Study in the UK on a budget

Britain offers an excellent range of higher education programmes to international students, but many feel that it is an expensive option. Notes offers some help to achieve the dream in a more cost-effective manner

How much will it cost you to study in the UK? The answer depends on what you study, where you live and how extravagant a lifestyle you want to lead.
There are two major financial elements to consider when planning to study in the UK: course fees and living costs.

You will have little control over the first of these because course fees are fixed amounts determined by the universities and colleges, ranging from £6,000-£7,000 (Dh41,878-Dh48,858] a year for an undergraduate classroom-based course to £16,000-17,000 (Dh111,697-Dh118,658) a year for an undergraduate clinical course.

You can, however, exercise considerable flexibility over living costs.

Let’s look at the key components and illustrate how you can plan to break even when living as a student in the UK.

Accommodation

Unless you are lucky enough to be offered free accommodation with friends or relatives, you will find that getting a roof over your head will make the greatest demands on your non-fee finances.

Usually taking away at least half and sometimes as much as three-quarters of your income.

It is essential to find a suitable place to live, especially during the first 12 months.

Everything else revolves around your feeling secure and comfortable at home - your attitude to living in Britain, your ability to focus on studying successfully, your opportunities to make new friendships and so on.

Can you, for example, walk to your study centre or will you have to make a long and possibly expensive journey every day? Do you want to be surrounded by other students or do you crave peace and quiet?

Before you accept a place, contact the accommodation office at your chosen university or college to check out the service on offer.

Is there official accommodation in a hall of residence? Will you get a priority place because you have travelled such a long way to start your course? Are meals provided?

Would you be expected to share a room? Can you inspect the accommodation before you sign an agreement? Does the accommodation office have a list of approved premises in the private sector?

Some key points to consider

• Cost: Check how many weeks you have to pay for. Is it term-time only (in which case you would have to find somewhere else to live during the vacations) or do you have to take out a full 10- or 12-month rental agreement?
• Catering: How many meals are supplied a day, if any? Are meals provided at weekends or Monday to Friday only? Do you have access to a kitchen to prepare your own meals?
• Space: How big are the rooms? Do you have to share? Is there an ensuite bathroom?
• Transport and travel: Will you be on-campus or many miles away? What sort of transport is available and how much does it cost?
• Local services: Would you have easy access to a bank, shops and leisure facilities?
• Insurance: Is there a comprehensive policy covering all students in a hall of residence? How secure are the doors and windows? Is crime a serious problem?
• It goes without saying, of course, that London is far more expensive than anywhere else in the UK.

Other expensive areas include south-east England, Oxford and Cambridge.

The cheapest part of the country for renting student accommodation is generally the north of England.

Bearing in mind the huge variations in price linked to the issues and facilities listed above, average student rents in London are around £85 (Dh593) per week compared with around £45 (Dh314) to £50 (Dh349) in the north of England.

Food
Unless it’s already included in your accommodation costs, food will be your second major expense.

Unlike property rents, the cost of food is fairly similar all over the UK. London students tend, however, to spend more on food, perhaps because there are so many tempting restaurants and other places to eat!

Expect to spend at least £35 (Dh244) each week making sure that you are reasonably well fed.

Going out
You may intend to devote all of your time to your studies but most students feel that socialising is an important part of their life at university or college.

This is a serious lifestyle decision for each individual and it could cost you anything from nothing to over £100 (Dh698) per week, depending on how gregarious you are, whether you have a taste for expensive concerts or theatres and how determined you are generally to have a good time.

Books, photocopying and stationery
Books can be very expensive but you don’t necessarily have to buy a new copy of every book mentioned by your tutors.

Check to see how well stocked the library is in your subject area and find out whether there is a good second-hand bookshop. You will almost certainly have to photocopy some material and you will have to make sure that you have adequate supplies of paper.

You may need to allow around £5 (Dh35) a week to cover these items.

Computer and other equipment
You may already own a computer and decide to bring it with you. If not, you could easily spend £1,000 (Dh6,980) on a new machine. Do you really need it or does your university or college offer 24-hour IT facilities?

You may be required to purchase materials and equipment for some courses, especially in areas such as science and design.

Telephone
It seems that no student can live in the 21st century without a mobile phone. How much it costs depends entirely on how long you chat, but a typical student spends around £10 (Dh70) a week on phone bills. (That’s about twice as much as they spend on books!)

Clothing
Even if you don’t rush out every week to buy the latest fashions, you will need to allow a certain amount of money for new clothes. The average ranges from £5 (Dh35) to £10 (Dh70) per week but some students spend a great deal more.

Basics
You’ll need to put some cash aside to wash your clothes and to keep yourself clean. You’ll also have to pay for electricity and gas, unless you are paying a fully inclusive charge in a hall of residence.

Travel
You may live on campus and walk everywhere but you could find yourself spending a small fortune if, say, you are living in a London suburb and have to commute every day to lectures in the centre of town.

It is generally not a good idea to drive your own car and we make no allowance for this in our calculations.

Plan your own budget
Look at the figures in the typical student budget [see box] and then make your own projections about what it might cost you to be a student in the UK.

The calculations assume that you will stay in the UK for the full 52 weeks but you may stay for, say, nine months or less and could make savings accordingly.

Remember that the figures don’t allow for other expenditure such as buying presents for friends and family, treating yourself to an occasional CD or other luxury or taking a weekend or more away from your studies from time to time. And we certainly haven’t reckoned on any flight costs.

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