	Transport	Total per month
London	£900 to £1,400	£250 to £350	£100 to £170	£1,500 to £2,200 (PKR 565,000 to 830,000)
Manchester	£600 to £900	£200 to £300	£50 to £80	£1,000 to £1,400 (PKR 377,000 to 528,000)
Birmingham	£550 to £850	£200 to £300	£50 to £80	£950 to £1,350 (PKR 358,000 to 509,000)
Glasgow	£550 to £850	£200 to £280	£40 to £70	£950 to £1,300 (PKR 358,000 to 490,000)

Add a winter coat, a laptop if you need one, and phone costs. Halal food is easy to find in all major cities.

Scholarships and need-based funding

Chevening Scholarships (UK government). Fully funded one-year master's: tuition, monthly stipend, return flights and visa costs. You need an undergraduate degree, at least two years (2,800 hours) of work experience, and you must return to Pakistan for two years after the award. Applications for 2027/28 have now closed (the cycle opened in August and closed in October 2026). The next round should open around August 2027. Interviews run March to April, results come mid-June. chevening.org/pakistan

Commonwealth Scholarships (via HEC). Fully funded master's and PhD in the UK. In Pakistan, HEC handles the first round. For 2027/28 the HEC deadline is 20 October 2026. You need a first-division 16-year degree for master's (17 to 18 years for PhD), a HAT test score of at least 60, and no dual nationality. Nominated candidates then complete the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) application. hec.gov.pk

GREAT Scholarships (British Council and UK universities). £10,000 towards tuition for a one-year taught master's. For 2026/27, 13 universities offered GREAT awards to Pakistanis, including UCL, Manchester, Glasgow, Bath, Cardiff, Leicester, SOAS and Portsmouth. Deadlines differ by university, usually between spring and early summer. The 2027/28 list is usually published in the autumn. study-uk.britishcouncil.org

University scholarships. Most universities offer automatic or competitive awards for international students, from £1,000 fee discounts to full-fee scholarships. Gates Cambridge and Clarendon (Oxford) are fully funded and very competitive. Many universities also have Pakistan-specific awards, so search "[university name] Pakistan scholarship".

PhD studentships. UK PhDs are usually three to four years. Funded places (a tax-free stipend plus fees) come from research councils, doctoral training partnerships and individual supervisors' grants. Contact potential supervisors early, ideally 9 to 12 months before the start date.

There is no UK government need-based grant for international students, so "need-based" help usually means university hardship funds once you are enrolled. Do not plan your budget around them.

Browse current options at /scholarships?country=United Kingdom.

Student visa: steps, documents and fees

1. Get an unconditional offer and a CAS from a licensed student sponsor.
2. Arrange your money. You need your first year's unpaid tuition (as shown on the CAS) plus maintenance: £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month outside London, for up to 9 months. That is £13,761 (approx. PKR 5.19 million) for London or £10,539 (approx. PKR 3.97 million) outside London. The money must stay in the account for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before you apply. Pakistan is not on the exempt list, so you must show these funds.
3. TB test. Pakistani applicants need a tuberculosis test certificate from an approved clinic (IOM clinics in Pakistan).
4. Apply online on GOV.UK up to 6 months before your course starts, pay the fees, then give your biometrics at a VFS Global centre in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi or Mirpur.
5. Wait for a decision. Usually around 3 weeks from outside the UK; priority services cost extra.

Fees (changes yearly):

Item	Cost	Approx. PKR
Student visa (from outside UK)	£558	210,000
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)	£776 per year of visa	292,500 per year
Example: 1-year master's (visa about 16 months, IHS charged for 1.5 years)	approx. £1,164 IHS	approx. 439,000

Documents: passport, CAS number, bank statements (yours or your parents' with a birth certificate and consent letter), academic documents listed on your CAS, English test result if required (many universities accept their own assessment; otherwise an IELTS for UKVI or other approved test), TB certificate. See our document checklist and HEC attestation guide. Universities often ask for HEC-attested degrees and IBCC-equivalent school certificates.

Family. Only students on PhD and other research-based postgraduate courses can bring dependants. Taught master's students cannot.

Working while studying and after graduating

During studies: degree-level students can work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time in official vacations. Typical student jobs pay around the UK minimum wage (approx. £12 to £13 an hour in 2026; changes each April). Part-time work helps with living costs but will not cover tuition.

Graduate Route: after you finish, you can apply for a Graduate visa without a job offer. It lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. PhD graduates get 3 years. The application fee is £937 (approx. PKR 353,000) plus the IHS of £1,035 per year (approx. PKR 390,000). After that, you would need a Skilled Worker visa with a sponsoring employer.

Month-by-month timeline (September 2027 intake)

When	What to do
Oct to Nov 2026	Shortlist courses; apply for Commonwealth via HEC (by 20 Oct); take IELTS if needed
Nov 2026 to Jan 2027	Submit university applications; UCAS equal-consideration deadline for undergraduates is usually late January
Jan to Apr 2027	Apply for GREAT and university scholarships; receive offers
Apr to Jun 2027	Meet offer conditions; pay deposit; arrange funds (28-day rule)
Jun to Jul 2027	Get CAS; TB test; apply for visa and book VFS appointment
Aug 2027	Visa decision; book flights and accommodation
Aug 2027	Next Chevening cycle likely opens (for 2028/29)
Sep 2027	Travel and enrol

Common mistakes Pakistani applicants make

• Funds not held for 28 days, or wrong amount. Even one day short or a pound below means refusal. Keep a margin above the required amount.
• Paying deposits to universities that have paused Pakistani recruitment or to agents who promise "guaranteed visas". Read our guide on avoiding scholarship scams.
• Weak credibility interview answers. UKVI may interview you. Know your course, why this university, your costs, and your career plan.
• Forgetting the IHS and Graduate Route costs in the budget.
• Applying for Chevening without enough work experience or a clear career story.
• Unexplained large deposits in bank statements just before applying.

Official links

• Student visa: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa
• Money you need: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/money
• Immigration Health Surcharge: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay
• Graduate visa: https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa
• Chevening Pakistan: https://www.chevening.org/pakistan
• Chevening timeline: https://www.chevening.org/scholarships/application-timeline/
• HEC Commonwealth Scholarship: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/HECAnnouncements/Pages/CW-Scholarship.aspx
• GREAT Scholarships Pakistan: https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/scholarships-funding/great-scholarships/pakistan
• Commonwealth Scholarship Commission: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/
• UCAS: https://www.ucas.com/

Figures checked on 10 October 2026. Always confirm on the official sites before applying.