How to use this calculator
- Enter your course length in months exactly as it appears on your CAS
- Add your partner or children if they are applying as dependants
- Choose whether to include the £558 visa application fee
- Remember the IHS is paid in full, upfront, before you can enter the UK
The Immigration Health Surcharge gives student visa holders full NHS access for the entire visa — GP visits, hospital treatment, and emergency care, with no per-visit charges. It replaces the need for private medical insurance during a course of six months or longer.
The calculation has a trap most guides skip: the surcharge is charged on your visa leave, not your course length. A course under 12 months gets two extra months of leave; a course of 12 months or more gets four extra months. Any leftover months at the end round up to six, charged as a half-year (£388 at the student rate). A three-year course therefore costs 3 × £776 + £388 = £2,716 — not £2,328.
Every dependant — spouse or child — pays the same surcharge as the main applicant. A student with a partner on a two-year course pays £776 × 3 + £388 for each of them, which can double the total visa-day bill.
Some applicants can reclaim part or all of the IHS: European students with an EHIC or S1 certificate, and certain full-time higher-education students who do not work while in the UK. Check eligibility on gov.uk before applying for a refund — part-time work can disqualify you.
What the IHS does not cover
NHS access is not travel insurance. Nothing is covered outside the UK, dental care is charged at standard NHS rates, and prescriptions carry a fixed charge in England. Budget for these separately.