Schengen student visa financial requirement

At a glance

The requirement, as published

Country-specific, as published: Germany — a blocked account (Sperrkonto) of EUR 11,904 for one year, with a maximum withdrawal of EUR 992 per month (German Federal Foreign Office mission pages, diplo.de); proof must cover the first year of the planned stay, unless other accepted proof (scholarship, formal declaration of commitment) is presented. France — service-public.gouv.fr publishes monthly means of EUR 877.50 for student long-stay applicants (assessed according to your situation). Netherlands — IND's published 2026 required amount is EUR 1,130.77 per month for university/HBO students (EUR 928.58 for MBO). Ireland — from 30 June 2025, Immigration Service Delivery requires access to EUR 10,000 for a one-year course (EUR 833 per month for stays of 6–8 months), in addition to tuition fees, and EUR 10,000 for each subsequent year. Figures are revised, usually annually — verify on the official site before opening any account.

The form of the money matters as much as the amount

Applicants concentrate on reaching the figure and are refused on how the money is held. Across every major student visa route the same four questions decide it.

• Whose account is it in? Routes differ on whether a parent's account is acceptable and what proof of relationship is needed.
• How long has it been there? Many routes require the funds to have been held for a continuous period, and a deposit made last week usually fails.
• What kind of account? Some routes exclude accounts you cannot access immediately.
• Can you evidence the source? A large recent credit without an explanation invites a refusal even when the balance is correct.

Education loans as proof of funds

A sanctioned education loan is accepted as evidence of funds by several routes, which is why the loan timeline and the visa timeline are the same timeline. A sanction letter is usually needed, not an in-principle approval.

1. Confirm your route accepts a loan sanction letter, and from which kind of lender.
2. Allow for the loan taking longer than the lender indicates — collateral valuation is the usual delay.
3. Keep the sanction letter, the disbursement schedule and the lender's letterhead details together.

Our lender pages at /education-loan carry each lender's processing indication and how recently we read it. Work backwards from the visa date, not from the course start.