Living & Course Costs - Managing Money - Student Funding

Living Costs

Some of the living costs you need to budget for at university include accommodation, food, transport and socialising. Don't forget to budget for expenses that often get forgotten such as laundry, health costs and contents insurance.

For an estimate of your monthly living costs (after rent), you can filter by the University of Warwick on the Save the Student's - Cost of Living SurveyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window webpage*. The below diagram demonstrates some of the monthly costs from this survey.

*At the time of writing our webpage, the Save the Student Cost of Living survey webpage was last updated in October 2023.

Check out the relevant tabs below for more information about some of your expected living costs:

Rent

If you decide to move away from home, the largest living cost you will face is rent and usually, in your first year, you will live on campus. For more information about on-campus accommodation at Warwick, please see the Warwick AccommodationLink opens in a new window webpage where you will find information about first-year accommodation, as well as information and guidance on finding housing for your second year onwards.

Make sure to check your accommodation contract, as you may also be expected to move out over vacation periods (e.g. Easter) and hence you may face additional transport and/or storage costs.

If you are living in non-Warwick managed accommodation during your studies, make sure to get your contract checked before signing by the SU Advice Centre. More information about signing contracts can be found on their Signing the ContractLink opens in a new window webpage and you can contact the SU Advice Centre directly on their Get in TouchLink opens in a new window webpage.

When planning your budget, remember that if you are living in on-campus Warwick accommodation, your utility bills will be included in the cost of your rent. Most students who live off-campus in non-Warwick managed accommodation will not have utility bills included in the price of their rent, so you will need to budget for these. According to Save the Students' Living Cost Survey 2024Link opens in a new window, Warwick students spend on average £56 per month on bills*. Make sure to check your contract carefully to see whether bills are included or not and if they are, check to see if there are set usage limits.

For more useful information and money-saving tips around rent and bills, please see our Housing and BillsLink opens in a new window webpage.

* At the time of writing our webpage, the Save the Student Cost of Living survey webpage was last updated in October 2023. We would expect that these costs will have risen with inflation.

Groceries

The amount students spend on food varies from student to student. Some great ways to keep groceries costs down include:

Planning your weekly meals.
Writing out a shopping list of what you need and sticking to it.
Avoid relying on fast food delivery services such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
Swapping out branded products for the supermarket's own brand.

If you live on campus you are a short walk away from shops such as Tesco, Aldi, and Iceland (based in the Canon Park Shopping Centre) where you can do your weekly food shop. If you live off campus you might want to consider having your food delivered as it can prevent you from being tempted by things you don't need in the supermarket! Often delivery slots can be quite cheap if you select off-peak times or get a delivery pass. You could even order your weekly shop with their housemates and split the delivery cost between them. Here are some examples of supermarket delivery schemes:

Most supermarkets now also offer rewards schemes or discounts by signing up for their clubcards/apps such as:

For more information about keeping food costs down at university, check out our Food and ShoppingLink opens in a new window webpages.

Socialising Transport

If you live on campus you will have relatively low travel costs as you have everything you need within walking distance! Travel costs usually increase from the second year onwards, as this is when you will typically move off campus to live in areas such as Coventry and Leamington Spa. You can save money on your travel to campus by purchasing a bus pass:

A full day of parking on campus costs £8 ( price from 1st October 2023 Link opens in a new window) so students are encouraged to use other forms of transport where possible. If you fulfil certain criteria you may be eligible for assistance with car parking, more information can be found about this on the Support with Student ParkingLink opens in a new window webpage.

Students aged 16-30 can also purchase a railcard to get up to 1/3rd off their rail journeys.

Trainline - RailcardsLink opens in a new window

Don't forget to factor in travel costs at the start and end of each term. Make sure to check your accommodation contract, as you may also be expected to move out over vacation periods (e.g. Easter) and may face additional transport and/or storage costs.

Health and Wellbeing

Make sure that you register with a GP and dental practice when you get to university, in case you need urgent care whilst studying. If you are living on campus (or live within the defined catchment area) you can register at the University of Warwick Health CentreLink opens in a new window for your medical care (not including dental).

Health costs you may face whilst at university could include:

NHS Prescriptions - £9.90 per item
Eye tests
Dental treatment
Travel to NHS treatment

Certain students may be eligible for assistance with these costs through the NHS. You can check if you are eligible on the NHS webpage, Check if you're eligible for helpLink opens in a new window. You can find out more information, including how to apply on the NHS Low Income SchemeLink opens in a new window webpage.

If you are not eligible for the above assistance but are required to purchase multiple prescription items regularly, you may want to consider applying for an NHS Prescription Prepayment CertificateLink opens in a new window for 3 or 12 months.

Wellbeing costs will vary greatly between students as it will depend on how each individual manages their own mental health and wellbeing. These activities can vary greatly in cost and could include:

Arts and crafts
Gym/exercise
Yoga/meditation
Reading

Laundry

If you live on campus you will not have access to a washing machine or tumble dryer in your halls of residence kitchen. Instead, you will need to use their local campus laundrette which you will have to pay for. It costs approximately £5.50 per average load (wash and dry) at the campus laundrette. More information can be found on the accommodation team's Laundry Link opens in a new windowwebpage.

When living off-campus most accommodation will include access to a washing machine but make sure you take a tour and check this out. Certain accommodation may require students to use an on or off-site laundrette. Remember, if you do have access to a washing machine and/or tumble dryer in your accommodation, you and your housemates may be liable for the energy cost.

Insurance

When living in Warwick managed accommodation, you will have a certain level of contents insurance included in your rent cost. It is important to check that the level of cover included meets your personal needs. For more information about the contents insurance included with Warwick Accommodation, please see their team's InsuranceLink opens in a new window webpage. You may need to top up your cover with personal contents insurance or you can check whether your parents' home insurance includes cover for students at university.

If you live off-campus in non-Warwick managed accommodation you are unlikely to have any contents insurance included in your rent cost (make sure to check your contract). Therefore, you will need to either arrange personal contents insurance or check whether you have sufficient coverage under your parent's home insurance policy.

Always read the small print on any insurance document as this will outline important information, such as claim exclusions, level of cover and the excess you will be expected to pay in the instance of a claim.

Have a look at Save the Student's article on contents insuranceLink opens in a new window for further information.

Course Costs

Course costs are additional expenses that are not covered by the payment of tuition fees at Warwick. Course costs could include:

Books
Stationary
Equipment
Placement clothes and travel
Field trips

Each course will have different costs, which may vary depending on the year of study. Remember, you don't need to buy your whole book list brand new, the library will contain copies you can borrow, or you could buy them cheaper second-hand. When it comes to placement clothes, placement travel and field trips, make sure to plan and budget early for these. These may be planned for later in your course but anything that you can put aside each month in savings towards this additional cost will help you.

For more information about your specific course costs you should review your prospective department's webpage or contact your department directly.