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Tuition Fees:

For non-science degree like law the cost of tuition varies between £4350 and £15,675 per year. If you divide that by an average 40 week academic year it equates to between £108.75 and £391.88 per week.

Accommodation:

This will be your biggest expense after your tuition fees. Rent varies between £62.50 and £150 per week. Usually the university accommodation is more expensive than private housing. But, in London it is common for university accommodation to be more competitive in comparison to private accommodation.

There are two ways to rent privately. One way is to rent directly from the owner of the house, known as the landlord. If you would like to live in private accommodation most universities usually provide an accredited list (a list that has been checked by the university for the level of quality) of landlords.

The other way to rent private accommodation is to use a company called estate agents. Some estate agents are better than others. These agencies usually add a cost for their services so be careful.

If you choose to live in privately rented accommodation please make sure that you sign a contract to agree the price and length of time you can live there. It is useful to take the contract to your university support centre for advice before signing especially if you are unfamiliar with signing contracts which are legally binding (you have to do what it says on the piece of paper or you can have problems. For example, you might have to leave the house or flat on a certain day or it might mean you have to pay for things that are not clear from the start.)

If you live in university or private accommodation it is usual to pay a deposit. The deposit is usually the same as one month of rent. So if the weekly rent is £100 the deposit will usually be £400. Make sure you check a property carefully and if you can take pictures of any damage and make sure this is written into the contract so you do not have to pay for it when you leave.

Deposit:

This is money to pay at the start and you receive it back when you leave. If you cause any damage to the house or flat then the owner will use this money to pay for repairs. The amount you will be asked to give will be between £250 and £600. If you keep the house or flat in good condition you should be able to get all of it back when you leave the accomodation.

Food:

Food can be expensive and is of course a necessity. The amount you will spend on food will be between £15 and £50 a week.

The cheapest way to eat at university is to buy food with your flat mates. This may be hard to do but if you can then you will save a lot of money. Also, try not to use the big brands when there are cheaper alternatives. Many products are actually made in the same factory but packaged differently and priced differently too.

Meat is expensive and you do not need it every day. One good tip is to look at the prices, this might be very obvious but for example some apples cost £1.35 per Kilo and others just £0.55p! Another useful piece of information is that frozen food is normally cheaper and in fact frozen vegetables hold more vitamins and nutrients!

Really the amount of money you spend on food is up to you.

Bills:

Electricity, gas, and water will vary depending on how much you use them of course but a reasonable amount to budget would be £6 per week.

Phone:

In the UK you can have a pay as you go mobile phone which you add credit to when you need it. The other option is to have a contract where you are able to have a certain amount of calls for a set price. If you use the phone for more than the agreed time you will have to pay more so be careful

Realistically expect to spend between £5-10 a week.

Books:

Every law student will need books. There will be many books in the library, but during busy periods it can be difficult to get them. Most law students will buy at least some books.

Most students will buy one book for each course and usually students must take four courses per year. Some students take more course and others buy more than one book per course.

The cost of books will be between £80-£250

Photocopying and printing:

Photocopying and printing is often not considered but it would be sensible to budget £5 per week.

Going out:

University is a social roller coaster. You will make many friends and spend lots of your free time drinking, eating out and taking part in all the other usual activities like going to the cinema or paying for entrance into clubs.

This will depend how much you like to go out and what type of places you like to visit. It would be a good idea to budget at least £20 per week. If you are spending more than £100 a week then I cannot imagine that cost is an issue.

Coffee and Sandwiches on Campus:

You will be surprised how much money you spend on coffee and sandwiches during the day. You might even say you are going to make food to take with you to university. It is highly unlikely this will last for more than a week or two.

Five coffees and five sandwiches will cost around £25 per week.

Cigarettes:

Cigarettes in the UK are very expensive. Twenty cigarettes will cost between £5 and £6. Our advice is to stop smoking, save some money and your lungs.

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