The Student Room Group
Freshers Week, University of Bath
University of Bath
Bath

Bath University - Living Costs

Is it expensive living in Bath for the 2nd and 3rd years of university? I quickly looked into the prices for private accommodation/ housing and the prices seem very high compared to other cities like Cardiff? From what I’ve seen my maintanence loan will not even cover 2/3 of the rent price!
Original post by adder007jnr
Is it expensive living in Bath for the 2nd and 3rd years of university? I quickly looked into the prices for private accommodation/ housing and the prices seem very high compared to other cities like Cardiff? From what I’ve seen my maintanence loan will not even cover 2/3 of the rent price!


Every city is different so trying to compare is not going to get you anywhere. You can't live in Cardiff and commute to Bath so what will you achieve by looking at Cardiff's costs?
Freshers Week, University of Bath
University of Bath
Bath
Reply 2
Original post by alleycat393
Every city is different so trying to compare is not going to get you anywhere. You can't live in Cardiff and commute to Bath so what will you achieve by looking at Cardiff's costs?

Well I’m looking at Cardiff because that is my other possible choice of university. I’m comparing to one, get an idea of the difference in prices, and two because they’re my two options for university and need to figure if Bath is a feasible choice financially. By comparing, from what I have found in the short time I’ve looked, I can see that you can get a room in Cardiff with bills paid for £70 a week whereas in Bath it’s >£100. That’s a big difference so I put up this thread to see if someone who has actually studied at Bath can give some insight into costs from their experience.
Original post by adder007jnr
Well I’m looking at Cardiff because that is my other possible choice of university. I’m comparing to one, get an idea of the difference in prices, and two because they’re my two options for university and need to figure if Bath is a feasible choice financially. By comparing, from what I have found in the short time I’ve looked, I can see that you can get a room in Cardiff with bills paid for £70 a week whereas in Bath it’s >£100. That’s a big difference so I put up this thread to see if someone who has actually studied at Bath can give some insight into costs from their experience.


Ah ok. Have a look on TSR connect and the uni website itself will have info about costs.
Reply 4
Original post by adder007jnr
Well I’m looking at Cardiff because that is my other possible choice of university. I’m comparing to one, get an idea of the difference in prices, and two because they’re my two options for university and need to figure if Bath is a feasible choice financially. By comparing, from what I have found in the short time I’ve looked, I can see that you can get a room in Cardiff with bills paid for £70 a week whereas in Bath it’s >£100. That’s a big difference so I put up this thread to see if someone who has actually studied at Bath can give some insight into costs from their experience.


I paid like £95 including bills in second year at Bath and the same in third year but without bills, so like effectively like £110 in third year. Both were within 5 mins to bus stop and then it was like £200-250 for a years student bus pass I think. Bus journeys were a bit annoying 30-45 mins each way and had to time it right, but everyone was in the same boat so it was fine.

There were some cheaper houses but you had to be pretty quick getting viewings and paying deposit for them, before Christmas probably. There were also alot of more expensive places, especially the private student accommodation.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy wherever you end up.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by Iamtidal
I paid like £95 including bills in second year at Bath and the same in third year but without bills, so like effectively like £110 in third year. Both were within 5 mins to bus stop and then it was like £200-250 for a years student bus pass I think. Bus journeys were a bit annoying 30-45 mins each way and had to time it right, but everyone was in the same boat so it was fine.

There were some cheaper houses but you had to be pretty quick getting viewings and paying deposit for them, before Christmas probably. There were also alot of more expensive places, especially the private student accommodation.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy wherever you end up.

Thanks for the reply, that’s useful to know, I didn’t think about the bus pass! Thank you, I hope I will! :smile:
expect to pay around £105 everyweek on rent. if transport cost is an issue, consider cycling. much cheaper and quicker than bussing it. i bought a cheapo bike for 100 new, but used could get for much less
Original post by adder007jnr
Is it expensive living in Bath for the 2nd and 3rd years of university? I quickly looked into the prices for private accommodation/ housing and the prices seem very high compared to other cities like Cardiff? From what I’ve seen my maintanence loan will not even cover 2/3 of the rent price!


Hi :smile:

I'm a third year student at the university, so have had two years experience living off campus.

Personally, my maintenance loan covers the price of rent perfectly well and I always have lots left over for summer- however my maintenance loan is 5-7k a year- I'm not sure what yours would be?

I get my loan from student finance wales, and it is means tested and my family don't earn a huge amount, so perhaps that is why I get this much.

Several of my friends who are from London have told me their maintenance loans do not cover even their rent, and they get the remaining money from their families.

Which is obviously not at all ideal for people without supportive families or who don't have the means to do so.

If you would rather not or can't rely on family support then there are many options:

1. Scholarships: There are a multitude of scholarships you can apply for based on household income, talents or grades: http://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/bursaries-and-scholarships-for-undergraduate-students/
I have a scholarship of 3k a year which I got after writing a short statement and for being a woman in physics with a low house hold income.

2. Hardship fund: The university offers a hardship non-repayable fund for students who can't afford to meet basic costs for university:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/applying-for-the-university-of-bath-hardship-fund/

3. Part time jobs: The university offers loads of casual work job opportunities. It is very easy to get a job if you make the effort.

Jobs in the university include: campus tour guides, working on the student room, I.T support in the library, working in the campus eateries, working as a university ambassador, phoning Bath graduates to ask for university donations, etc. To see a list of jobs currently available see: https://www.thesubath.com/jobs/browse/

As well as finding jobs in shops/bars/hotels etc in town. Many of friends work several jobs beside their high intensity degrees.

4. Summer jobs: Work during each summer (you should have 3 or 4 months because university doesn't start until the very end of September) and you could earn between 1-4k: equivalent to a scholarship.

5. Professional placement: Between your second and third year, a high percentage of students go on a professional placement and these can pay up to 30k a year (average is ~20k).


In terms of cost of living in Bath: My rent is £370/month and I live in a 4 bedroom house a five minute walk from the center of Bath. Bills would typically come to £100 every 3 months.

Try and go for 8 month contracts where possible as you can make a huge saving for the 4 months during the summer where you would probably be living back at home. Or contracts where the landlord lets you pay half rent if you vacate the premesis.

It is possible to live with a family for cheaper and more flexible contracts.

A beer in Bath costs £4 on average, and eating a meal out would be £10 on average. Bath is around the 2nd most expensive city in the UK however we do of course have shops like Iceland, poundland and Lidl so keeping to a budget is perfectly do-able if you are careful about it.

I hope this has helped and I wish you all the best.
Lydia
Reply 8
Original post by University of Bath
Hi :smile:

I'm a third year student at the university, so have had two years experience living off campus.

Personally, my maintenance loan covers the price of rent perfectly well and I always have lots left over for summer- however my maintenance loan is 5-7k a year- I'm not sure what yours would be?

I get my loan from student finance wales, and it is means tested and my family don't earn a huge amount, so perhaps that is why I get this much.

Several of my friends who are from London have told me their maintenance loans do not cover even their rent, and they get the remaining money from their families.

Which is obviously not at all ideal for people without supportive families or who don't have the means to do so.

If you would rather not or can't rely on family support then there are many options:

1. Scholarships: There are a multitude of scholarships you can apply for based on household income, talents or grades: http://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/bursaries-and-scholarships-for-undergraduate-students/
I have a scholarship of 3k a year which I got after writing a short statement and for being a woman in physics with a low house hold income.

2. Hardship fund: The university offers a hardship non-repayable fund for students who can't afford to meet basic costs for university:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/applying-for-the-university-of-bath-hardship-fund/

3. Part time jobs: The university offers loads of casual work job opportunities. It is very easy to get a job if you make the effort.

Jobs in the university include: campus tour guides, working on the student room, I.T support in the library, working in the campus eateries, working as a university ambassador, phoning Bath graduates to ask for university donations, etc. To see a list of jobs currently available see: https://www.thesubath.com/jobs/browse/

As well as finding jobs in shops/bars/hotels etc in town. Many of friends work several jobs beside their high intensity degrees.

4. Summer jobs: Work during each summer (you should have 3 or 4 months because university doesn't start until the very end of September) and you could earn between 1-4k: equivalent to a scholarship.

5. Professional placement: Between your second and third year, a high percentage of students go on a professional placement and these can pay up to 30k a year (average is ~20k).


In terms of cost of living in Bath: My rent is £370/month and I live in a 4 bedroom house a five minute walk from the center of Bath. Bills would typically come to £100 every 3 months.

Try and go for 8 month contracts where possible as you can make a huge saving for the 4 months during the summer where you would probably be living back at home. Or contracts where the landlord lets you pay half rent if you vacate the premesis.

It is possible to live with a family for cheaper and more flexible contracts.

A beer in Bath costs £4 on average, and eating a meal out would be £10 on average. Bath is around the 2nd most expensive city in the UK however we do of course have shops like Iceland, poundland and Lidl so keeping to a budget is perfectly do-able if you are careful about it.

I hope this has helped and I wish you all the best.
Lydia

Hi Lydia, thanks for the reply! That’s really handy information to know, I’ll have a look at the links! I believe I’ll get around £5000 maintanence as that’s around what my brother received when he went to uni.

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