Uni of Newcastle

Students who are first year, how much do you roughly spend per month?? My mums convinced I won't be able to afford uni here but I think shes overestimating how much I'll spend...

Reply 1

LunaB

Original post

by cescuo6

Students who are first year, how much do you roughly spend per month?? My mums convinced I won't be able to afford uni here but I think shes overestimating how much I'll spend...

This varies so massively from student to student so I wouldn’t be too concerned with proper figures for monthly spending. I’d say if you’re concerned with finance do not go for accommodation at Park View and the other on campus or next to campus halls (the proximity is not worth the price trust me) the rest of your living expenses comes down to necessities which cost the same basically everywhere the only difference I ever notice is that In Newcastle you typically have to order your shopping as there just aren’t any supermarkets in walking distance (that I know of) either way I get by on around 4-500ish a month though my expenses are inflated because I’m a smoker so you could live on less very easily

that figure doesn’t include rent however as that is the sole purpose of my maintenance loan so do factor that in

Reply 2

Newcastle University Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post

by cescuo6

Students who are first year, how much do you roughly spend per month?? My mums convinced I won't be able to afford uni here but I think shes overestimating how much I'll spend...

Hi @cescuo6 !

I am a recent Newcastle University graduate (Summer 2024) and I would be happy to tell you about my budgeting in first year.

The first thing I did was use the Student Finance Calculator on the Government's website (Student finance calculator - GOV.UK). You can pop in your estimated household income and it will give you an idea of how much maintenance loan you could be entitled to. This information was vital in my decision making when it came to accommodation! I went through the accommodation options and made a note of the ones within my budget. My top tip here would be to look at the annual price - this will be divided into 3 terms and so will your loan (September, January, April). In hindsight, a lot of students I met at university also looked into private accommodation and found some of it to be cheaper so it is worth looking in to all of your options. Also, potentially lowering your expectations such as with an en-suite, you can save money by sharing a bathroom (typically with two other people of the same gender) and in second/third year most students share bathrooms in privately rented houses anyways!

With my remaining loan, I estimated a weekly budget and in first year this was around £50 - 75 a week. I found this manageable for food shopping and social activities. Newcastle is a northern city so in general it has a lower cost of living and it is also a top 5 student city so, there are lots of student deals and discounts! In first year I stayed in Portland Green (Turner Court) and this was a 15 - 20 minute walk away from a Morrisons which was ideal but sometimes inconvenient if you wanted a massive shop! My advice here would be to get food shops delivered and split the delivery costs with your housemates if you can, the delivery fees range from £1.50 - £5 depending on where you shop. I know some other students who would Uber to an Aldi with their housemates? Not sure how much money this saved but it is an option if your preferred supermarket does not deliver!

The city itself is small but has all of the main features of a big city - so this means that it is compact and I did not regularly need public transport or taxis. It also meant that there were lots of opportunities for part time work if I needed to top up my loan! Most students work in bars, retail and hospitality - there are also opportunities to work on-campus as Student Ambassadors or Library Assistants- all of this work is valuable for your CV too.

I hope this has been helpful - if you have any other questions about university life or Newcastle, I am happy to help!

Thanks 💫