UK Living Cost for International Students
As you plan to study abroad, it is normal to want to pre-calculate your expenses to know how much you will be spending or to set a budget for each month as it can be costly. For students who are planning to study in the UK, the numbers may vary based on individual lifestyle and location in the UK.
Tuition fees
Undergraduate tuition fees for international students in the UK ranges between £12,000 – £32,000 per year for full-time courses. Note that the higher range is for degrees studied at the best universities. Medical and health sciences degree would usually cost considerably more than the aforementioned range which may exceed £50,000 per year. Generally, international undergraduate fees cost about approximately £14,000 – £21,500 per year on average for middle-tier universities for non-medical and health sciences programs.
Rent
For instance, if you are planning to live closer to the city, rent may vary between £500 – £600 per month however if you choose to stay in the suburbs, rent will cost you roughly around £350 – £450 per month. You may also opt to stay in the university accommodation as well which would save you on transport to classes however rent would be approximately £450 a month depending on your university. A popular option that many students choose is to stay in the university accommodation for the first few months so that they can get to meet new friends easier which they could build a good friendship with and then move out to another place to stay so they could share rent. This can allow them to move to a better located, nicer, more private living space with a potentially better shared rent budget while having the benefit of living with good friends.
Food and grocery
Food and grocery fees in the UK may differ depending on the kind of lifestyle you lead. If you are someone who likes to meal prep or cook your own dinner, you may save up more costs by budgeting your own groceries to approximately £200 – £250 a month. Some students who live on campus could choose to subscribe to a meal plan to save the hassle which costs approximately £13 – £15 a day which serves 3 courses on weekdays, 2 courses on weekends. However, if you prefer to eat out at restaurants, costs would definitely be higher but you may flash your student id or download an app called UniDays which shows you all the restaurants in the UK that allows you to get a discount worth up to 10% – 30% off your bill simply by registering with your student email!
Transport
If you live away from your university, you will need to include travel expenses in your budget. This can be anything from £10 per week, or more if you live in London. As using taxis would be quite costly, you may sign up for bus and railway travelling apps or cards to save up on costs on average. Many students use bus passes such as FirstBus app or StageCoach app which allows students to get day-passes or as low as £90 per term up to £325 per year student bus card. Other than that, students could get the 18+ student oyster card which entitles you to 30% discount off the Tube fares (mainly for students in London) or railcard (outside London) in which students aged 16-25 years old could purchase a 1-year railcard for £30 or 3-year railcard for £70. By using these privileges, it could really help save your costs and cut budget so make sure to fully utilise the advantage of being a student!
Other expenses
Phone bills, water bills, electricity bills and the internet! All these may add up to an approximate total of £150 monthly. However, some campus accommodations may include the bills into account which would be cheaper compared to others living on their own.
That said, these figures are only an approximate calculation which would still vary depending on each student’s preferences and lifestyle. Every student’s lifestyle or social life is different therefore do not forget to take into account of those expenses too. Happy planning!
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