What will it cost?

• Tuition fees
• Money to live on
• Total course costs
• Where to get the money?

You will need money to pay your tuition fees and money to live on.

Tuition fees

How much you are charged for tuition depends firstly on whether you are defined as a Home student (UK and EU) or an International student (from anywhere outside the EU). Increasingly it may depend on where you study and what course you take.

International students are charged the full (unsubsidised) cost of their course. There is a very wide range of tuition fees starting at around £7000 pa, rising to over £30,000 pa for some clinical courses. You can check the fees in each university description and compare the minimum charged in the university search tables.

Home students’ tuition fees are currently highly subsidised and capped by the government but in 2012 this is due to change in most of the UK. In 2011, fees range from nil (for eg Scottish students studying in Scotland and some NHS courses) to £3375 pa (for most other students). Fees may be higher at some private colleges or universities or if you already have a degree or equivalent. If you start your course in 2011, your fees will rise in line with inflation from this base figure.

But if you start your course in 2012, you will find that fees at most universities are between £6000 pa and £9000 pa; it will be up to each university to set its fees within this range. Further details are currently sketchy on what the actual fee levels will be and the help available to pay them: it appears that Welsh students will not have to pay the extra, the fees may be lower in Northern Ireland for local students and the Scottish Parliament has yet to decide on its policy.

There are some ways of reducing these fees. Some universities (originally Buckingham University) offer accelerated courses over two rather than three years, which is cheaper. Or you may be able to take the first two years at your local FE college at a lower cost, before transferring to university. There are always part-time options (at Birkbeck or other universities) or distance learning (at the Open University, UHI Millennium Institute and some others).

Money to live on

How much you need to live on depends on where you study (eg Bradford is cheaper than London) and your personal life choices (a studio flat will cost more than a shared room). Most universities estimate you need a minimum of around £6000 pa to live on for an academic year. Many universities recommend considerably more than that – £12,000 pa or more in London.

Total course costs

If you add up the cost of tuition and your own living costs over the three (or more) years of your course, you may get a nasty shock. For a home student starting in 2011, the total is unlikely to be less than £30k and could be over £50k; for those starting in 2012 the comparable figures will be £40k and £75k. International students could be spending much more – maybe £100k. So you need to be clear that you know where that money is coming from.

Where to get the money?

UK students are eligible for a patchwork of student support (loans, grants, bursaries etc), as well as help that may be expected from your family. In particular, there is generous (and non-returnable) money for students from low-income families.

The names of the various elements of student support, and the arrangements for applying, differ in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So check out the country you live in (and ignore the other three).

There is some help from the UK government for EU students. Those from outside the EU get no UK government help but may do from their own government (Non-UK students).