UCAS - Managing money

Managing money

Balancing work and study

Students are increasingly having to find a paid job to help with the costs of university life. The extra income helps to pay for necessities, to reduce borrowing, to maintain a social life, to buy clothes and to gain skills for life after university or college. Using a part-time job to cut down on borrowing reduces the debt that will be waiting to be paid off after graduation.

Choosing a bank account

There are different bank accounts available so students should shop around to find the best deal to suit their needs, like an interest-free overdraft or online banking service. More about choosing a bank account (this will take you to the students' section)

Budgeting

There are more costs than just tuition fees and accommodation, like food, travel costs, insurance, course requirements (books, equipment etc), bills and leisure activities. Make sure they know what they will need, how much it will be, and how they will pay for it. Our budget calculator in the students' section of this site will help them to balance their income and expenditure.

Debt management

It is easy to spend money quickly and much harder to pay it off. For free confidential advice about how to deal with debt problems, your students can use the National Debtline website, www.nationaldebtline.co.uk or contact the Citizens Advice Bureau, www.citizensadvice.org.uk.