So you’re about to start your university adventure, congratulations. As your student journey is about to begin, you might have started wondering about the ways in which you can save money. As we used to be students ourselves one day (but not too long ago), we have gathered a few things in our student money saving guide that might help you too.

1) Check to see if you can get a scholarship

First step on saving money as a student can be in academic fees. Despite fierce competition based on academic excellence, you may still be able to get funding/scholarship for your course. This mainly depends on your subject area and your academic performance. It is always a good idea to do a thorough research of which scholarships is available.

If you’re looking for scholarships, specially if you’re an international student, check British Council’s website to find out more information.

2) Find accommodation that is close to your university

Regardless of saving money, living close to campus generally means an easier and more relaxed student life. The reason is that you don’t have to dedicate time and money on a regular basis for commuting everyday.

If you’re looking for student accommodation in the UK, why not search our platform. We appreciated that majority of students prefer to live close to their university. Hence, we’ve enabled students to calculate the distance from our properties to universities through different means of transport.

Also, check out our student housing guide to familiarise yourself with renting accommodation in the UK as a student.

3) Get a bicycle

Okay let’s say you found a place that you really like but you have to commute to university. Or you could not have found accommodation that is close to university.

This might sound like an odd one to begin with, but having a bicycle has several benefits. First, you can easily commute with a bicycle and cut expenses on public transport and taxis. This does depend on where you live, but generally it’s an applicable option; most of the student accommodation sites in the UK have bike stands too so you don’t have to worry about where to keep your bike.

Second, it’s a great way to stay in shape, in case you’re not the type of person who hits the gym or plays sports everyday.

Recently, there has been a new bike-sharing scheme called Mobike in some parts of the UK. This enables you to rent a bicycle in virtually any location through an app on your phone.

4) Part-time job

Less on the saving side and more about earning, this option is also desirable if you can fit up to 10-20 hours per week in your schedule.

You can also consider part-time internships or work experience schemes. Most universities have arrangements in place with employers for such schemes. If you’re an international student, make sure you seek advice that your work meets your visa requirements if you’re on a student visa.

5) Student offers & discounts

Being a student can give you discounts in a lot of places. This can range from food, shopping, entertainment and much more.  However, most of these discounts are subject to having an NUS Extra card which you can purchase for a fee. Find out more here.