Information current to 17 October 2026. Figures checked against the Department of Home Affairs and the Migration (Specification of Evidentiary Requirements) instrument currently in force.

If you are applying for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500), the Australia student visa financial requirements 2026 come down to one question: can you show genuine access to enough money for your first year of tuition, 12 months of living costs and travel? For a single student the living-cost benchmark is A$29,710, on top of tuition and airfare. The alternative is showing that a parent or spouse earned at least A$87,856 in the last 12 months. This guide explains both routes, what evidence case officers accept, how much to show if your family is coming too, and where applicants from India and Malaysia most often go wrong.

Key facts: student visa funds at a glance

• Living costs (12 months): A$29,710 for the student, plus A$10,394 for a partner and A$4,449 for each dependent child.
• School costs: A$13,502 per year for each school-age child coming with you.
• Tuition: the first 12 months of course fees (or the whole course if it is shorter), as shown on your CoE. Fees already paid count towards this.
• Travel: return airfare for you and each family member included in the application.
• Income alternative: parent or spouse income of at least A$87,856 (single student) or A$102,500 (student with family members), from the 12 months before you apply.
• Visa application charge: A$2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026 (standard rate).
• Who decides if you upload it upfront: the Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool, based on your passport and education provider.

Where the A$29,710 figure comes from

The amounts are set by a legislative instrument made under the Migration Regulations, not by policy guidance. The current figures took effect on 10 May 2024, when the government raised the requirement by about 21%. They still apply to applications lodged today. Here is how they moved:

Item	Before 10 May 2024	From 10 May 2024 (current)
Student (primary applicant), 12 months living	A$24,505	A$29,710
Partner (spouse or de facto)	A$8,574	A$10,394
Each dependent child	A$3,670	A$4,449
Annual school costs, each school-age child	A$9,661	A$13,502
Annual income, student with no family members	A$72,465	A$87,856
Annual income, student with family members	A$84,543	A$102,500

Source: Explanatory Statement, F2024L00529 (Federal Register of Legislation). These are minimums. A case officer can still question funds that technically meet the number but do not look genuinely available to you.

Option 1: show funds to cover tuition, living costs and travel

This is the route most students use. You add up four components and show that you, or the people supporting you, hold that amount and will make it available.

Step 1: work out your total

1. Tuition: take the first-year course fee from your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) and subtract anything you have already paid. Keep the receipt.
2. Living costs: A$29,710 for yourself, plus A$10,394 for a partner and A$4,449 per child if they are in the application.
3. School costs: A$13,502 per year for each school-age child.
4. Travel: a realistic return airfare for each person. Use a current quote from your departure city rather than a guess.

Worked example (single student from India)

The tuition and airfare below are illustrative only. Use your own CoE and a real fare quote.

Component	Amount (AUD)
First-year tuition on CoE	38,000
Less: tuition deposit already paid	-10,000
Living costs (12 months)	29,710
Return airfare (quote)	1,800
Funds to show	59,510

Add a buffer of 5 to 10% if the money sits in Indian rupees or Malaysian ringgit. Exchange rates move between the date you print the statement and the date an officer looks at it, and a balance that drops below the benchmark after conversion invites a request for more information.

Step 2: decide whose money it is

Home Affairs generally accepts funds held by:

• you, the student;
• your spouse or de facto partner;
• your parents.

Funds from other relatives or family friends are not automatically excluded, but the officer will look harder at the relationship and whether the money will really reach you in Australia. If an uncle or grandparent is contributing, expect to explain why, show their income, and show the funds have been held for a sensible period.

Step 3: choose the right type of evidence

Evidence type	What makes it strong	Watch out for
Savings or term deposit	Held in the name of you, your partner or a parent; built up over time; statements on bank letterhead	Large lump sums deposited shortly before lodging with no explanation
Education loan	From a recognised financial institution; sanction letter showing amount, borrower and terms; disbursement evidence if available	Loans that only cover tuition when you also need to show living costs
Government or provider scholarship	Award letter showing what it covers and for how long	Partial scholarships: you still need to show funds for the gap
Employer or corporate sponsorship	Letter from the company; course clearly relevant to your role	Vague letters with no amount or duration

Business loans do not meet the genuine access test under departmental policy. If a family business is funding you, the money usually needs to move into a personal account in good time, with a paper trail.

Option 2: the annual income route

Instead of showing a bank balance for living costs, you can show that your spouse or parents (one or both) had a personal annual income of at least:

• A$87,856 if no family members are coming with you; or
• A$102,500 if a partner or children are included.

The income must be from the 12 months immediately before you lodge, and it must be supported by official government documents such as income tax assessments or returns. Payslips or a bank statement alone are usually not enough. Only parents and spouses qualify for this route. A sibling's or uncle's income does not count.

Converted to rupees, A$87,856 is a high bar for most salaried Indian households, which is why most Indian applicants use Option 1 or combine savings with an education loan. For Malaysian families with higher declared income, the income route can be cleaner because it avoids questions about deposit histories.

Does everyone have to upload financial evidence?

No. Whether you must attach financial and English evidence with your application depends on your country of citizenship and your education provider. Home Affairs uses the Document Checklist Tool to tell you what to provide. Enter your passport country and provider details before you lodge.

Two points that catch people out:

• Even if the tool says evidence is not required upfront, you must still have the funds. A case officer can ask for evidence at any time before a decision, and you will need it then.
• The settings behind the tool change. Check it on the day you apply, not when you started planning six months earlier.

Most Indian applicants should plan on uploading full financial evidence regardless. It is faster to have a complete file than to answer a request later.

How finances link to the Genuine Student requirement

Since 23 March 2024, every Student visa application is assessed against the Genuine Student (GS) requirement. Finances are part of that picture. An officer will ask whether the funding story makes sense alongside your study plan and background. A family with modest declared income suddenly showing a large balance, or a loan far bigger than the course needs, raises GS concerns as well as financial ones.

Your GS answers should explain who is paying, how the money was accumulated, and why the investment makes sense for your career. If you need help with this, our Genuine Student statement service drafts it alongside your financial documents so the two tell the same story.

Student visa financial requirements for Indian applicants

India is one of Australia's largest source countries, and officers see the same patterns repeatedly. What tends to work:

• Education loans from established banks or NBFCs with a formal sanction letter. Disbursed loans, or ones with a disbursement schedule, carry more weight than in-principle approvals.
• Fixed deposits in the student's or parents' names, with the FD receipt and a recent bank balance certificate. Note the opening date of each FD.
• Income tax returns (ITR-V) and assessment orders for parents covering at least the last two or three years, so the savings make sense against the income.
• A short covering note mapping each source to the required amount, in AUD at a stated exchange rate and date.

What tends to cause problems: new FDs opened a few weeks before lodging with no source explained, funds spread across many relatives with small amounts each, agricultural income claimed without land and sale records, and loan sanction letters that do not match the CoE amounts. For the wider process, read our Australia student visa from India 2026 guide.

Notes for Malaysian applicants

Malaysian families usually fund study through savings, fixed deposits or a bank education loan. Provide statements in English, make sure the account holder's name is clear, and add a note linking each account to the person funding you. If you use the income route, include your parents' LHDN tax documents rather than salary slips alone. Scholarships from Malaysian government agencies or employers are accepted where the award letter states what is covered and for how long. If any funds are held in Singapore or another third country, explain why and show how they will reach you in Australia.

How long should money be in the account?

The legislation does not set a minimum holding period. In practice, officers look at the account's history to judge whether the funds are genuinely yours to use. A balance held steadily for three months or more, with deposits that match known income, is far easier to accept than a recent lump sum. If you do have a recent large deposit (property sale, maturity of an FD, gift from a parent), document it: sale deed, maturity advice, or the transferring account's statement.

Common mistakes that lead to refusal or delays

1. Showing tuition only. The living-cost component is the largest part for most students and is often underestimated.
2. Forgetting family members. A partner adds A$10,394 and each child adds A$4,449, plus A$13,502 in school costs for school-age children.
3. Using the income route with the wrong person. Only a parent or spouse's income qualifies.
4. Unexplained deposits. Any large recent credit needs a source document.
5. Documents that do not match. Names, dates, and amounts across the CoE, loan letter, bank statements and GS answers should be consistent.
6. Untranslated documents. Anything not in English needs a proper translation.
7. Relying on old figures. Guides still circulating with A$24,505 or A$21,041 are out of date.

What the student visa costs to lodge in 2026

Charge	Amount
Student visa (subclass 500), main applicant, standard rate from 1 July 2026	A$2,500
Previous rate (lodged before 1 July 2026)	A$2,000

Lower rates apply to some ELICOS-only applicants and certain concession groups, and family members are charged separately. Use the Home Affairs current visa pricing page or the Visa Pricing Estimator for your exact amount. The application charge is not refunded if the visa is refused, so it pays to get the financial evidence right first time.

Checklist before you lodge

• CoE with first-year fee and receipt for anything paid
• Calculation sheet showing tuition, living costs, school costs and travel in AUD
• Bank statements or balance certificates on letterhead, ideally covering at least three months
• FD receipts with opening dates
• Loan sanction letter and disbursement evidence
• Parents' or spouse's tax returns and assessments (income route, and to explain savings)
• Proof of relationship to whoever is funding you (birth certificate, marriage certificate)
• Source documents for any large recent deposit
• Certified English translations where needed

Also check the latest rule changes in our student visa changes October 2026 update before you submit.

How EazyViza can help

EazyViza is backed by Collins Quarters, a migration and commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur. Our team works with students from India and Malaysia every week, and we see which financial files get through cleanly and which trigger requests for more information.

• Student document audit: we check your financial evidence, CoE and GS answers for gaps and inconsistencies before you lodge.
• Offshore Student visa 500 application: full preparation and lodgement from India or Malaysia.
• Free eligibility checker: a quick first look at where you stand.

If your funding involves several sources, a recent property sale, or family members joining you, it is worth getting the file reviewed before you pay the A$2,500 charge.

Disclaimer

This article is general information only and is not legal or migration advice. Visa rules, fees and financial benchmarks change, sometimes with little notice. Check the Department of Home Affairs Student visa page before applying, or speak with a registered migration agent or lawyer about your circumstances.