Arranging your funding

Even if everything goes to plan, most students do not receive their first payment until the end of the first week at university. You should bring enough funds to cover your expenses until your first payment. Everyone will have different spending habits, but we recommend you bring enough money to cover your expenses.

If you have applied for your funding late, you might experience a delay in receiving your funding. If this is the case, you will need to budget more until the first payment. You will need to consider your essential spending such as groceries and transportation as well as any additional activities you would like to attend. The amount you bring is dependent on how long the delay and your spending habits.

In most cases after receiving your first student finance instalment in September/October, you will not get another payment until January so you will need to think about managing your money. Our Student Money Team can help you plan a budget to make sure you have enough to last you all term. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Divide your termly income across the number of weeks it needs to last to give yourself a weekly budget.
2. Set up a second bank account and transfer yourself a weekly or monthly amount so you are not in danger of overspending.
3. Create a budget plan, detailing how much you will spend on each living cost and track your spending as you go.
4. Use a student discount wherever possible. Make sure you don't get sucked in by unnecessary purchases.