“Is my loan sanction letter enough, and must the loan be disbursed?”
Using a student loan as UK Student visa financial evidence
Short answer
A qualifying student loan can be used instead of seasoning the loan amount in a personal bank account for 28 days. It must come from a permitted provider and the loan letter must satisfy every requirement in FIN 9.2.
Not every loan qualifies
The loan must be provided by a government, a government-sponsored student-loan company, or a regulated academic or educational loans scheme of the kind described in FIN 8.3(c). A general personal loan does not become a student loan merely because it will pay for study.
What the letter must confirm
- It is dated no more than six months before the application.
- It identifies the permitted type of student loan and the amount.
- The loan is made to the applicant.
- There are no release conditions other than a successful application to study.
- The funds will be available, or paid to the sponsor with living costs available, at the time required by FIN 9.2.
- The lender meets the regulatory requirement.
Combining a loan with savings
Appendix Finance permits a combination of eligible funding methods. Each component still has to satisfy the rules that apply to that method; a shortfall covered by personal savings normally needs qualifying account evidence for that savings portion.
Where this answer stops
Official sources
Checked against the live sources on .
Permitted student loans
FIN 8.3(c) →Required loan letter
FIN 9.2 →