Get help with your university decisions here! TSR Decisions Drop In 2025

How much money should I put aside for University?

I'm a Scottish student so I don't need to pay University fees but I wanted to know how much I would be spending on University in general. I.E textbooks, jotters, laptops.. ETC.

Reply 1

liquorlawtumn

I think my textbooks came to £120 (per year). I bought them new because there was a deal on but there are second hand options available. However, I definitely wouldn't recommend buying second hand until you're 100% sure you're getting the right year / edition etc. (also slight note I definitely didn't buy all textbooks each year because I just wasn't using them enough - probably wouldn't recommend but I did fine without if you're worried about finances) Jotters / laptops depends on your course I'd say. I did law so absolutely everything was on my laptop. My friend did chemistry (so more diagrams I think?) and used hand written notes until he invested in an iPad and loved that. There's definitely no need to go overboard. I know people who invested in all the stationary and never used it but, again, it's all course dependent.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 2

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Original post by Silver-One

I'm a Scottish student so I don't need to pay University fees but I wanted to know how much I would be spending on University in general. I.E textbooks, jotters, laptops.. ETC.

Hi there,

I would recommend reaching out to your university course to ask if there are any textbooks or essentials you will need to buy as many courses have them available in the library or online copies you can use for free,
paper, pens and notepads don't cost too much but you should put aside a small monthly allowance to cover the basics (i try and allocate £20 a month for supplies but i never spend the full amount),
and then technology wise you want something you can type on and send emails/ or make notes if that's your style but it doesn't have to be top of the range at all. If you already have a laptop that should work fine, or you can look into getting second hand ones if cost is an issue.
It can really depend based on how you spend your money but don't forget to consider living expenses

Hope this helps
Amber
Coventry University Student Ambassador

Reply 3

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

Original post by Silver-One

I'm a Scottish student so I don't need to pay University fees but I wanted to know how much I would be spending on University in general. I.E textbooks, jotters, laptops.. ETC.

Hey @Silver-One,

Most universities will have some textbooks available through the library, or will provide PDF version of textbooks which you can access online. Your course should let you know in the first week if there any textbooks you need to purchase outright - however, if you purchase second-hand, it shouldn't be more than £60-80 per year or so.

Jotters will depend on your course; I'd say I spend about £10-15 a year on pens and notebooks. However, some students write all their notes on their laptop; I purchased my laptop before the start of university for around £280, and it's still working perfectly in my third year. If you don't want to purchase a laptop and would prefer to work mostly through hand-written notes, most universities will have some form of rental scheme in place for whenever you might need one.

Best of luck at university!
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 4

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Silver-One

I'm a Scottish student so I don't need to pay University fees but I wanted to know how much I would be spending on University in general. I.E textbooks, jotters, laptops.. ETC.

Hi there,

Many universities will allow you to borrow from the library or access textbooks and resources online for free, and I believe this is the standard now. If there is anything you will need to purchase, especially course-dependent resources, they should let you know early on.

How do you prefer to take notes? I only take some of my notes on paper, so I spent very little on jotters. I purchased a laptop a few years before university, and it is still working well into my fourth year! Second-hand and rentals are always an option, so keep this in mind too.

Aside from university specific things, it all depends on how you're living. I always say to save up as much as you can, as it is always useful to have more than you need!

Best of luck,

Isabella
Fourth-Year Geography (With a Year Abroad)

Reply 5

University of Bath

Official Rep

Hi Silver,

Thanks for your question, and its great to hear you're thinking ahead!

You've already had some great advice about textbooks and jotters - I invested in a good laptop at about £550 at the start of my course and that was all I personally needed for notes, but I also carried around a small A5 notebook to write down any meetings/lectures etc for about four pounds.

Have you also considered what you may need to spend on your groceries each week? Whether you're living at home or in halls its usually quite a fun bit of practice and independence to manage a food budget and learn to cook for yourself on a budget for the week. I used to spend about £15-20 per week on essential groceries and always made use of the reduced items aisles! Have you considered working part-time as a student ambassador whilst at uni? This can be a fun way to get some experience, meet people and top up your earnings.

Hoping this helps a bit and wishing you the best of luck!

Holly
University of Bath