Your guide to budgeting at university

Affordable student accommodation with inclusive bills 

Our average monthly rent is the 3rd cheapest in the UK and the cheapest in the North West (Save the Student, 2023). At Preston we guarantee all first year, full-time students a place in University accommodation on campus. Rent varies depending on the room type and facilities available. We offer rooms in our student accommodation from just over £80 per week, which is some of the most affordable around.

If you opt to live in private accommodation you’ll need to set some money aside for rent, utility bills and Wi-Fi. Find out more on our accommodation pages.

All the thrills. None of the bills.

Our all-inclusive accommodation contracts mean you won’t have to worry about bills either. The costs of heating, water and Wi-Fi are all included in your rent, giving you peace of mind.

No transport costs

Everything in Preston is located right next to campus and a few minutes’ walk from the city centre, so you won’t have to pay any transport costs to get to and from the University. 

Live in a great city centre location, without the price tag of Manchester or Liverpool.

Save living in UCLan accommodation in an affordable city. The average cost of private rent in Preston is £112 per week. This is in comparison to £152 per week in Liverpool and £193 per week in Manchester. (Numbeo)

Spend less. Live better.

All of our halls on campus are self-catering, this means food expenses will make up a portion of your monthly budget.

Putting aside a certain amount of money each month for food, and planning your meals, will help you keep on top of your finances.

Supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl provide great value for money and can help keep food bills down.

Community Fridge project

We have launched a Community Fridge in our Preston Students’ Union building. This is a funded project to help tackle food waste. We are also scoping out options of how we can increase access to free/low-cost food across campuses by connecting with local providers.

Live life to the full at UCLan

Socialising is an important part of university life and is something you need to factor into your monthly budgeting. How much your social life costs depends on your interests and lifestyle. Preston is one of the North West's most affordable cities. When it comes to affordable socialising and entertainment, it can’t be beaten.

Enjoy a range of budget-friendly activities and events with our Students' Union.

Save on travel costs.

If you’ll be commuting to university then you’ll need to consider transport costs. You can save money on the costs of bus and train travel by buying weekly, monthly or annual tickets in advance. 

Train travel

Preston is one of the most well connected cities in the UK. Preston train station is a 10-minute walk from the campus, providing connections to the rest of the UK. Manchester, Lancaster, Liverpool and Blackpool are within easy reach. Because Preston is located along the West Coast Mainline, you can reach London or Glasgow in around 2.5 hours by train.

If you're travelling by train often, take advantage of student railcards. The 16-25 Railcard gets you one-third off costs of travel.

Cycle hire

If you're studying here you can hire a bike for 3 months at a time. Bike hire is by appointment only from the Bike Hub at Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre. You can also get your bike serviced for free in the Bike Hub.

Mobile phone

If you are in a mobile phone contract and are about to pay it off, you could consider going sim only to keep costs down whilst you're at university.

If you need to buy a new mobile phone, consider buying a refurbished mobile phone as they are not as expensive as a brand new phone.

TV license / Monthly streaming service

Plan on watching live television whilst you're at university? Whether you watch live TV via an app like BBC iPlayer or via your TV channels, you will need to get a TV licence for your property. It is a legal requirement in the UK. You can split the cost with your housemates, the cost for a TV licence is £13.25 per month. Find out more about TV Licensing.

If you don't watch live TV and prefer to use streaming apps like Apple TV, Netflix, Now TV or Disney+, make sure you factor this into your monthly budget. Look out for deals, most streaming services offer a free trial, some of which can last for up to six months. The average cost of a streaming service is £7.99 per month. There are also other free streaming services you can use without the monthly subscription cost, such as All4, ITVX, Roku and Freevee.

Household essentials

Household essentials are non-food items and include things like cleaning supplies, toilet roll and batteries. If you live in shared accommodation, you could share the costs of these things with your housemates and have a joint fund that you all contribute too. It is worth shopping around to get household goods at discounted rates, places like B&M, Home Bargains and Wilko often offer reasonable discounts on household essentials.

Save money by accessing microwaves, hot water, water fountains and showers across campus.

Free sports membership

There’s no need to sign up for an expensive gym membership whilst you're studying here. We offer all our students free membership at our sports facilities. This includes access to our Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre and Sports Arena.