In order to obtain a UK student visa, overseas students need to be able to prove that they have enough money to cover the costs of their study without taking up paid employment or conducting business of any kind. Costs include tuition fees, accommodation and other daily living expenses. The school, college or university in the UK should provide each student with a full list of all fixed expenses as well as an estimate of general living expenses.
The information detailed below is to help overseas students and their parents calculate an estimated value of all the necessary costs of living and studying in the UK. Note that all costs on this page are shown in pounds sterling (￡); for current exchange rates, see www.xe.com/ucc (English) or www.xe.com/zh (Chinese).
A recent survey by the UK’s National Union of Students (NUS) found that average college and university student expenses, excluding tuition fees, across the UK were as follows;
or ￡660 - ￡910 per month
or ￡5940 - ￡8190 per academic year (9 months)
Note that these are AVERAGE expenses that do not include clothing, haircuts and various other miscellaneous items. Actual costs for most items will depend on the individual student as well as other factors such as location within the UK, distance between accommodation and campus, services and facilities provided by the institution, etc. Therefore, student expenses can work out to be significantly higher or lower than the averages given above, so use them only as a reference.
Typical UK tuition fees for various different types of courses are as follows (note that these figures represent TYPICAL fees – ACTUAL fees charged by individual institutions can be higher or lower);
Because English language courses vary so much, prices can vary greatly too. Courses with large numbers of students in each class will be much cheaper than intensive, individual or small-class tuition based courses. Courses that mix English language study with other activities usually cost a little more than purely classroom based courses.
Note that the above fees also include boarding costs (accommodation, meals and laundry) and might also include other costs such as textbooks, excursions, etc. Boarding prep schools typically have slightly higher fees than senior/secondary schools.
Vocational courses vary greatly in subject and taught content. Specialist training courses for certain skilled professions, particularly ones that require more practical teaching rather than classroom based theory teaching, such as professional chef or pilot training, will be considerably more expensive.
These fees are for non-EU overseas students. UK and EU students pay a reduced rate, subsidised by the government, for first degree courses.
It is worth remembering that most bachelor degree courses take only three years to complete in the UK, compared to four years in the USA, Australia and most other countries, although courses in Scotland usually take four years. However, some overseas students will need to take an international foundation course prior to commencing their degree course, which can add an extra year.
International foundation courses lasting one academic year (9 months) typically cost ￡5000 - ￡9000 or higher.
These fees are for non-EU overseas students. UK and EU students pay a reduced rate, subsidised by the government, for most postgraduate courses.
It is worth remembering that most masters degree programmes (including MBAs) take only one year to complete in the UK, compared to two years in the USA, Australia and most other countries. PhD programmes take between two and four years full-time study.
On top of tuition fees, there may also be additional costs of studying. These might include some or all of the following items;
The cost of textbooks is included in the tuition fee for some courses but not for most. Many degree level courses require large numbers of textbooks that can be quite expensive (up to ￡50 each or more), so students should only buy the ones they are sure they need. Students can also enquire about buying second-hand textbooks from previous students that have graduated the same course.
All students will need a supply of notebooks, paper and stationary. Most of these items are relatively inexpensive and many can be brought from home or easily purchased in the UK.
Some students may need to do a lot of photocopying, which can add up to a significant cost. Most colleges and universities have a photocopier that students can use for a minimal fee per page. Otherwise, students need to find a high street printing shop that will charge a little more.
Students taking lab based science and engineering courses might be expected to buy their own lab coat as well as other basic lab equipment such as measuring devices, tools, goggles, etc. Some institutions will provide all these things for their students, while others will only provide some. Most items are fairly inexpensive, although certain specialist items of equipment might have a high cost, it depends largely on the subject being studied.
All UK boarding schools require their students to wear a school uniform. For boys this typically includes a blazer and neck tie with the school’s colours and/or emblem on them. In addition, they are expected to wear plain shirts (often white only), smart long trousers (often grey or black only), optional short trousers in the summer, plus smart shoes. Girls typically have a similar uniform to boys, except that they are expected to wear skirts rather than trousers, which are commonly also in the school’s colours. In addition, both boys and girls at UK boarding schools generally also require a school sports kit, usually a t-shirt and shorts.
School uniforms for young children should be purchased a size or two too large, to let children grow into them, and therefore only need to be purchased once. The prices of uniforms vary, but expect to pay upwards of ￡150 for a complete set (i.e. blazer, neck tie, skirt or trousers and sports-wear).
Many courses prepare students to sit specific exams at the end of the course. For such courses the exam fees are typically included in the tuition fees. Students are often required to pay their own fees for sitting any extra, additional exams that are not officially part of their course of study. For example, the IELTS exam fee is ￡100 (2007).
After tuition fees, the next largest expense will be accommodation. Accommodation costs are highest in London and generally higher in the big cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, etc. compared to smaller towns and more rural locations, plus generally higher in the South of England (South East in particular) than in the rest of the UK. Typical accommodation costs are as follows;
* Students in privately rented accommodation will also need to pay utility bills such as electricity, gas and water. These will amount to ￡20 - ￡25 per week for a whole three or four bedroom house, plus extra for telephone, broadband internet, cable or satellite television and TV license.
Students willing to share bedrooms and bathrooms can expect to pay the fees at the lower end of the scale, while students wanting private rooms with an en-suite bathroom will have to pay fees at the higher end.
Students in self-catering accommodation will typically need to spend ￡25 - ￡40 per week on food and drink, not including social drinking. They can expect to spend more if they wish to eat out regularly, rather than preparing their own meals every day. The cost of a meal for one at a restaurant ranges from ￡3 - ￡5 for fast food (i.e. McDonalds, kebabs, etc) to ￡10 - ￡20 for a two or three course meal at a nice restaurant, potentially much more for exclusive restaurants or for certain dishes or cuisines (i.e. prime steaks, seafood, etc.).
Students can save money buy buying food and drink in bulk, with other students and by taking turns to prepare meals for a group of students sharing the same residence, rather than always cooking meals for just one person.
Although supermarkets offer great convenience as well as reasonable prices, the cheapest and freshest fruits and vegetables can be found at local markets and the cheapest and best quality raw meat and poultry can be found at high street butchers.
Entertainment is one area where students can either save a lot or spend much more than they should. Simply speaking, the more a student wishes to do and the more often they go out socialising, the more money they will spend. Most students like to have an active social life but many are also restricted by a limited budget. Typical entertainment costs are as follows;
* “Drink” refers to alcoholic drink, i.e. pint/bottle of beer, glass of wine or single measure of spirit.
Student unions within university campuses have bars that serve cheap drinks, as well as cheap, simple meals and organise various entertainments such as discos, live music, pool competitions, etc. Off-campus, prices will be higher but also provide wider choice and variety.
Students that do not wish to drink very often will save a great deal of money over those students that enjoy drinking regularly. In addition, alcoholic drinks bought from an off-license are generally half the price one would pay in a pub or bar, so many students choose to entertain themselves at home with friends.
Typical student travel costs are difficult to estimate. Costs will depend on location within the UK, the distance between the student’s accommodation and the campus plus how far and how often a student wishes to go out in the evenings and on weekends.
Local buses will be the most commonly used transport for the majority of students. Single, local bus journeys cost between 50p and ￡1, potentially as much as ￡2 in London.
Many students living in London will use the tube for local journeys. The cost of using the tube and other public transport within London is quite expensive, with an off-peak “one day travel card”, covering zones 1 – 4, costing about ￡6. This allows for unlimited travel on London underground, buses and some over ground train lines, after 9:30am, within zones 1 to 4, on the day of purchase. For more information about costs of public transport in London, see www.tfl.gov.uk.
A five mile, twenty minute taxi journey should cost anywhere between ￡7 and ￡15. Mini cabs are cheaper than metered taxis and journeys during the daytime are cheaper than at night time. All taxis have a minimum charge for short journeys.
Bicycles vary a lot in quality and features and hence, also vary a lot in price. The same is true of motorbikes and cars; for students that can afford such luxuries. Buying a cheap bicycle, especially a second-hand one, will generally save most students money over the course of one year, as it is a one-off cost. Plenty of cheap, second-hand motorbikes and cars can also be found across the UK, but these will require many additional running costs such as petrol, insurance, road tax, maintenance, parking fees, etc.; therefore even if a student is given a free car, they might well not be able to afford to keep it.
Another major travel expense will be the cost of travelling back home during vacations. While most overseas students choose to return to their home country over the long summer vacation, many will choose not to do so during the shorter holidays, at Christmas and Easter. Three return flights per year adds up to a substantial sum of money, even when flying economy. As many students will still have to cover their rent over Christmas and Easter holidays, remaining in the UK, rather than returning home for a few weeks, will save a lot of money. It will also give students the opportunity to take a short trip around other parts of the UK or even travel around Europe.
In addition to the obvious expenses that have been outlined above, there are many other potential expenses that students might incur, whilst studying in the UK. The following is a brief list of some of these miscellaneous expenses and their typical costs;
Additional items might include;
Most of these items can be brought over to the UK from the student’s home country (exc. Mobile phone calls / bill), but many students will want to purchase some or all of the above items whilst in the UK. However, typical costs for such items are difficult to estimate as they can vary in cost so greatly. For example, a pair of jeans can cost anything from ￡10 to ￡100. Students on a limited budget should bring over as many of these items as they can, although they may be limited by their luggage weight restriction when flying to the UK.
All students in further and higher education in the UK are automatically eligible to join the UK’s National Union of Students (NUS). Students should ensure they apply for and receive an NUS card, usually done at the time of enrolling on their course or sometime soon after, i.e. during fresher’s week. Students in the UK are eligible to receive wide ranging discounts in many shops, restaurants, cinemas, museums, sports and leisure centres, etc., as well as discounts for several forms of public transport. Having an NUS card is recognised proof of being a student; therefore it is important students have one and keep it with them whenever they go out, as it can save them money on many different purchases and services.
Because many students in the UK will be on a limited budget, it is very important that they carefully manage their finances and watch what they spend, rather than overspending at the beginning of the year, then finding themselves with no money to buy textbooks or other important items, later in the year.
Most students should have a reasonable idea of how much money they have available for a whole academic year. They can also calculate all of their fixed expenses for the year, such as tuition fees and rent. Money left over is to cover the student’s other living and study expenses, as explained above. Students are advised to calculate how much spare money they have available to spend each week and then try to stick to this budget, without spending more than their weekly allowance. If a student spends more than their weekly limit, they should try to spend less the following week, to balance out any overspending. Students should allow for a higher weekly budget at the beginning of the year, to cover text books and other items they will need to purchase at this time. Ideally, they should also try to keep a reserve of emergency money to use on any unexpected expenditures, such as an emergency visit to the dentist or needing to replace a pair of spectacles.
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