How to attend an Open Day on a budget

Attending an open day can sometimes be an extra cost that you hadn't considered, especially if you want to visit more than 1 university. And whilst open days are really valuable, sometimes it's hard to find the cash for travel, food and other expenses on an open day, here are some things you can do to save some extra money during open day season:

1. Look for travel discounts - BCU offer travel discounts on train and coach journeys for visitors and 1 guest!

Schools and colleges also often arrange coaches to open days - that's how I saw some local universities when I was in college! So check with your school/ college if they'll be taking students to any open days.

2. Get a cheap meal on campus - if you get a meal in the city centre before or after an open day then the cost can add up! At BCU, we have 40% off food and 25% off hot drinks so a meal usually costs less than £3!

You can also bring a packed lunch, there are loads of chilled spaces on campus to take a break and eat.

3. See if you can do 2 open days in 1 day - often universities have open days on the same day, so why not explore both? For example, our November open day is on the same day and our campuses are just a few minutes walk from each other.

Open Days at universities often last all day, you could explore one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

4. Find some free activities to do in Birmingham - if you've never been to Birmingham before, then an open day is a good chance to explore. The city is full of free things to do, from art galleries and museums to canal-side walks.

I hope those tips help, and to see you at an upcoming open day! You can see our open day dates here: https://bit.ly/4aHFLz5

Let me know if you have any questions :smile: