Top money advice tips for students

Do you have questions about student funding, or managing your money at university? Our Money Advice Service is here to help. Here are their top ten tips for taking control of your money.

1. Don’t stress if your student tuition fee loan is not in place for when you are due to start: you can still start your journey with ARU . If you're unsure you will get the fee loan, check our student finance pages or talk to our Money Advice Service. Contact details are at the bottom of this page.
2. Learn how to budget. Even a simple budget plan will make such a difference to you managing your money. There are websites and apps that can help you as well as ARU’s Money Advice Service.
3. Check you are getting all the funding you should be entitled to – the Money Advice Team can make sure you are able to access all that’s available to you.
4. Look for grants from educational trusts and charities – there is money that can be accessed but you need to find it! https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/
5. Shop around when opening a student bank account; see what bank and account type will work best for you. Look into the benefits offered and find the right one for you.
6. Be realistic about accommodation – this can vary in price and not all will be within your budget. Shop around and make sure it’s affordable to you.
7. Make the most of being a student and use that status to get discounts when shopping, subscriptions, etc. Also, stop any unnecessary subscriptions if your budget won’t stretch to cover them all.
8. Save money where and when you can. Having a small pot of savings will give you that reassurance that you have something for those just-in-case moments.
9. Working alongside studying not only gives you the benefit of additional money but also increases your employability, gives you many skills, and can be a way to make friends. Our campus recruitment agency ARU Temps is a great place to start when looking for part-time work. See our Careers and employability page for more info about part-time work.
10. Our Money Advice Service offers specialist, impartial and confidential information and advice about all aspects of student finance. Get in touch (details below).

Questions about student finance?

Our Money Advice Service can tell you more about funding, benefits, managing your money and lots of other finance-related issues. Email us on [email protected].

You can also check our student finance pages, or come along to an Open Day where we offer talks about finance.