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How much will your university or college course cost?

Your main costs will be tuition fees, accommodation and living expenses.

Costs will vary depending on where you study, so it’s worth doing some research on how much you’ll need to cover them - and on the help you’ll get through the government’s student finance package.

Tuition fees

Full-time courses

If you’re a new student (or you're a continuing student who started your course in or after September 2006) the maximum tuition fees you’ll be charged are £3,225 for the 2009/2010 academic year.

Exactly what you’re charged depends on the university or college you attend, your course, and where in the UK you study. Check your university or college prospectus to find out the tuition fees for your course.

You can get a Student Loan to meet the full cost of your tuition fees. This is paid directly to your university or college.

Part-time courses

There are no regulations stating how much universities or colleges can charge in tuition fees for most part-time courses.

Check with your university or college how much they charge - it’s also worth finding out how much the fees are likely to rise over the length of your course.

Accommodation and other living costs

Your costs will be higher if you live away from home, and higher again if you live away from home and study in London. Accommodation will be your biggest expense, but don’t forget about things like books, food, bills, and going out.

Planning a budget

It’s well worth taking the time to add up your expenses as the first step in drawing up a budget. Budgeting can help you plan your spending, so you won’t run out of cash half-way through term.

If you're a new student starting a full-time course in 2009/2010, you can use the Student Finance Calculator to work out a budget.

• Student Finance Calculator: get an estimate of how much you could get Opens new window

• More on budgeting (money, tax and benefits section)

More on help with the costs of higher education

Remember that if you take out the Student Loans available to full-time students, you don’t have to start paying them back until you’ve left your course and are earning over £15,000.

• Finance for full-time students starting in 2009/2010

• Finance for part-time students - applying for the first time

More useful links

• Choosing a university or college

• Finance for full-time students starting in 2008/2009