Cost of studying in the UK for Indian students in 2026: fees, monthly living costs and five budgets in rupees

The UK is the country most of the families we see in Chennai start with, and most ask us the same thing first: what will the whole year cost in rupees? That depends far more on the university and the city than on the visa, so this guide shows fees from eight universities’ own pages, what living costs a month, five worked budgets and the order in which the money leaves your account.

I help students in Chennai fund their degrees. Every fee below is quoted from the university’s own page and every visa figure from GOV.UK, checked on 5 October 2026 and linked. Rupee figures use £1 ≈ ₹127; the Reserve Bank of India’s reference rate on 5 October 2026 was ₹127.22. Flights are not included or estimated here.

How much does it cost to study in the UK from India?

A one-year master’s in the UK costs an Indian student about ₹45 to 65 lakh at most universities outside London, and close to ₹80 lakh at the highest-fee courses in Manchester or London, before flights. In the budgets below, a lower-fee university comes to about ₹45 lakh, a Russell Group university outside London such as Leeds about ₹64 lakh, and UCL in London about ₹80 lakh.

The tuition figures are Coventry’s MSc Data Science (2026/27), an illustrative mid-range fee of £24,000, Leeds’s MSc Advanced Computer Science and Manchester’s MSc Advanced Computer Science (2027 entry), and UCL’s MSc Computer Science (2026/27; its 2027/28 fee is not yet published). The Russell Group is a group of 24 research universities, including UCL, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow. Each total adds £1,722 for the visa fee and the immigration health surcharge.

If you apply for your visa on or after 30 November 2026, as most September 2027 and many January 2027 starters will, the monthly rate rises to £1,203 (£1,570 in London). That adds about ₹0.5 lakh to a 12-month budget outside London and ₹0.6 lakh in London.

How much is tuition for a master’s in the UK?

International fees for a one-year master’s in computing or data science run from £19,500 (₹24.8 lakh) at Coventry to £42,700 (₹54.2 lakh) at UCL. These come from each university’s own course page.

The same subject can cost twice as much at one university as another, and business courses sit in a similar band to computing, so compare fees course by course. Coventry also charges a £1,900 placement fee if you secure a placement year.

How much is a bachelor’s degree in the UK?

Undergraduate fees are charged each year, usually for three years, and some universities raise them for continuing students, so check each one’s policy. For computer science, Manchester charges international students £39,700 a year (₹50.4 lakh) and Leeds £33,700 a year (₹42.8 lakh) for 2027 entry, and Coventry £20,800 a year (₹26.4 lakh) for 2026/27. Over three years, fees alone come to about £62,400 (₹79.2 lakh) at Coventry, £101,100 (₹1.28 crore) at Leeds and £119,100 (₹1.51 crore) at Manchester, if they do not rise, plus living costs for every year.

How much are living costs in the UK per month?

Budget at least ₹1.5 lakh a month outside London and ₹1.9 lakh in London, the Student visa’s monthly rate of £1,171 outside London and £1,529 in London (₹1.49 lakh and ₹1.94 lakh), rising to £1,203 and £1,570 for applications from 30 November 2026. GOV.UK counts London as the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. Universities’ own estimates can be higher: Manchester puts a postgraduate month at £1,510 (₹1.92 lakh) and Glasgow at £1,100 to £1,700 (₹1.40 to ₹2.16 lakh).

The visa counts at most nine months, but a one-year master’s usually runs for about 12, so budget for the full year. This is how Manchester breaks down its estimate for 2026/27:

How much does student accommodation cost in the UK?

Rent is the largest part of living costs, and London costs most. Halls charge for the length of the contract, so check it against your course: a contract shorter than a year leaves you finding somewhere else for the rest. For 2026/27, from the universities’ own pages (en-suite means a single room with its own shower and toilet):

• UCL, Prankerd House (London): a single en-suite room at £315.98 a week on a 51-week contract, about £16,115 or ₹20.5 lakh for the year.
• Manchester, Horniman House (postgraduate): a one-bed flat at £12,376 for a 50-week contract (about £248 a week) , about ₹15.7 lakh.
• Glasgow Student Apartments (postgraduate): a standard single room at £168 a week; check the contract length with the university.

Households where everyone is a full-time student do not have to pay Council Tax, the local property tax, but sharing with someone who works can change that.

How much are the UK visa and health surcharge?

For a course of 12 months or longer, the visa runs for the course plus four months, so a one-year master’s usually means a visa of about 16 months. For a visa of more than 12 and up to 18 months, GOV.UK charges the surcharge at £776 for the year plus half: £1,164. A TB test is needed if you are coming for 6 months or more and have lived in India. The surcharge covers NHS treatment, but some things still cost money, such as prescriptions in England at £9.90 an item.

How much do you pay up front, and when?

Before you fly, expect to have paid a deposit of £2,000 to £8,000 (₹2.5 to ₹10.2 lakh) and £1,722 (₹2.2 lakh) for the visa and surcharge, and to have the rest of the first-year fee plus £10,539 (₹13.4 lakh) of living costs outside London, or £13,761 (₹17.5 lakh) in London, held for 28 days (£10,827 and £14,130 for applications from 30 November 2026). In order:

• Tuition deposit: Leeds asks for £2,000 before it issues a CAS, the reference your university gives you for the visa; Hertfordshire for at least £5,000 before the CAS; Coventry up to £8,000; and UCL 10% of the first year’s fee, £4,270 on its MSc Computer Science.
• Proof of funds, before the visa (held, not spent): any first-year tuition not yet paid plus nine months of living costs, held for 28 days. Our UK visa bank balance guide explains the rules.
• Visa, surcharge and TB test: about £1,722 plus the clinic fee.
• Flights and the first month: rent in advance, an accommodation deposit and setting-up costs.
• The rest of the tuition: paid in full or in instalments, on the university’s schedule.

Are there scholarships that cut the cost?

A few, and none should be in your budget until it is awarded in writing.

• Chevening: covers tuition, a monthly living allowance, economy travel and the visa fee. The application window for 2027-28 scholars runs from 4 August to 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC; if you are reading this after that, plan for the next round.
• GREAT Scholarships India: £10,000 towards tuition for one-year taught master’s courses at participating universities in 2026-27; check the British Council page for the next list.
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarships: India was an eligible country for 2026/27; the next round has not been published.
• University awards: for example, Glasgow lists a £12,500 tuition fee waiver for students from India for 2027/28 on its MSc Management page. Check each university’s scholarship page.

Is it cheaper to study outside London?

Yes, on living costs. At the visa’s monthly rates, London is £358 a month higher, about £4,300 or ₹5.5 lakh over 12 months. UCL’s fee is the highest in the tuition table, though Manchester’s is close, so the saving outside London comes mainly from rent and living costs. Cities such as Coventry, Sheffield and Leeds cost less to live in than London, and the lower-fee universities above bring a one-year master’s close to ₹45 lakh.

Can part-time work help with the cost?

It helps with living costs, not tuition. Degree-level students can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time, and full time outside term. Your first job can take weeks to find, so budget without it.

How does the rupee change the cost?

Every pound figure moves with the exchange rate. On the £39,774 mid-range budget, a 5% rise in the pound adds about ₹2.5 lakh. Keep a margin of at least 5% in your rupee budget.

How do families pay for it?

Most combine savings and an education loan. As an illustration, our loan guide works out a ₹42.5 lakh loan at 9.40 per cent, with interest added during the course, to an EMI of about ₹62,500 a month over ten years. Our education loan guide and our guide to loans without collateral compare lenders and rates, and the cost of studying abroad guide compares the UK with other countries.

Can we cost your UK shortlist for you?

Yes. If you are aiming for a January start, see our January 2027 intake guide first. Bring the courses you are considering to a free profile evaluation. We will cost each one in rupees, from the deposit to the last instalment, and show how a loan would fit. Our UK page covers the visa, work rights and intakes.