Going to university in the UK is expensive: true or false? Read on
By Anne Edwards, ISSE parent (Autumn 2009)
Have you heard that it’s expensive to go to university in the UK? Here is some useful information from a mum whose son and daughter have gone from the ISSE to UK universities and whose 3rd child is in the middle of applying right now. For the latest precise information, please consult websites such as those of UCAS and Student Finance Direct
Remember, rules and legislation change regularly, and it’s your responsibility to keep up-to-date with the latest.
I have given approximate euros equivalents in brackets (as of 2nd October ‘09): these will change along with exchange rates.
If you are an EU national, or a direct descendent of one (e.g. your parent or grandparent is European), and you have been living in an EU country other than the UK for 3 whole years immediately prior to starting university (because your mum or dad needs to be in that country for work), then you will be classed as a European Student. (The rules for qualifying as an EU student can be very complicated, and it is your responsibility to contact the universities to find out if you do or don’t qualify.) Explanation from the Bristol University website about who qualifies for EU status goes as follows:
“You are the national of an EU country, or the relevant family member of an EU national,
andby the 1st September preceding the start of your course, you have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or Switzerland for three years,
andthe main purpose for your residence in the EEA and/or Switzerland has not been to receive full-time education during any part of the three-year period.
European Union (EU) countries are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK.
European Economic Area (EEA) includes all EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway”.
The tuition fees for European students are as follows:
Universities in
England = £3,225 (€3,540) per year (the same as for British students)
it does not cost any more to go to Oxford or Cambridge
Wales = about £1,300 (€1,427) per year (the same as for Welsh students)
Scotland = nothing to pay! (there used to be a voluntary amount to be paid after the
course had ended, which was roughly £1,700, but this has recently been abolished. (the same as for Scottish students.)
N Ireland=£3,225 (€3,540) per year
Tuition Fee Loan – this is available to all students classed as European. It is paid directly to the university each year, and you do not start paying it back until you have finished the course and have a job earning a minimum of £15,000 (€16,500) per year. A typical starting salary for a graduate in the UK is £18,000 (just under €20,000) and the monthly amount to pay back will be about £25 (€28). (You can take 25 years to pay it back if your salary does not rise much!)
The following is a quote from the Student Finance England website:
“ Student Loans are different from normal commercial loans:
- the interest rate is subsidised by the government
- you don’t have to start making repayments until you’ve left your course (and, for income contingent loans, until you’re earning over £15,000 a year)
An interest rate for income contingent Student Loans is set each September. This is the maximum which will be charged during that academic year.
Interest accrues on Student Loans from the date they’re paid to you until they have been repaid in full.
Interest from September 2009 to August 2010
From 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010, a zero per cent interest rate will apply to income contingent Student Loans.”
So, for this academic year (2009/10) there will be no interest accrued on the loan, but in subsequent years some interest will very likely be accrued, as in previous years.
If you are not from an EU country, or you are, but you have been living in a country other than an EU country during the 3 years immediately prior to the course start date, you will unfortunately be classed as an International Student, and the tuition fees will be a lot more expensive. Each university sets its own international fees, and usually they will be between £8,000 (€8,800) and £15,000 (€16,500) per year. There is no loan available to you. Suggestion: think about taking a gap year if all you need is 1 more year before you qualify as an EU student.
Living Expenses – these vary from 1 university to the next, and London is a lot more expensive than anywhere else in the UK.
As a first year student you will be almost 100% guaranteed a room in a hall of residence on or near the university campus. These rooms range from a basic room with a sink, where you share a bathroom and kitchen with many students (you’ll make new friends very quickly!) to a room with an en-suite bathroom in a little flat. You can choose your room and hall before the course starts, but you do not always get your first choice. Prices vary from about £70 (€77) to over £100 (€110) a week, without food. Some universities also have catered halls of residence, where your meals are prepared for you, you eat in large dining rooms, and this is also very sociable for your first year. The price is obviously higher, but includes all meals.
After the first year, small groups of students often live in houses, which are privately owned, but there are special agencies to help you find them (it is not a problem). Prices will be similar to halls of residence.
On top of the cost of your room, you will obviously need money to buy food, socialise, etc, and many universities give a guide costing of £80 – £90 a week (€88 - €100). This is sufficient, but it won’t pay for weekends away, new clothes, gym membership, books, insurance, etc.. Prices on campus are generally cheaper than in the towns and cities. (You will not need to pay health insurance because The National Health Service in the UK is free, even to non-UK nationals.)
UK universities have 3 terms, each term being 8 – 12 weeks long, with a long Christmas and Easter holiday (of about 4 weeks each) and 3 months off in the summer. A Batchelor’s course usually lasts 3 years, or 4 if you do a year in industry or abroad in a work environment. (Scottish universities’ Bachelor’s courses are usually 4 years long.) If you choose to do a Masters course from the beginning, this will take 1 year longer.
If you are a British citizen, and used to live in the UK before moving abroad, you will also be entitled to a Maintenance Loan. This is worth nearly £3,564 (€3,913) per year, paid at the beginning of each term directly into your own UK bank account. This loan also accrues interest at the rate of inflation, like the Fees Loan. You may do as you wish with it, but you will have to pay it back, as with the Fees Loan – once you are earning £15,000 (€16,500) a year.
Many universities have bursaries and scholarships for specific courses, which you can apply for, but they are not common.
Studiefinanciering from the Dutch Government – for non-Dutch nationals also, and for those who study abroad
Previously this was only available to students who went to university in the Netherlands, but a couple of years ago the legislation changed, and now Dutch nationals, and non-Dutch students who have lived in the Netherlands for 3 years, are eligible for a grant to help with costs of attending university in the UK and elsewhere abroad. This is not a loan, and as such, you will not have to pay any of it back. The amount is €340 per month, for a maximum of 4 years. Go to the local branch of the IB-Groep, which is around the corner from the Witte Dame library in Eindhoven, to look on their computer for the courses and universities which you are interested in. If they are listed, you should get the money. (This is also where you go to arrange the money you receive once you are 18, instead of it being paid to your mother.) You may like to look at the following website address for more information from the
IB-Groep:
And now some non-financial information:-
I need 36 IB points to get into a UK university: true or false? Read on
Whilst it is true that if you are aiming for Oxford or Cambridge you will certainly need at least 38 points, and maybe as many as 42 points, in your IB Diploma (apart form a highly rigorous selection process), there are universities in the UK which will offer you a place with 24 points. To find out, go to the UCAS website, look up some courses and then the entry requirements. IB is always listed. Typically a traditional and over-subscribed course at a highly rated university will require 32 – 38 points (you will also possibly have to achieve 17 or 18 points in your 3 Higher Level subjects), but there are many courses at the newer universities requiring fewer than 30 points.
There are so many universities in the UK. How come?
Years ago in the UK there were Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Higher Education, with universities being the top level. Then in 1992, this 3-tier system was scrapped and they all gained university status. If you want to know which ones are the original universities (they generally require higher grades), look up the date they were formed. The university guides (Times, Guardian, Virgin, Push, Heap), which Mr Zey has in his office, will tell you. The former Polys and Colleges of Higher Ed (as they were affectionately called in the UK) often offer the most interesting-sounding courses today, and entry requirements can be lower than the older established universities. The choice is huge, and there’s something for everyone. Be realistic and aim for courses and universities which suit your predicted IB grades.
Will my mum be worried that I’ll be all alone at weekends? Absolutely no need to be!
Most UK students go away to university, and nearly all universities in the UK have international students and those from EU countries. All 1st year students (Freshers) are guaranteed accommodation in halls of residence, and make friends immediately (Freshers’ Week or Fortnight ensures that). Halls are very sociable places!!! At the weekends, nearly everybody will stay at university. You will certainly not be all alone! Talk to ex-ISSE students, and hear what they have to say.
What about sports and hobbies?
Sports are taken very seriously by all UK universities, and there are inter-university leagues for most sports. Every Wednesday afternoon throughout the UK is free (ie no lectures) for students to compete in sports teams. If you don’t want to compete in the teams, there is also ample opportunity to continue your favourite sports or try out new ones at recreational level. There are over 100 societies in most universities, including sports, orchestras, drama, ultimate frisbee, cheese-tasting, ballroom dancing, and anything else you can think of. If there isn’t a society for your interest, you can start one. All societies are extremely social also!! Going to university in the UK is certainly not all about work.
How do you pronounce Loughborough and Leicester and ….?
Some UK universities have strangely spelt names. This is a rough guide to pronouncing some of them:
Aberystwyth pronounce as Abba ristwith (loud “th”)
DerbyDarby
DurhamDurram
EdinburghEdinburer
GloucesterGloster
GreenwichGrenitch
LeicesterLester
Loughborough Lufburer
PlymouthPlimath
ReadingRedding
Thames ValleyTems Valley
WarwickWorik
WorcesterWooster
London School of EconomicsLSE
University College LondonUCL
Do I need to visit some universities before making my choices? Highly recommended!
All universities hold open days, usually twice a year: once between Easter and the summer holidays, and again in September. Thousands of people attend these, and you usually have to book well in advance. Go on your own, with a friend, or with your mum or dad. You’ll be able to tour the university and its facilities, including accommodation, and attend talks by the academic departments you are interested in. Most universities also organise walking tours during the summer holidays, which are in small groups and led by students who actually go to those universities (you will not be able to visit the academic departments on these tours). Both sorts of visits are extremely worthwhile, and should be planned well in advance. If you can visit only 2, then try to visit 1 that is a campus university outside a city, and 1 that is spread in and around a city, to get a flavour for both types. Start this process in DP1. If you haven’t managed to visit a university you end up applying to, and you are offered a place there, the department may well invite you to a specific departmental open day, often between January and March. The only problem is, you may be too busy with DP2 work / mock exams to go then (remember, UK A Level exams start in June, not early May), but these departmental open days can be extremely useful, especially if you’re struggling to decide which universities to select for your Firm and Insurance choices. There are plentiful and cheap methods of transport from the Netherlands to the UK by air (Ryanair, Easyjet, BMI Baby, Thomsonfly), ferry (P&O, Seafrance, Norfolkline, Speedferries), through the Eurotunnel by car or from Brussels on the Eurostar train. If you have to stay overnight somewhere, cheap hotels are Etap, Ibis, Premier Travelinn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn Express.
Remember, UCAS applications to your choice of 5 UK universities can be submitted between the beginning of September and 15th January, but do not delay, because DP2 is full of deadlines, and it is best to get your application out of the way early (it looks better too if you've applied early rather than left it to the last minute, and you MAY receive better offers). Applications to Oxford or Cambridge (you can apply to only one or the other) and for courses in Medicine, Veterinary Sciences, and Dentistry throughout the UK must be in by 15th October.