Is the Graduate Route 2 years or 18 months?

Both, and the date you apply decides which. Apply on or before Thu, 31 Dec 2026 and a bachelor's or taught master's gets 24 months. Apply on or after 1 January 2027 and the same degree gets 18 months. Doctoral graduates get 36 months either way.

Does the cutoff go by my graduation date or my application date?

The application date. GOV.UK words it as "if you apply", so finishing a course in December 2026 does not help on its own — the university still has to report your completion before you can apply, and that reporting lag is what pushes most people past the cutoff.

How much does the Graduate visa cost?

The application fee is £937. On top of that comes the healthcare surcharge, which GOV.UK publishes as a total per grant length: £2,070 for 24 months, £1,152.5 for 18 months and £3,105 for 36. Graduate Route pays the standard adult rate of £1,035 a year, not the £776 student rate.

What happens when the Graduate visa runs out?

You need a sponsored Skilled Worker job to stay. The general salary floor is £41,700 a year, or £33,400 if you qualify as a new entrant, and the role must be graduate level (RQF 6 or above). The Graduate Route months are the runway you get to find one.

Can I apply for the Graduate Route from India?

No. You must be inside the UK on a valid Student visa when you apply, and your university must have confirmed to the Home Office that you completed the course.

UK Graduate Route Calculator: 24 or 18 Months? (Free)

Your course

What are you studying?

Doctoral graduates keep 36 months whenever they apply.

When does the course start?

The first day of term, not the offer date.

Course length in months

A one-year UK taught master's is 12 months, including the dissertation.

Reporting lag

Weeks between your course ending and the university confirming completion to the Home Office. Results boards for taught master's usually take six to ten weeks.

8 weeks

This is the one number nobody can pin down for you. Ask your department what they quote — for a late-2026 finish it decides the whole answer.

Your bank's GBP rate (optional)

Only used to show an approximate rupee figure.

Post-study work you get

18 months

You miss the cutoff by 320 days, and that costs you 6 months.

Course ends: Tue, 21 Sept 2027
Apply from: Tue, 16 Nov 2027
Runs out: Wed, 16 May 2029

The Thu, 31 Dec 2026 cliff

This intake cannot reach the cutoff. To keep 24 months the course would have to end by Thu, 5 Nov 2026 at this reporting lag. Anyone telling you a 2027 finish still gets two years is reading the old rule.

Course ends
Tue, 21 Sept 2027
Last day of the course as your CAS and offer letter define it.
University reports completion
Tue, 16 Nov 2027
8 weeks later, on the lag you set. You cannot apply before this, and you must still be in the UK on a valid Student visa when you do.
Cutoff
Thu, 31 Dec 2026
Apply on or before this day for 24 months. On or after 1 January 2027 it is 18.
Permission runs out
Wed, 16 May 2029
By this date you need a sponsored job, another visa route, or a flight home.

What the Graduate visa costs you

Application fee: Paid once, when you apply.
Healthcare surcharge: The total GOV.UK publishes for a 18-month grant. Graduate Route pays the adult rate of £1,035 a year, not the student rate.
Total: £2,089.5≈ ₹2,23,577

Missing the cutoff saves you £917.5 in surcharge and costs you 6 months of permission. Not a trade anyone would take.

Your runway, and the wall at the end of it

The Graduate Route needs no sponsor, so those 18 months are yours to work in any job while you look for one that sponsors. Staying past Wed, 16 May 2029 means a Skilled Worker visa: a licensed sponsor, a role at RQF 6 or above, and a salary of at least £41,700, or £33,400 if you qualify as a new entrant.

Sponsored offers rarely arrive in month one. Treat the first 6 months as the search, not the settling-in.
Roles below graduate level stopped qualifying for Skilled Worker sponsorship in July 2025, so a job that pays the bills is not automatically a job that extends your stay.
A shorter route is a shorter search. If the numbers here do not work, that is worth knowing before the loan is signed, not after.

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Questions people actually ask

Is the Graduate Route 2 years or 18 months?: Both, and the date you apply decides which. Apply on or before Thu, 31 Dec 2026 and a bachelor's or taught master's gets 24 months. Apply on or after 1 January 2027 and the same degree gets 18 months. Doctoral graduates get 36 months either way.
Does the cutoff go by my graduation date or my application date?: The application date. GOV.UK words it as "if you apply", so finishing a course in December 2026 does not help on its own — the university still has to report your completion before you can apply, and that reporting lag is what pushes most people past the cutoff.
How much does the Graduate visa cost?: The application fee is £937. On top of that comes the healthcare surcharge, which GOV.UK publishes as a total per grant length: £2,070 for 24 months, £1,152.5 for 18 months and £3,105 for 36. Graduate Route pays the standard adult rate of £1,035 a year, not the £776 student rate.
What happens when the Graduate visa runs out?: You need a sponsored Skilled Worker job to stay. The general salary floor is £41,700 a year, or £33,400 if you qualify as a new entrant, and the role must be graduate level (RQF 6 or above). The Graduate Route months are the runway you get to find one.
Can I apply for the Graduate Route from India?: No. You must be inside the UK on a valid Student visa when you apply, and your university must have confirmed to the Home Office that you completed the course.

Where these figures come from

GOV.UK states 24 months if you apply on or before Thu, 31 Dec 2026 and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, with 36 months for doctoral qualifications. Fee £937, healthcare surcharge £1,035 a year. All last checked on 21 August 2026. These rules move — confirm the current figures before you plan around them.

Check the official GOV.UK page

This is a planning aid, not immigration advice. Margam is not a law firm or an immigration adviser. The reporting lag is an estimate you set yourself; your university is the only authority on when it will confirm your completion.

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