Postgraduate Study Living Costs

The Northeast is one of the most affordable regions in the UK to be a student. Here is a breakdown of the average spending for a Northumbria student per month (savethestudent.org). Explore each spending category to get a better idea on what you are spending your money on and some advice on how to save money.

We have a variety of accommodations to suit all needs.

We have catered and self-catered options, shared bathrooms, or en-suites and even an accommodation with a free gym! Prices start at £94.19 per week including bills to £158.31 per week, you can check out our different accommodation options here.

You can also explore private accommodation options, but these may be more expensive.

Some students opt for living in shared flats or houses with other postgraduate students or young professionals. Some of the prices of these flats/houses may not include bills and will have to be organised yourselves.

Course materials are minimal as we have facilities such as Student Central which allows you to borrow from a range of 1.2 million books, open 24/7 and are equipped with computers and collaborative workspaces.

Buying second-hand materials can also save you money. Amazon sell both new and preloved material so may be worth checking out! If you have not yet signed up for a student bank account, Barclays offer 0% interest on an overdraft and a years subscription to Perlego, an online library with unlimited access to over 800,000 books, stopping you from overspending on textbooks!

Claude Gibb is the only catered halls that Northumbria provide if you are not as experienced in the kitchen however you would still need to buy yourself lunch as this is not included. There are numerous food spots in and around campus including Café Central and even our own Subway and Starbucks. You can pre-order food and click and collect using the Uni Food Hub app on your phone. Delicious food and student friendly prices!

The amount you will need to budget for homewares and toiletries will vary depending on your lifestyle. Some items however are essential. Save the student provides a detailed checklist of the must have homewares and toiletries for students. Newcastle is a fantastic city for students with many shops who offer high quality homewares and toiletries at affordable prices within close range of the university and accommodations.

A few of the key shops to visit include: 

• B&M (1.7 miles from university)
• Home Bargains (1.4 miles from university)
• Wilko (1.7 miles from university)
• Superdrug (0.5 miles from university)
• Boots (0.4 miles from university)
• Asda (1.7 miles from university)
• Sainsbury's (0.4 miles from university)
• Morrison's (1.1 miles from university)
• Tesco (0.5 miles from university)

Being a student has many perks, including student discounts via StudentBeans and UNiDays. Simply make an account and use your university email to verify your account and enjoy discounts on food, clothing, electricals, and services!

A student bank account allows you to borrow to get through your university years as it can be expensive. However, a graduate bank account allows you to pay that debt off and recover before it starts gaining interest.

For more information on student bank accounts including the perks and incentives on offer you can see the MoneySavingExpert roundup.

Northumbria’s Students' Union offers a great social scene on the campus with three award-winning bars and clubs as well as a venue for performance and live music. They also have over 100 societies which you can get involved in to meet people with the same interests as yourself. The societies regularly organise trips, shows, and socials.

In addition, our Sports Central facility has a swimming pool, climbing wall and gym. Membership for unlimited access to the facilities and group exercise classes is a discounted rate of £18 a month for students.

At Northumbria, we are extremely lucky that everything is at our fingertips! Our main city campus and city campus east are only separated by a bridge and our Coach Lane campus is easily accessible through the number 1 Coach Lane Campus bus, free with your student card. For those choosing to live in areas further out, you can apply for a FREE Pop card giving you 30% off adult metro prices, with season tickets starting from £31.80 per month. 

If you have childcare costs to consider, Northumbria University has an on campus purpose-built nursery for children between 0-4 years old. There are almost 100 places available to the young children of Northumbria students, staff and parents working at some of the University's partner organisations in Newcastle city centre and beyond. Prices start at £42.20 for a half day. 

With the cost of living continuing to be an issue for many, we want to let you know about the support available to you before and during your time studying at Northumbria.

Before you apply you can find out more information on Postgraduate funding and Scholarships and Postgraduate Government Loan.

During your studies, if you encounter financial difficulties or need advice on other money issues, you can contact the Welfare, immigration and funding team. You can also find information on looking after your health and wellbeing in our toolkit which includes links to a range of support resources.

Throughout your time as a student at Northumbria you have unlimited access to the university library which is home to around half a million books, 900,000 e-books and 85,000 e-journals. The City Campus Library and the University Library Digital Commons are open 24/7 during term-time. You can also access PC’s and Mac’s, you can find availability for these on the library website.

If you are looking to work alongside your studies, our graduate futures team are available to help you update your CV and hone your interview skills.

See what our students think: Our student digital content creators have written articles on managing your budget and tips for getting a part time job.