Clueless when it comes to the Cost of University? Most students will know how much the fees are going to set them back, but how knowledgeable are you when it comes to the real cost of university life?
Read on to gain a better understanding of all of the things you'll need to budget for before you start at Swansea...
The main expenses you're going to need to consider when starting uni are:
Accommodation varies depending on whether you choose to commute from home, live in halls of residence, or rent privately in off-campus accommodation. Average accommodation costs for a student living in university halls of residence are around £108 per week, but this amount can vary depending on what halls you're in.
Typical costs of renting privately will be around £75 per week, but the important difference here is that whilst all bills are included in your Halls of Residence costs, if you're in private rented accommodation you are likely to need to factor in the cost of utility bills. These'll average at around £60 per month and include water, electricity, gas and broadband.
In addition to the above* it's likely you'll need to consider budgeting for unanticipated expenses. And don't forget to factor in some fun by accounting for personal costs too!
*The figures quoted above are accurate for the 2014/15 academic year and are likely to change, so we advise you keep an eye on our University Webpages for updates.
- Accommodation
- Utility Bills
- Travel Expenses
- General Living costs such as Food
Accommodation varies depending on whether you choose to commute from home, live in halls of residence, or rent privately in off-campus accommodation. Average accommodation costs for a student living in university halls of residence are around £108 per week, but this amount can vary depending on what halls you're in.
Typical costs of renting privately will be around £75 per week, but the important difference here is that whilst all bills are included in your Halls of Residence costs, if you're in private rented accommodation you are likely to need to factor in the cost of utility bills. These'll average at around £60 per month and include water, electricity, gas and broadband.
In addition to the above* it's likely you'll need to consider budgeting for unanticipated expenses. And don't forget to factor in some fun by accounting for personal costs too!
*The figures quoted above are accurate for the 2014/15 academic year and are likely to change, so we advise you keep an eye on our University Webpages for updates.
What's the damage?!
So, if you add up just the minimum costs of the above you're looking at not much change left from £650 a month, and that's even if you're a careful budgeter! It's not unusual for students to struggle financially whilst at university - (we've all been victim of the 'poor student' jokes right?!). That's why it's so important to maximise your student income by knowing what you're entitled to.
You can do so as follows:
You can do so as follows:
- Check out our 'Increase your Income' page for top tips
- Visit our 'Know your Student Finance' page to find out what you're entitled to.
- Try Brightside's Student Calculator to gain a realistic understanding of your total costs at university, and start planning how to make your student income work for you.
- When you've calculated your own costs check out Brightside's student case studies for some top tips on how other students make their finance pay.