Australia guide · Bank balance · 5 min read
How much bank balance you need for an Australia student visa from Nepal.
You need your first year's tuition, AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs, and travel. On the tuition ranges we saw last year that's about Rs 65 to Rs 82 lakh for one student. The amount is only half the test. Home Affairs also checks that the money is genuinely available to you and that its source makes sense, and at Evidence Level 3 that second half is where most refused files fail.
The short version
- Show first-year tuition + AUD 29,710 + travel. Tuition you've already paid comes off the total.
- Typical totals from Nepal: Rs 63 to 82 lakh for one student, depending on the course.
- There's no fixed number of days, but money that built up over months reads as genuine; a lump sum two weeks before lodging doesn't.
- Savings, fixed deposits and education loans all count, with their source: salary and tax, business income with tax clearance, or land behind a loan.
- 79 of our 194 refusals last year were on money. Start the money file the week you choose Australia, not after the offer.
The formula
First-year tuition + AUD 29,710 living costs + travel = the amount you show.
That’s for one student. If part of the tuition is already paid, the receipt counts and the total goes down. The visa fee (AUD 2,500) and health cover are paid separately, before you lodge, so keep them out of the figure but in your budget.
Three worked examples, in rupees
At Rs 105.97 per AUD (18 Oct 2026). Tuition figures are typical of our shortlists last year, not a quote.
A one-year master’s in Melbourne, nothing paid yet
| Item | AUD | Rupees |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, year 1 | 35,000 | about Rs 37.1 lakh |
| Living costs, 12 months | 29,710 | about Rs 31.5 lakh |
| Travel | about 1,500 | about Rs 1.6 lakh |
| To show | 66,210 | about Rs 70.2 lakh |
A bachelor’s in Adelaide, one semester’s deposit already paid
| Item | AUD | Rupees |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, year 1 | 32,000 | about Rs 33.9 lakh |
| Less deposit paid (receipt attached) | −16,000 | about −Rs 17.0 lakh |
| Living costs, 12 months | 29,710 | about Rs 31.5 lakh |
| Travel | about 1,500 | about Rs 1.6 lakh |
| To show | 47,210 | about Rs 50.0 lakh |
A master’s of IT in Sydney, funded half by savings and half by a loan
| Item | AUD | Rupees |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, year 1 | 44,000 | about Rs 46.6 lakh |
| Living costs, 12 months | 29,710 | about Rs 31.5 lakh |
| Travel | about 1,500 | about Rs 1.6 lakh |
| To show | 75,210 | about Rs 79.7 lakh |
| of which: parents’ savings | about Rs 40 lakh | |
| of which: education loan, sanctioned against land | about Rs 40 lakh |
The third example is common, and it passes when both halves have paper behind them: the savings with three years of the parents’ income and tax, the loan with its sanction letter, the land papers and a valuation.
What counts as evidence
| Evidence | Counts? | What makes it strong |
|---|---|---|
| Savings account in your or a sponsor’s name | Yes | Statements showing the money building up over months |
| Fixed deposit | Yes | Bank confirmation, maturity date, and where the money came from |
| Education loan, disbursed | Yes | The disbursement record, sanction letter and collateral papers |
| Education loan, sanctioned only | Yes | Sanction letter on bank letterhead, collateral papers and valuation |
| Gold, land or a house with no loan against it | No, not as funds | It can explain where savings came from, but it isn’t money you can spend |
| Money “shown” by a relative for a month | Not in practice | This is the pattern officers are trained to spot |
| Part-time wages you hope to earn | No | The living-cost figure has to be in hand |
| Cash at home | No | Put it in a bank with its source documented, early |
What gets files refused
The money in the account is rarely the problem. The story behind it is. These are the four patterns we see most:
- A sudden deposit. Rs 40 lakh arrives two weeks before you lodge, with no record of where it came from.
- A borrowed balance. A relative moves money in for a month and takes it back after the visa.
- Income that never reached a tax record. A shop or farm earns well, but there’s no tax clearance or income certificate to prove it.
- Sponsors who don’t add up. An uncle on a modest salary funding Rs 70 lakh, with no reason given for why he’s paying.
Of our 194 refusals last year, 79 were on financial evidence. In FY 2025/26 we told 271 students “not yet” because their money couldn’t be shown honestly yet.
How long the money should sit there
Home Affairs doesn’t give a number of days. What an officer asks is simpler: could this family have built this money, and has it been theirs for a while?
In practice, from what we see approved:
- Savings that have grown over 6 months or more, with deposits that match salary dates or business income, read as genuine.
- A fixed deposit opened a year ago is stronger than one opened last month, even for the same amount.
- If a large amount moved recently (a land sale, a loan, a gift from grandparents), attach the paper that explains it: the sale deed, the loan disbursement, a gift letter with the giver’s own income records.
Who can sponsor you
| Sponsor | How it reads | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| Parents | The simplest | Income and tax papers for 3 years; ward relationship certificate |
| Siblings | Accepted with a reason | Why they’re paying, their income and tax papers, relationship certificate |
| Grandparents, uncles, aunts | Read closely | A clear reason, their income history, and how the family is connected |
| Yourself | Accepted | Your own work history and tax records |
Sponsor documents for Australia explains each paper: the CA report, tax clearance, property valuation and relationship certificate, and how to get them in Nepal.
We told him “not yet”
Rojan Maharjan from Lalitpur came to us in 2023: a GPA of 2.1, a four-year gap, Rs 9 lakh saved, and a relative who’d promised to “show” Rs 40 lakh for a month. We told him not yet, and why. He took a diploma in Kathmandu, worked, scored IELTS 7.0 and came back in 2025. He’s now doing a master’s in Tampere, Finland, on a 50% scholarship, for Rs 14 lakh less than the Australia plan he walked in with.
Your money file, in the order to build it
- Week 1: decide who pays, and write the money story on one page: who, how much, from what income, since when.
- Weeks 1 to 4: collect 3 years of tax clearance and income papers for every sponsor.
- Weeks 2 to 6: if borrowing, apply for the loan; get the land valued by a bank-listed valuer.
- Week 6 onward: keep the money where it is. Don’t move it between accounts before lodging.
- The week you lodge: fresh bank balance certificate and statements, dated close to lodgement.
Our view
The visa is rarely refused for English. It’s refused for money. Students spend months on IELTS and an afternoon on the money file. It should be the other way round: start the money file the day you decide on Australia, and test it before you pay a deposit.
