Money advice for postgraduates

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'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.

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 working during your studies in the UK website.

Graduate teaching assistantships and other University work

Research students are eligible to apply for teaching assistantships, which enable you to undertake a certain amount of teaching on undergraduate programmes. They provide a welcome additional source of income while also broadening your academic experience. You can get details of the assistantships when you speak to the named contact about your research.

You can also supplement your income by acting as a demonstrator, or by engaging in tutorial or marking work. Again, your programme tutor or research supervisor can provide further details on these opportunities.

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.