STUDENT VISA 500 · FINANCIAL CAPACITY · REVIEWED 4 OCTOBER 2026

How much money must you show for a Student 500 visa?

Start with the live Home Affairs document list for your passport and education provider. Then separate the amount you must be able to cover from the evidence showing that the money is genuinely available. Use the current official figures immediately before applying.

01 / CHECK THE ATTACHMENT RULE

Do you need to attach financial evidence now?

Enter your passport country and education provider in the Student Document Checklist Tool, then read the actual ImmiAccount attachment prompts. If financial-capacity evidence appears on that list, Home Affairs says you must attach it before submission or the application may be refused. Even when not listed at lodgement, Home Affairs may request more evidence later. For applications lodged from 2 October 2026, first check whether a family exemption applies. Home Affairs says new subsequent entrants cannot be added after a Student visa grant.

Check the current family rule before following a document prompt: the Student 500 Gather Documents section still describes financial evidence for subsequent entrants. Home Affairs' separate 2 October family rule says a current Student holder cannot add a new partner or child after grant; applications lodged before that date follow the earlier rules. A financial document instruction does not establish eligibility for a new family application.

For a package of courses, the tool uses the education provider of the principal final course. Recheck the tool just before lodging; Home Affairs says its routine updates are on 31 March and 30 September, and it can change at other times.

DOCUMENT TOOL · CHECKED 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

Run the checklist for your own passport and provider

Home Affairs says its Student document tool is routinely updated on 31 March and 30 September. On 30 September, the tool's visible page was dated 16 September; that date alone does not show whether its underlying results changed. Run it again just before submitting. A general document list without your selected inputs is not your personal result.

  1. Choose the country of the passport you will use. Select your education provider or its CRICOS code and only the special category that actually applies. Complete the official reCAPTCHA and select Display evidence; a list shown before your inputs are accepted is not your result. For a package of courses, use the provider of the principal, final course.
  2. Read the result and note the date, chosen inputs and every evidence category shown. The list is an indication: Home Affairs may request more evidence.
  3. Compare the result with the attachment list in your own ImmiAccount application. If English or financial-capacity evidence appears in the tool, the disclaimer says to attach it before submission.
  4. Check again if your passport, provider, principal course or application details change, and immediately before you lodge.

Provider missing or not chosen?

The official disclaimer says a newly CRICOS-registered provider can take up to a month to appear. If it is registered but missing, select “My provider is not listed”. If you have not decided on a provider, you may leave the field blank or choose that option; rerun the tool after choosing your actual provider.

Download a private result record ↓ · Read the official disclaimer · Open the live document tool · Check CRICOS registration

02 / WORK OUT THE AMOUNT

Living costs are only one part of the calculation

The official funds route covers travel, up to 12 months of course fees, living costs for the student and accompanying family, and school fees for accompanying school-age children. For a course shorter than 12 months or a shorter stay, Home Affairs gives pro-rata instructions. Tuition already paid may be deducted from the course-fee component with a receipt or Confirmation of Enrolment showing payment.

Official figure reviewed 4 Oct 2026AmountUse
Student living costsAUD 29,71012 months
Partner living costsAUD 10,39412 months if coming with you
Child living costsAUD 4,44912 months for each child coming with you
Schooling referenceAUD 13,502At least per school-age child per year, subject to official exceptions
Parent or partner annual incomeAUD 87,856Alternative evidence route without accompanying family
Parent or partner annual income with familyAUD 102,500Alternative when family members accompany you

These figures come from the current Student 500 page as checked on 4 October 2026. Add your actual remaining tuition, applicable travel estimate and any child schooling cost. Do not treat AUD 29,710 as the whole required amount or as a guarantee that you can live on that budget. Home Affairs says real costs can be higher.

PRIVATE ARITHMETIC · FAMILY RULE CHECKED 4 OCTOBER 2026

Add the costs in your Student funds plan

For a student applying alone, or with family who qualify for a current exemption, add relevant living, school, course and travel costs in AUD. Check the new family restrictions first: most new applications cannot include family, and no new subsequent entrants can be added after grant. This tool does not assess eligibility or financial evidence.

For a shorter period, Home Affairs uses annual amount ÷ 365 × days. Enter 365 for the full 12-month reference. The tool rounds each person’s pro-rata figure up to the next cent. It does not calculate dates or exchange rates. If children have different periods or school fees, use the editable worksheet to calculate each separately.

1. Living-cost periods

Confirm who accompanies the student. Blank fields remain unknown. Enter 0 children only if that is correct for this application.

AUD 29,710 for the 12-month reference.
AUD 10,394 for the 12-month reference if accompanying.
AUD 4,449 per child for the 12-month reference. This count does not establish a child’s eligibility.
Use this field only when all accompanying children have the same period.
2. School, course and travel costs

Check the actual annual school fees and applicable official exceptions. The official schooling reference is at least AUD 13,502 per school-age child per year; actual fees may be higher. Do not count a fee-waived exception unless it applies and you have the required enrolment evidence.

Must not exceed the accompanying-child count. Zero needs a reason checked against the official instructions.
Enter the checked annual amount. This tool uses one amount and period for all children counted above.
Use up to 12 months under the official instructions; calculate this from your actual course fee schedule.
Only fees included in the preceding amount, supported by a receipt or CoE. Enter 0 when none qualify.
Check the Department’s location-specific guide and include every accompanying applicant. This tool does not choose the travel amount for you.

Choose the family counts and enter checked periods and costs. A complete total is unknown until all applicable inputs are supplied.

The calculator code works in this page, without submitting or saving amounts. Clearing, reloading or returning through browser history removes the entries. Site tracking is described in the privacy page. Keep bank statements and your completed summary on your own device.

Current Student 500 financial evidence, pro-rata, schooling and travel instructions · Prepare genuine access evidence → · Read the separate annual-income route →

03 / SHOW GENUINE ACCESS

What bank, loan or scholarship evidence helps?

Home Affairs lists deposits with a financial institution, government or financial-institution loans, and scholarships or similar support as possible funds evidence. If you rely on deposits, explain where they came from and how they accumulated. Recent transaction history or a pattern of salary payments can show more than a single-day balance certificate. A recent large deposit should be explained with truthful supporting records that fit its source; do not present temporarily borrowed money as savings.

If someone else provides the funds, Home Affairs may ask for their identity, your relationship and evidence of their previous financial support. If funding comes from a business, it asks for proof that the business operates. For an education loan, keep the agreement and evidence that it is paid out under its terms. What you upload still depends on the tool and application prompts for your circumstances.

04 / ALTERNATIVE ANNUAL-INCOME ROUTE

A parent or partner's income uses different proof

Instead of the funds route, Home Affairs describes an alternative based on a parent's or partner's personal annual income in the 12 months before application. The current threshold is AUD 87,856, or AUD 102,500 if family members accompany you. If both parents work, Home Affairs says it can consider their combined income. This is not a general “any sponsor” income route.

For this alternative, provide official government income documents such as tax assessments less than 12 months old. Home Affairs says it will not accept bank statements or direct evidence from an employer as proof of annual income. A bank statement may still be relevant to a different funds claim; keep the two evidence routes distinct.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Before you upload the documents

Is there one universal bank-statement period?

The public Student 500 guidance points to recent transaction history and an explanation of the source of funds. Follow the current tool and ImmiAccount prompts for your case rather than assuming that a single fixed statement length settles the question.

Can I subtract fees already paid?

Home Affairs allows paid course fees to be deducted from the first-year course-fee component if you provide evidence of payment, such as a receipt or CoE. Travel and living costs remain separate.

Will a finance sheet on this site decide my application?

No. Use our private worksheet to organise real figures and evidence, then check Home Affairs' current rules. MyAusVisa does not ask you to upload bank or identity records.

PRIVATE STUDENT WORKSHEET

Map costs and evidence on your device

Record course fees, family costs, travel, the evidence route and the source of any deposits. No email is required.

Download .txt ↓
Prepared by MyAusVisa with AI assistance · Sources reviewed 4 October 2026
STAY CURRENT

Get future guide updates.

Join our email list for occasional source-checked visa and document guidance.