Living Costs

It is important that you plan correctly how much you will be spending over the duration of your course.  Tuition fees are fixed but your living expenses will vary, underestimating expenses can lead to financial difficulties.

Living costs are difficult to estimate because much will depend on the standard of living you expect and whether you have family responsibilities.  Overall you should expect to pay £7,000 to £9,500 per year for living costs (including accommodation) for yourself.  This estimate does not include the costs of travelling to and from your home country.

The following table gives an approximate estimate of the minimum living costs which a single person is likely to incur, but there is likely to be significant variation depending on your course and your own preferences.  You should remember that postgraduate courses are for a full year, or longer if you need extensions, so you will have to budget for the full period.

 

Basic living costs

Annual costs

Accommodation

51 weeks in single room on campus

12 month contract off campus (£250-300 per month including bills except telephone)

 

£3,357–£5,226

£3,000–£3,600

General living expenses

Including food, toiletries, entertainment, clothing, laundry, telephone calls, books, stationery, equipment, photocopying

52 weeks at £80 a week

 

 

 

£4,160

TOTAL

Minimum

Maximum

 

£7,000 approx

£9,500 approx

 

Learn more here

Telephone: 01782 733065

Email: accommodation@keele.ac.uk

Additional costs

Travel

Travel between your home and Keele, and also travel while you are in England.

Registration with the police

Required for international students from some countries only – if you have to do this it will cost you £34 (current cost) but this is a once-only charge after your arrival at Keele and you will know if you have to pay or not by a stamp on your visa on arrival.

Families

If you will be accompanied by your family you will incur additional costs for housing and food in particular.  Overall we estimate that you should allow an extra £4,500 for a partner and £2,300 for each child.  This does not include childcare, which will be additional.

Insurance

All campus rooms are covered with a basic level of insurance but you may wish to take out additional cover.

Running a car

Some students have a car, which can add considerably to living costs.  You need to take account of annual costs such as insurance, road-tax, the MOT test, and servicing, as well as fuel (about £1 per litre) and university parking permits (£50 a year)

Working

If you need income you will have to balance any work with a full academic workload (especially in the case of a one-year Masters course).  International students can only work after they have handed in their final dissertation. Learn more here

Visas

You should note that there are high costs involved in extending a visa or changing to a post-study work visa. Learn more here