Managing your finances as a student can feel daunting. Setting a budget is a great way to plan how much money you have coming in while taking control of what’s going out. Paying the bills is the priority, but keeping money aside for fun is also important. Learning to manage your money gives you the balance you need while you’re a student, but you’ll also be learning a skill for life.
Money Matters course
Our online money management course, available on Canvas, is designed for UK undergraduate students. It may be useful to complete before you arrive or during your first few weeks. The course takes approximately an hour to complete but you can go through the modules at your own pace and don’t need to finish it all at once!
There are five modules:
- How am I going to manage? The basics of income and expenditure
- Budgeting
- Staying safe from fraud
- Money and your wellbeing
- Supermarket shopping and healthy eating habits
International students can find useful information about money management as an international student through the British Council.
Budgeting apps
There are several budgeting apps available which may be useful:
- Blackbullion Money Manager
- Emma
- Recommendations from Save the Student
Please note that there are free and paid versions of many apps and it is always recommended to ensure that the app is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.
One-to-one budgeting sessions
Our Student Finance Advisers can help with your budget. You can:
- Discuss your current budget and how to improve it
- Chat about how to set up a long-term budget
- Talk about what might be going wrong if you can’t stick to a budget
- Set up a brand new budget from scratch with us
Please contact the team for a one-to-one budgeting session.
LibbyApp – Student Life collection
The LibbyApp is a fantastic resource that gives students access to magazines, audiobooks and e-books that are not available through our other suppliers! There’s a ‘Student Life’ collection of books and magazines with tips for student living, including cost effective recipes and budgeting tips.
Cost of Living Hub
Visit our Cost of Living Hub to find out about the support and resources available that may help you with the cost of living.
Leyla’s '5 tips to budget your way through uni'
Check out some top tips for budgeting whilst at university from Leyla, our Student Content Creator.
Tips from other students
“The little spends each day stack up very quickly. Try to plan your weekly meals as to not overspend and create unnecessary food waste during your weekly shop!”
“I would recommend investing in some student cookbooks or seeing if you can find any budget recipes online.”
“Don’t forget to budget for deposits for future house rentals.”
“I usually walk in but I also have a Metro pop card in case I need it and load it up whenever it runs out.”
“I also spend a considerable amount on disability related equipment to help me study but I did not know until afterwards that the Student Health and Wellbeing service can potentially help cover some of these costs if you aren’t DSA/PIP eligible for visa reasons.”
Last reviewed: 10.09.2024