How Much Does It Really Cost To Go To University In The UK?

Everyone knows that the cost of going to university in the UK isn’t cheap. But it can be hard to gauge the full total of finances necessary. The cost can be confusing when adding together tuition, accommodation, living, and social expenses. This article has compiled predicted costs and expectations of spending to prepare the reader for university. It also explores the financial aid available to support students as they look towards their future at university.

Tuition Fees

If you live in the UK, the cost to go to an English university in tuition fees is £9,250 per year for an undergraduate. However, for EU and UK students, there are loans available to cover tuition fees. These loans are based on the parents’/carer’s income(s). The maximum undergraduate student tuition loan is the full £9,250 per annum.

If you live in Wales, the cost to go to a Welsh university in tuition fees can be up to £9,000. If you are a Welsh student, you can apply for a free grant to cover some of your tuition costs. This grant is non-repayable. For European Union and Northern Irish students, it will cost £3,925.

If you live in Northern Ireland, the cost to go to a Northern Irish university is £4,275 per year for an undergraduate. If you are from anywhere else in the UK, it will cost £9,250.

If you live in Scotland or the EU, there are no undergraduate fees to go to a university in Scotland. However, if you are from England, Wales, or Ireland, it will cost you £9,250 per year. Non EU students will be expected to pay significantly more.

In the UK, the average overall three-year undergraduate student debt for tuition fees is £27,000. But, once you add maintenance fees, that number jumps to between £35,000 and £40,000.

Accommodation Fees

A student’s accommodation fees can be very varied depending on where they are studying in the country, what year they are in, and the type of accommodation they choose.

In 2020, the average student’s rent was £126 per week. Unsurprisingly, in London, the average was higher, and students were expected to pay £880 a month, which is roughly £300 more than the average UK student. This is in stark contrast to Lancaster University, where the average rent cost is just over half of the London average, at only £404 per month. When going to university, it may really be worth considering where in the country you are going. Based on the case study above, your finances are really impacted by where you are. Rents, in general, are much cheaper in the North than the South.

The average accommodation cost for a student a year is around £4,914. An undergraduate course is typically three years long. Therefore, the expected total cost for accommodation is £14,742. Although this number may seem overwhelmingly large, the government does offer maintenance loans to cover UK and EU students’ living costs. That said, this loan, like the tuition fees, is dependent on other personal factors and may not cover all of your fees. So it is really important to carefully consider these figures and the loans available before deciding on a university.

Essentials

On top of needing finances for tuition and accommodation, students will need money for essentials, such as food and travel. There are also unexpected critical expenses, which are important to keep in mind.

Food

If a student is self-catered, they will need between £15 and £25 for food each week depending on where they shop. Catered students will find that their cost of food is lower. However, their accommodation fees will be higher to incorporate the food cost.

Travel

If a student does not live a walking distance from their campus, they will need to afford travel expenses. If they are not a walking distance from a town, they will also need to spend on travel. Similarly, if they want to visit home or go on a day trip , they will need to budget. On average, a student spends £44 a month on travel.

Toiletries and Cleaning Products

These are critical for personal and communal hygiene. This will cost the average student £14 a month.

Washing

Campus washing can be surprisingly expensive. If a student is in their first year, their washing can cost up to £5 a week. This can be reduced by buying a clothes horse/airer to dry clothes rather than spending on tumble drying.

Course Materials

The cost of course materials varies drastically depending on the course. For example, a literature course may charge for reading materials (one textbook can cost up to £50). A science course may charge for equipment such as lab coats. Some of the fees cannot be avoided, but some can be reduced. For example, loaning books from the library instead of outright buying them is an option. These costs are so varied that there is no average spending price. However, a person can find out the expected cost on a course website.

Printing

Again, printing can vary based on the course expectations. Many courses are opting for electronic submissions, but there is still an expectation that a student will need to print. Printing costs on average 5p per sheet which, although a small sum, can very quickly add up.

Added up, all essential necessities can cost around £200 per month for a student. This is all before luxury spending is added.

Non-Essential Lifestyle and Social

Apart from education and a taste of freedom, one of the biggest attractions to university students is the “University experience”. This is filled with social activities, which can financially add up if a student fully immerses themself into the university lifestyle.

Entertainment

This can include clubs, bars, gigs, concerts. On campus, it’s not hard to find cheap entertainment by joining societies (which still cost an additional small fee), but off-campus activities can add up very quickly. On average, a student spends £50 a month on entertainment alone.

Alcohol

British cities are well known for a vibrant late-night atmosphere, glistening with pubs and restaurants serving alcohol. As a result, the average student in a British University spends roughly £20 a week on alcohol alone.

Takeaways and Snacks

Non-essential food shops, where a student might order a takeaway, go out for a coffee or dinner, will cost on average between £26 to £34 a month.

Clothing

On shopping outings, a student is likely to spend up to £42 a month on new clothing, depending on where they shop.

Other

The average cost of a cheap student holiday across the year equates to ~£24 a month. If a student is into fitness, they may join a gym, which is likely to cost roughly £13 a month. However, both of these activities do vary greatly, due to where a person will go on holiday and where in the country a person goes to the gym.

The grand average total of all of these activities can add up to just under £200 a month. Therefore, it is really important that a student is prepared for these large sums. Should a student budget and limit their spending (ie. reducing clothes shopping and takeaways), they can quickly halve their spending. Naturally, it all depends on personal circumstances.

Financial Support

To give an overall estimate for the cost for university is challenging due to the many variants that impact fees. However, it is predicted that the broad average undergraduate three-year cost for university is around £56,000. Despite this, it’s not all doom and gloom. Although all of these finances might paint a dim picture, there are many resources available to support students with their financial needs.

Tuition and Maintenance Loan

The cost of £9,250 per annum for the average student in the UK is hefty. Therefore, as I mentioned previously, the government does offer student loans to cover the costs. The amount of financial support available is dependent on a household’s income. Therefore, some students can receive a loan to cover the full cost, whereas some receive a loan to only partially cover the cost. This loan will only ever be repaid 9% of a person’s earnings over a certain threshold. If your salary is below this figure, you will not have to repay the loan. If, 30-years after you finish your studies, you have not fully paid back your loans, any outstanding debt will be cancelled. It is estimated that 83% of students have some or all of their debt cancelled.

Scholarships and Bursaries

These are different from loans because they do not need to be repaid. These can be for academically talented students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Scholarships can also be given for all sorts of reasons that many are eligible for. It is worth exploring these options and applying for what you can — after all, this is free money!

Other Schemes

There is plenty of support for students via other scheme options. For example, there are certain allowances and grants available, listed below:

Disable Students Allowance (DSI)

Parents Learning Allowance

Childcare Grant

Adults Dependants’ Grant

Dependants’ Grant

It is certainly worth exploring these options and researching the criteria to be eligible for more financial support.

Deals to aid student spending and budgeting

UNiDAYS and NUS Cards provide students with discounts in supermarkets, retail stores, and travel. UNiDAYS is free to download, and an NUS card is only £13, so really worth investing in, as you could save dramatically on items.

Opening a student bank account can really support students because they offer overdrafts, which have low interest rates. This means that when students repay their overdraft, they are not charged high fees on top of what they have borrowed.

KodyPay can also aid student spending. This is because the all-digital platform can make managing money much more simple and straightforward. You can store all of your cards in one app and view your e-receipts, making your spending easy to keep track of. Due to the uncomplicated click and collect process, students can order their essentials and immediately know the full cost instead of guessing as they wander around the store. A massive way to reduce overspending at university is to plan and budget. KodyPay makes planning and budgeting effortless, as everything is digital and easy to access.

University is an amazing experience for students. But the financial pressures can be burdensome. Therefore, this article should prepare parents and students for the prices as well as noting the support available. A student should not miss out on amazing opportunities due to monetary struggles. Therefore, the financial resources available are there to be used, so certainly check them out for yourself.