Money matters for international students

Fees and Funding

Here are a few useful links to some external websites with information on funding and scholarship opportunities for study in the UK:

Information about the recent changes by the British Government to fees

  • Does an increase in fees for home students mean that international students will be paying the same rate or see their fees rise?

No. The fees increase proposals announced by the British Government are for UK and EU students only. It does not affect students from outside the EU.

  • Why do students from outside the EU pay different fees to UK and EU students?

The course fees for all students are essentially the same however, the UK and EU governments subsidise the fees for home and EU students from taxes paid within the EU. As students from outside of the EU do not contribute to these taxes, they are not eligible for the subsidy.

The increase in fees for home and EU students has arisen as the subsidy paid by the UK and EU governments is being reduced.

Living Costs

As well as tuition fees, you will need to budget for the cost of living in the UK. This can very a great deal according to the kind of activities you take part in, whether or not you are able to cook for yourself and many other factors. Your largest cost will be your accommodation. The University offers a range of types and costs of accommodation all of which will include bills for utilities such as heating and electricity. If you choose to live in private accommodation, you may have to pay extra for gas, electricity and water.

Social costs are also something which can vary a great deal from as little as £10 per week to a national average of £30 or even higher depending on your lifestyle. Tools like the International Student Calculator can be very helpful for you to work out a more exact idea based on the lifestyle you think you will lead. More information about budgeting and the International Student Calculator follows below.

You will also need to set aside some money at the beginning of the year to provide you with things to set you up for the year ahead such as bedding, cooking utensils, a television licence, insurance and any other large purchases such as a laptop, should you need one. Don't forget that you need to budget for your flight and your visa too!

Some of the main expenses that you will have on a weekly basis are listed below:

Item Cost per week
Accommodation

Accommodation costs vary across campus, but the typical cost for en suite accommodation is around £130 per week.  Prices start at £97 per week, with premium en-suite accommodation rising to £143 per week.

Food £42, may vary if you are in a self-catered or catered hall
Cleaning/hygiene £5.50
Mobile/telephone £5.50
Travel £11
Books and stationery £11
Entertainment £11
Clothing and personal items £11
Total £174 - £281

Convert UK prices into your own currency: www.xe.com 

Undergraduates can expect to spend at least 39 weeks in the UK and postgraduates can stay for up to a full year or more.

These costs are based on a single student studying at the University of Reading and although they offer guidance, costs will vary from student to student. Those students who are travelling with a partner or even a family will need to allow extra funds to support them.

Budgeting

According to research by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), student finance is the number one concern for international students. Almost a quarter of students surveyed (23%) said they didn't have enough money to live on. Of those who had experience hardship, 72% said they had underestimated the cost of living.

There are lots of tools and people that can help you to budget carefully while you are studying in the UK. There is an online tool from UKCISA called the International Student Calculator which includes a cost calculator to help you budget for your study in the UK. This website will help you to:

  • build a lifestyle budget and see how it balances by week, month and even a year
  • understand how you will spend time as well as money
  • get information about insurance and banking
  • learn from other students' experiences

And you'll be able to save your budget so you can use it before and after you arrive.

When you get to the University, Reading University Students' Union also has a Money Doctors service which offers current Reading students free, confidential financial advice and help with debts, funding problems, bank/credit card issues, work and taxes.

There will also be talks and information sessions when you first arrive to help you prepare your budget for the year ahead.

Working while you study

The University is keen to help you get the most out of your time at Reading and recognises the importance of developing the transferable skills that you will need after you graduate. We realise that students need to earn money to help support themselves. The University established a Job Shop situated in the Careers Advisory Service.

Job Shop

The Job Shop is a dedicated job centre for Reading students which advertises part-time vacancies (usually 16 hours or less per week). The University's location in the prosperous South-East region means that students who wish to work part-time have a range of jobs on offer.

The Job Shop works with local employers finding term-time and vacation work for students. There is typically a wide range of part-time work on offer from jobs in tutoring, mentoring, interpretation, translation, to data processing, administration, clerical, and shop work. Wages will vary but you can expect to earn between £5 and £15 per hour. Find out more about working in the United Kingdom.

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Disclaimer:

The University will not be held liable for any loss, damage or expense as a result of delays, variations or failure in the provision of services, facilities or programmes of study arising from circumstances beyond the University's reasonable control, including, without limitation, any of the following: act of God, governmental act, industrial action, strikes, lockouts, fire, flood, earthquake, bad weather conditions, explosion, civil commotion, war, terrorist attack, technical failure, or power failure.

Content on the web pages of the University of Reading is the responsibility of the page owner and does not necessarily represent the views of the University of Reading. All page owners and content authors are expected to abide by the University of Reading Rules for the Use of University Computers and Data Networks when publishing web content. The University of Reading reserves the right to remove or alter any content at any time without notice and takes no responsibility for any loss, damage or expense as a result of the nature or use of its web content.

The University of Reading website contains links to third party websites hosted by information providers who are not affiliated with the University. These links serve as a reference for further information and do not signify that the University endorses such websites or their content. The University cannot confirm the accuracy or reliability of any of the material contained in such third party websites nor shall it be held liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of using third party sites or the information contained therein.

Furthermore, the University does not make any representations or warranties as to the security of any information you may be requested to give to any third party.

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