F A Q

Study Abroad Information [UK]

How much should I allow for my living expenses?

A single International student will require approximately £6000-7500 for living costs for twelve months. This does not include tuition fees and the cost of travel fees and the cost of travel from your home country to the UK, holidays, or buying and running a car or mobile phone.

Your biggest expense will be your accommodation. Average cost of a single room in a shared household in London ranges from £75 to £150 a week. It may or may not include rates and usually requires one month deposit LSBF can provide assistance with finding quality accommodation.

The following are the other expenses you will need to budget for.
Expense*
Meals

Students in self-catering accommodation and private accommodation

Gas and Electricity

Personal Expenditure (laundry etc)

Books, stationery, special equipment, subscriptions etc.

Local Travel

*These are weekly figures for a single student.

Will I be eligible for financial assistance?
You should not come to the UK unless you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the length of your studies. If you are from a country which is not a member of the European Economic Area, you are not allowed to claim Public Funds.

However, international students are allowed to undertake paid/unpaid work up to 20 hours per week during their term time. Please contact us if you require further information.

Will I have to pay for medical care?
All full time students in the UK are covered by the NHS (National Health Service), available to them for free. Alternatively there are also several private healthcare schemes that require insurance to be purchased.

Will I be able to open a bank account in the UK?
You will find it very convenient to have your own bank account in the UK. The following are some of the major banks with many branches across London:

Barclays
Royal Bank of Scotland
HSBC
Lloyds TSB
NatWest
Other smaller banks and building societies and branches of international banks

Your home bank will be able to advise you about transferring money into a UK bank account and can tell you whether your bank is part of a group of banks which includes one of the names mentioned above. There might be a charge for transferring money.

You should open a bank account during your first few days in the UK to allow time for your money to be transferred, so that you can your course and accommodation fees on time.

Before your account is opened, you can use traveler’s cheques and the cash which you have brought with you. Check before leaving home whether you are able to use your debit or credit card in a UK ATM machine and what charges your bank will make to you if you do this. Do not carry large amounts of money or hide large sums of money in your room.

You will require the following documents to open a bank account in the UK:

Passport
Student card or registration papers
A document confirming your address in the UK
Proof of your bank account in your home country e.g. a bank statement
Letter of introduction from you bank in your home country (if necessary)

See the Guild of Student’s International Student Handbook, for further information when you arrive. Our student support team will be there to assist you through the process.

How will I pay my deposit/tuition fees?
The tuition fees should be paid on the first day of your programs start date at the registration. If you have already paid it all before you left your country please bring a receipt with you.
Following is a guide on the methods of payment which are acceptable to the Business School.
These include:
Payments in full by:
Cheque or banker’s draft (in Sterling (£) and drawn on a UK Clearing Bank)
CreditCard) there is a 1.5% administration fee for their method of payment)

Transfer from an overseas bank account direct into your University / college bank account (Electronic Transfer) before you arrive. Details of the transfer must be attached to your Method of Payment Form. It is also important that you quote your application number of student number as the reference. This will enable the school to identify the money when it is received.

For the electronic transfer, you will need to provide your banker

Bank:
Bank Address in the United Kingdom
Account Name:
Account No:
Sort Code:

Other FAQ’s                  

Do I have to pay Council Tax?
Full-time registered students (but not students in “writing-up” status) are usually eligible for exemption from Council Tax, but they are not allowed to claim Council Tax Benefit, which is a public fund. You can get more information on liability for Council Tax in the UKCOSA Guidance Note Council Tax and International students.

Can I work part-time in the UK while I am a student?
If you are from a European Economic Area (EEA) country, you can work in the UK without permission. If you are from outside the EEA and you are on a course lasting more than six months you should be able to work up to twenty hours per week during term-time and full-time in vacations. Permission is automatically granted for you to work.

Will I be eligible for free NHS health care?
If you are on a course of study that lasts six months or more, you are automatically entitled to free health care from the National Health Service (NHS) relating to any condition which occurs after your arrival in the UK. This means you may register as a patient with an NHS doctor, known as a General Practitioner (or GP), and dentist. If a doctor prescribes a course of medicine for you, you may have to pay the prescription charge and you may have to pay for dental treatment.

If you are on a course lasting less than six months and you are not from a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with the UK, you will need to take out private health insurance to cover the cost of any treatment, as you will be covered under the NHS.

What do the tuition fees usually cover?
Usually the tuition fee covers teaching, assessment, examinations, library and computer facilities, welfare support, term-time English languages support and graduation. Always check with your University / College.

Usually the tuition fee does not cover the costs of any fieldwork, additional residential courses, travel, books, stationery, photocopying, accommodation and living costs.

How much money will I need to cover my living expenses?
A single student at the University should allow between GBP 7,500 – GBP 10,000 per calendar year for their living expenses. This figure allows a modest student life and does not include the cost of travel from your home country to the UK, buying and running a car or mobile phone or having holidays.

What can I expect to pay for accommodation in the private rented sector?
Average rents for 2007/2008 in London were between £75 and £150 a week for a single room in a shared house. The rent may or may not include rates. The landlord will require a deposit of one month rent and to some cases will require two months rent as a deposit. LSBF also provides assistance with finding quality.
Useful Web Addresses for Students

Student Discounts:
www.isic.org.uk

Accommodation:
www.thegumtree.com
www.loot.com
www.findaproperty.com
www.net-lettings.co.uk

Student Websites:
www.s-k-I-n-t.co.uk
www.nusonline.co.uk
www.studentbookworld.com
www.studentflights.co.uk
www.ukstudentlife.com
www.studentbookworld.com

UK Government Information:
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk