If you are an international ('overseas fee' paying) student and are offered a place to study with us, you'll be eligible to apply for one of our £5,000 international scholarships for the September or January intake.
Please note our scholarships are very competitive and we receive many applications every year. If you are successful, the award is deducted from your tuition fees, but you must make sure you can cover the outstanding amount of fees and monthly living expenses yourself.
If you are an international ('overseas fee' paying) student, you may qualify for one of our bursaries or alumni discounts:
- Alumni discount
- Family bursary
- Study Abroad, Summer School and exchange bursary
Alumni discount
We offer a 10% tuition fee discount for our alumni who are progressing to study a postgraduate course at Kingston University.
Family bursary
We offer a 10% tuition fee discount for each year of undergraduate or postgraduate study for international students who have a direct family connection (family is defined as sibling, parent, child or spouse) to a student enrolled at Kingston University ('current student') or to a student previously enrolled at Kingston University (alumni). Both family members are entitled to receive the bursary if they are studying at the same time.
Kingston is a large town, packed with shops and businesses, and many of our international students get a part-time job. This will help you manage some of your living costs and provide valuable work experience. You will also make new friends, learn what a UK work environment is like and develop new transferable skills.
We keep our timetables as flexible as possible to help you fit in part-time work but if you have a lot of teaching hours you might only be able to work during University holidays. We also advise you to get a job in the Kingston area to save you time and travel expenses and that you do not rely on this as your main source of income.
If you do plan to work while you study, you must check the permissions set out in your visa, as the right to work will depend on the type of visa you have been granted.
Becoming one of our Student Ambassadors is a great way to 'earn while you learn' and meet other students. You can get involved and support the University, gain employability skills and experience, and enjoy flexible, part-time, paid employment to fit around your studies.
To start your budgeting, first calculate what money you have coming in (income) and what you're spending your money on (expenditure). Once you have an idea of your weekly/monthly budgeting, you can then see how much money you need to plan for rent, travel, food and other essential living costs.
If you're not sure how much you spend, you can use our above guide to the average student living costs or the Student Money Guide.
Using this guide, look at your bank statements for regular payments you are making as this will help with calculating your budget. For example, how much you normally spend on food at supermarkets or travelling and socialising with friends.
Once you've got an idea of your outgoings, put everything into this budget planner so you can calculate how much money you're going need to live each month. By mapping your spending, you can begin to cut back and make your money last longer. You can also download apps onto your phone which links to your bank and can track your spending habits and where you can save money. Find out more about the best budgeting apps that you can download onto your phone on websites such as Which?'s Best budgeting apps.
Check out 8 top money-saving tips for students from the British Council to learn how to save money during your studies. This Save the Student guide on how to create a budget is also a great resource – and includes a useful student budget spreadsheet to ensure you're getting the most out of your money at university.
As a student, you can get a 30% discount on weekly and monthly Travelcards and bus passes by buying a special Student Oyster Photocard for £20. Remember that as a member of the National Union of Students (NUS), you will get discounts in shops, bars and clubs. It may be worth getting a Totum Card, which is designed specifically for students, where you can get online discounts when buying goods such as laptops and computer equipment.
Websites such as LatestDeals.co.uk compare food items so you can get the cheapest ones available at your local supermarket. Olio and Too Good To Go are apps you can download to your phone which shows what food is available from local businesses that you can collect so it's not thrown away.
We are committed to providing support to our students and recognise that the rising cost of living in London can make students feel uncertain about their finances. You can read about useful resources, hear from some of our current students and find out more about the available to students at Kingston University on our cost of living support pages.
