Money advice

One-off costs

*Bedding packs are available to purchase from your Accommodation site office

**Basic possessions insurance is included in all University-owned accommodation

***For international students, this might be a condition of your visa

Essential living costs

The following are a number of essential weekly costs to be factored into your budget to cover basic living needs (based over a 50 week academic session):

Variable costs

The following costs are variable and the weekly amount may depend on your available budget and individual circumstances:

*Wi-fi connection is included in the cost of University-owned accommodation

Additional course costs

Some degree programmes may require you to cover the cost of additional activities (for example field trips).

In addition to any costs associated with your course or programme of study, there are other costs that you are likely to incur as a student at the University of Birmingham. This is not an exhaustive list however, it is useful for you to be aware of the types of things you may have to pay for.

• Printing – in the majority of cases, course work and assessments can be submitted online. Some students may be required to submit work in a printed format.
• Photocopying
• Books – a wide range of resources, including most core texts, are available in the library. However, you may be required to or prefer to buy your own copy of key text books
• PCs and laptops – PCs and laptops are available on campus in IT clusters. However, you may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in University halls of residences
• Stationery
• Graduation – there are costs associated with hiring your gown for your degree ceremony

Part-time jobs

The University recommends that full-time undergraduate students do not work for more than 15 hours a week during term time. The University's Guild of Students operates Jobs, Skills and Volunteering which promotes employment opportunities on offer at the University and at reputable local employers who understand that your working hours must remain flexible in order to fit in with the requirements of your course.

Worklink is based at the Guild of Students and operates alongside the Jobs, Skills and Volunteering to match students to on-campus casual work at the University.

The national minimum wage for ages 18-20 is £7.49 per hour, for those aged 21-22 it is £10.18, and for 23 and above it is £10.42. These figures are for 2023/24. The rate is set to rise in April 2024.

International students who wish to know if they can work in the UK under their student visa can get advice and guidance from the UKCISA website.

One of the most important things that you’ll need to learn as a student is how to manage your money. Knowing that your finances are under control means that you can relax, concentrate on your studies and fully enjoy your time here at Birmingham.

It is crucial to remember that most students receive their funding in fairly large instalments, normally at the start of every term. So once a payment has been received, it usually has to last quite a while (typically until the start of the following term) before another payment comes through. This is why budgeting is so important.

First you need to establish the total income that is available to you. This might be a combination of your student loan, any scholarships that you receive, contributions from family members or sponsors and wages from part-time work. You can learn more about all of these sources of income through our funding pages.

Once you know how much you have coming in, you will need to work out how much money you are likely to have left over after you've covered the essentials like rent, utilities and food. This will give you an idea of how much you can put aside for socialising and life's little luxuries. We have produced a budget planner to help you do this (PDF - 1,413KB). For an accessible, non-PDF version please use the Word document of the front section of the planner (Word - 70KB), in conjunction with our calculations spreadsheet (Excel - 21KB).

Our top tips are:

1. Establish the total income available to you from loans, scholarships, donations, savings, employment, side hustles, etc.
2. Work out your living costs, starting with the basics (bills and rent) but also remember to be honest about your spending habits! Do you get a lot of takeaways, is going out important to you, do you spend a lot on nice things? Ate these behaviours ones you can change or do you need to budget for them?
3. If there’s a deficit, can you meet this through part-time work without having a negative impact on your studies? Do you need to work more over the holidays and save up? Can you look for other means of support, such as scholarships?
4. Make a realistic budget and track how well you actually stick to it so you can adjust as necessary.

There are lots of free budgeting apps that may be able to help, including:

• mint - a comprehensive budget that categorises your spending showing where cutting back might be possible
• goodbudget - includes a 'share budgets' feature - useful if you're in a house share
• Money Lover - brilliant for those who like charts, statistics and graphs

When calculating your budget, don't forget about one-off costs such as special occasions, birthday presents, family outings... and trips to the dentist! The Which Student Guide gives a list of ten things to include. Save the Student provide some handy tips for saving money, together with a broad range of useful online tools and calculators to help you make the most of your finances.

Don't forget to look out for discounts and savings, especially those aimed at students. Use your TOTUM (NUS student card) wherever possible to get student discounts and freebies.

Finally, if you are still struggling you may wish to consider applying to our Student Support Fund. You can also get further advice and support from Funding, Graduation and Awards or Guild Advice.

Each year, we recruit a team of enthusiastic students to join our Ambassador Scheme. We regularly employ our ambassadors to support student recruitment activity and encourage prospective students to consider further study.

The Ambassador Scheme is flexible and works around your timetable. You only work if you have no prior study or social commitments and there is no minimum hourly requirement. We recruit ambassadors near the start of each academic year, and the role is advertised on Worklink.

At Birmingham we ensure that fears about finance do not constrain prospective students from considering university and that excellence is rewarded. The University offers a range of additional financial support for students studying at Birmingham in the form of scholarships, bursaries and other awards. Please Visit: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/scholarships-grants-and-bursaries

The Chamberlain Award

The Chamberlain Award is a means-tested bursary that supports students from across the UK who are under-represented at the University. To find out more about the award and to check if you are eligible, please visit: www.birmingham.ac.uk/chamberlain 

Music

We offer a number of Music Scholarships each year. Offering approximately 17 hours of musical tuition per year for three years(total equivalent cash value of £3,000),these scholarships are open to prospective students who are performing at a Grade 8 standard in an instrument or vocals and have an offer of a place on a full-time undergraduate programme (other than a programme offered by the Department of Music) at the University. Find out more: www.birmingham.ac.uk/musicscholarships 

Sport

University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness offers scholarships each year to international-level performers from any academic department and of any nationality. Scholarship support consists of facility membership, strength and conditioning work, sports science and medicine services (including physiotherapy), lifestyle workshops and help with sports-specific expenditure. Find out more: www.sportandfitness.bham.ac.uk/sport/sport-scholarships 

School Scholarships

Depending on the subject you have chosen to study, there may be additional scholarships available to you. The eligibility criteria can vary depending on the School, but students are usually judged on their academic performance and/or financial need, with scholarships offered in addition to the Chamberlain Award. Find out if you are eligible for a School scholarship here: www.birmingham.ac.uk/ugfundScholarship information is based on 2021entry. For the latest information and to find out if you are eligible, please check the undergraduate funding database: www.birmingham.ac.uk/ugfund 

Financial support available at the University

Funding, Graduation and Awards provide information and advice about financial support available for students. 

• Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 7391 (Please note that we are open from 09:00 until 17:00)
• Email: fga@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Payment of your tuition fees

Accounts Receivable monitors and collects all your tuition and accommodation payments.

• Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 6074
• Email: accountsreceivable@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Personal financial advice and representation

Guild Advice offers free, impartial and confidential information, advice and representation on a full range of student issues including finance. Guild Advice was previously called the Advice and Representation Centre (ARC).

• Telephone: +44 (0)121 251 2400
• Email: guildadvice@guild.bham.ac.uk

International students

The International Student Team (IST) provides support and advice - including financial - to international students.

• Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 8464

Accommodation fees

Living offer safe and informal student accommodation to suit your budget.

• Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 8000
• Email: living@contacts.bham.ac.uk

General advice and enquiries

Student Information Team (SIT), based in the Aston Webb Student Hub, provide front-of-house support for all students at the University.