The costs given below are to be used as guidelines only. However, we highly recommend that you budget to have at least £800 per month of study. This should be enough to cover your rent, entertainment, travel housing and bills.

Start up Costs	£500 total
Public Transport	£25 - £106 per month
Accommodation	£80 - £150 per week
Food/household shopping	£40 - 70 per week
Books and Equipment	average £50 per month
Telephones
Leisure/ Entertainment	average £250 per month
Clothing	average £43 per month
Laundry	average £34 per month

Start up costs

£400 one-off

Most students will have to buy bedding, clothes and basic essentials at the beginning of their stay. London is, in general, milder than other parts of the UK. The summer tends to be warm; winter is usually cold and damp; spring and autumn are somewhere in between. £400 should be enough for additional clothing needs. If you’re coming from a hot climate, you may need to buy more expensive items like a coat. If you’re staying In University Halls, you’ll need to bring your own bedding.

Organising your money

Before coming to the UK, you should organise your money to ensure you have enough for the length of your course. It’s impossible to fund your studies by working part-time and there are no other sources of funding in the UK. You’ll also need to investigate the best ways to transfer money into the UK. You’ll need at least £800 per month plus your fees. The visa requirements also stipulate certain amounts that you’ll need before you can get a visa to come to the UK.

Accommodation

Halls of Residence

£80 – £182 per week

If you’re offered and accept a place in a hall of residence, you’ll have to pay a deposit of £250 in advance to secure your place until your arrival. EU students can choose to pay their first instalment of rent before they arrive using our fast track system. Otherwise, you must be prepared to pay your first rent instalment on arrival at your hall. This will be one third of your annual rent. Please refer to your tenancy agreement for the exact amount you’ll need to pay. The fees for halls are inclusive of all bills (heating, hot water etc). All accommodation in halls is self-catered and rents vary between halls.

Please note that the minimum tenancy is for one full semester.

Private rented (Zone two/three)

£85 – £150 per week

Rents will vary greatly depending on the area of London, the accommodation facilities and the number of people sharing. Please note that, as accommodation in central London is scarce and usually very expensive, students studying at central London sites should expect to have a journey time of 30-40 minutes by public transport from their accommodation to the University.

The majority of students studying in central London can’t afford to live within walking distance of their place of study, but there’s plenty of choice and accommodation generally gets cheaper the further away from the centre you look. Weekly rents for a single room in London Transport travel zones two and three vary from approximately £85-£150, and in the Harrow area vary from approximately £75-£100, although it’s possible to find cheaper alternatives. Most rents don’t include bills like gas, electricity and telephone. Full-time students don’t have to pay Council Tax, so you should try to live with other full-time students or you may find yourself feeling obliged to pay a share of a Council Tax bill you don’t need to pay.

Students renting accommodation in the private sector should also have a deposit (normally one month’s rent) plus at least one month’s rent available for advance payment. We recommend you bring enough money to pay for short-term accommodation while you’re looking for a permanent place to live, so you should allow approximately £1,500 for initial accommodation expenses.

For more advice on accommodation and living costs, please visit Student Accommodation and also studenthousing.lon.ac.uk

Public Transport

£25 - £106 per month

Students may apply for a special Student Discount Travelcard which entitles the holder to a 30% reduction on the cost of a weekly or monthly travelcard. Once enrolled at the university you can apply on-line at the Transport for London website. You will need to supply a passport photo and pay a £5 fee. Please note that the card may take between 4-6 weeks to be processed.

If you have a student Oyster card then the cost of travelcards for buses and tubes is 30 per cent cheaper. A monthly Oyster travelcard covering London Transport zones one and two costs approximately £74.20; Zones one, two and three costs approximately£86.59; Zones one, two, three and four costs approximately £105.91. Bus passes are cheaper: a monthly pass covering all zones costs approximately £47.70.

For the most up-to-date price information, you should visit the Transport for London website at tfl.gov.uk/tfl

Food / Household shopping

£40 - £70 per week

There are no meal plans available at the University, however all the main sites have canteens offering meals and snacks. Obviously how much you spend on food depends on your eating habits, but sharing food shopping and meals with others will help cut costs.

Books and Equipment

£50 per month

Although you will be able to use the University libraries, you may be required to purchase certain books and texts for your modules. You can save money by looking in second hand bookshops, or buying stationery from shops with student discounts.

Telephones

Most students buy a mobile phone with a contract or they ‘pay as they go’. If you’re in private rented accommodation you may also need to pay for a landline. BT used to be the only public phone provider but now there are many providers with various deals for landlines and mobiles.

A useful website to help you find the best deal is moneysavingexpert.com and look for the section on utilities and phones. There’s also a section on calling overseas.

Leisure/Entertainment

£250 per month

London hosts a wide range of entertainment venues catering to all groups of society and religions. Dinner out can cost from as little as £10 to £250+.  Cinemas in central London cost around £10 while a theatre ticket would typically cost £15 - 30. However, there are special discounts available to students throughout the city, so make sure you ask! For a brief guide on what to do in London visit the Living in London page.

The University of Westminster also has its own Polyclinic which offers a range of complimentary therapies such as therapeutic massage and Gym and sport facilities all at student friendly prices.

Student discounts

London can be a very expensive place - but it is also very student friendly. There are lots of cheap places to eat, 'party' and indulge in cultural pursuits. It is just a question of looking! Special reductions are offered for students at many shops, theatres, cinemas, museums and galleries; and special student fares are available on buses and trains. Many of these discounts are negotiated by the National Union of Students (NUS), an organisation that represents the interests of all students in the UK. As a student at Westminster you automatically become an NUS member. Alternatively ask at the Westminster students' union for details of the latest student discounts.

Useful websites

The University of Westminster Student Advice Team can offer advice to students experiencing financial difficulties or who want help organising their budgets.

In addition UKCISA -The Council for International Education offers useful advice.

Extra tips

Try not to stay just in Central London - it's a huge diverse city which you should try and explore. Think of the districts of London as a series of villages all with their own distinct and unique characters. Why just see one when you can explore them all?