Your Bank statement must show:
- Your name
- Account number
- Date of statement
- Name and logo of bank/building society
- The required funds have been held consistently in your account for 28 days and have not fallen below the minimum amount needed
- That the funds in this account must be present until the closing balance of the statement or the production date of the statement
- This statement must be no older than 31 days. There must also be enough time left on this limit to then allow you to make your visa application.
In line with UK Home Office requirements, your bank statement must be stamped and signed on each page by your bank.
Microfinance, shares, bonds, overdrafts, credit cards, pension funds, and similar savings accounts will not be accepted.
Joint bank statements must show all of the same information as money in your own bank account, outlined above. These statements must also show names of both the account holders. If this is your parents then your name will not need to be shown – see section on cash in parent’s account for more information.
If this is a joint account with your spouse, both your name and your spouse’s names must appear on the statement.
If you don’t have a bank statement, you can provide a letter from your bank which has been stamped and signed by a staff member in your local branch. This can also be printed on letterhead paper from the bank. This letter must also include the following information:
- Your name
- Your account number
- Production date (date letter was written)
- Name and logo of bank/building society
- Confirmation of amount held in the account
- That the funds in this account have not fallen below the minimum amount required for the full 28 consecutive day period
- That funds are freely and immediately available to you at any given time
You can use money in a bank account held by one, or both of your parents instead of your own personal account. If you are relying on funds provided by your parents, you must also show evidence of your relationship to them and that they have given you their permission to use/have access to this money for your studies.
If using a parent’s bank statement, you must also provide the below as additional evidence:
- An original copy of your birth certificate. If needed, this must also be translated into English and this must be done by an official translator (Affidavits cannot be used as these are not accepted by the UK Home Office or the University of Sunderland).
- A letter from your parents, signed by them, that confirms they are happy for you to use/have access to funds in their account
Please see our parent's consent letter (.pdf) template.
If you are using your spouse’s bank statement to demonstrate proof of funds, their bank statement must meet all the criteria listed under ‘Money in your own bank account’.
The bank statement must be accompanied by proof of relationship (eg marriage certificate) and a letter of consent stating your spouse has granted you permission to use their funds to support your studies. We can only accept a spouse’s bank statement as your financial evidence if the spouse is travelling with you to the UK as a dependant.
If you wish to use an educational loan for your financial evidence, this must be:
- In your name, not in the name of your parents or legal guardian
- From a bank that is regulated by an official regulatory body for providing educational loans in your country
- Dated no more than 6 months before the date of your student visa application
As additional evidence for your educational loan, you must provide a supporting letter from the bank confirming the loan has been approved. The letter must be an original and must show:
- Your name
- The date the letter was produced
- The financial institution's name and logo
- The money available as an educational loan is provided by your national, state government, a government-sponsored student loan company, or is part of an academic or educational loan scheme
- The start date of the loan
The funds for the loan must be available to you before you travel to the UK, unless the loan is an educational or student loan from your country’s national government and will be given to you, or the University directly, when you arrive in the UK.
There must be no conditions placed on the release of the loan funds to you, other than your Student Visa application being successful.
The UK Visas and Immigration defines an official sponsor as one of the below:
- The UK Government or your government in your home country
- The British Council
- An international organisation
- An international company
If your official financial sponsor is paying your tuition fees and living expenses, you do not have to provide separate evidence of your savings.
However, you must provide a letter from your official financial sponsor confirming that your sponsor will pay all your tuition fees and living expenses.
This letter must be on official letterhead paper showing the below information:
- Your name
- The names of your dependents (if applicable)
- The name and contact details of the official sponsor
- The date of the letter (this should not be more than six months old)
- The length of the sponsorship – start and end date
- The amount of money the sponsor is giving you, or confirmation that they will pay your tuition fees and living expenses
- The official stamp of the organisation
If your sponsor only pays some of the costs, you will need a letter from them, and proof that you have enough money yourself to meet the rest of the maintenance requirements (such as personal bank statements).
All financial evidence can be submitted for the Immigration Compliance team to assess via the ‘MyApplication’ portal.
Please also be aware that we may ask you to supply us with additional financial evidence at any point to carry out further verification checks on your financial evidence.