UK, since time immemorial, has been the educational hub of the world. It is home to esteemed alma maters like Oxford University, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge to name a few. UK is the dream destination of academic aspirants worldwide. How much does it cost of study in UK is a daunting question lingering in the mind of most students who wish to study in this country. How much does it cost of study in UK largely depends on a number of important factors like whether you are a home student or international student, location of the university you desire to study in, funds and scholarships you are eligible for, etc. Listed below is some vital information to help you to best assess the cost of study in UK.
Tuition fees in UK for home students
The answer to the question “how much does it cost to study in UK” mainly depends on the tuition fees that the student needs to pay.
Publicly funded universities have a two-tier structure of tuition fees i.e. home student fees (includes EU students) and international student fees. In the recent times, cost of study in UK/tuition fee figures have risen significantly for home students (UK/EU) and it is expected that these students will land up paying up to £9,250 (~US$11,380) per year from autumn 2017 for undergraduate degree programs.
Postgraduate tuition fees vary significantly according to the university and the subject. At all levels, social sciences and humanities degrees cost the least, while clinical and laboratory degree programs cost the most.
Tuition fees in UK for international students
International students cost of study in UK/tuition fees for undergraduate courses differ considerably, starting at an approximate figure of £10,000 (~US$12,300) for lecture-based courses and soaring up to £35,000 (~US$43,100) or even higher for medical degrees.
For postgraduate courses, international fees for classroom-based programs in 2016/17 started at £9,700 (~US$11,930) and went up to £32,000 (~US$39,350).
For laboratory-based programs, the average yearly fees range from £9,900 (~US$12,180) to £25,000 (~US$30,800), while for clinical degree programs the annual fees start at around £11,250 (~US$13,900) and go as high as £42,000 (~US$51,700) for programs such as medicine.
Cost of Living for students in UK
The average annual cost of study in UK and living in England (outside London) for students is UK£12,056 (~US$14,800) while the fooding and grocery cost sums up to i.e. £1,350 (~US$1,660) per academic year.
Students studying in London are expected to pay approximately £15,180 (~US$18,700) per year for the same breakdown of goods and services. This difference in the living cost is mainly attributed to the high accommodation cost incurred in London since rent in London is way higher than another part of the country. However, affordable accommodation options like flat share or university halls are also available for students.
UK scholarships and student funding
Grants, loans and other forms of educational funding to cover the tuition fees are available for home (UK/EU) students. The amount of funding, however, differs according to location. The government, individual universities, organisations and charities offer a large number of scholarships to students in UK for affordable cost of study in UK. A searchable database of 300 scholarships for home and international students is present on the Education UK website.
Prominent UK scholarships for international students include Chevening Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, and Commonwealth Scholarships and fellowships. More of UK scholarships are available at a postgraduate level compared to undergraduate students to reduce the cost of study in UK for international students.
