Cost of studying in the UK for Indian students

Isn’t this the first aspect that comes to your mind when you think about studying in the UK? Don’t be surprised if we say that studying in the UK can be affordable.

Cost of studying in the UK can be divided in to three categories:

1. Cost of Application (including academic entrance tests)

2. Tuition Fees and Living Expenses

3. Other Costs (like insurance, visa fee, air ticket, etc.)

A. Cost of Application to UK Universities:

• Application Fees: Most UK Universities do NOT have an application fee; only a few charge for applications like London Business School, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) or specific department have a certain fee like some programs at Durham Business School. The application fee in such cases is around GBP 50 to GBP 100 (INR 4000 to INR 9000 approx.)
• English Test: IELTS Academic will cost you around INR 13250 approx. IELTS Academic for UKVI will cost around INR 18500 approx.
• Score Reporting: UK Universities do NOT require a separate score reporting, except for a few Universities such as London Business School, LSE

Thus, you can find that the cost of applications to UK Universities is nil or negligible if you consider the same cost for many other countries. Additionally, most UK Universities do not require GRE or GMAT.

B. Tuition Fees and Living Expenses in the UK:

Tuition Fees at UK Universities

Estimated tuition fee (per year):

• Cost of Studying MBA in UK: Course fee for MBA in UK ranges between GBP 10000 to GBP 41000 for the full MBA program (typically ranging from Rs. 10 lacs to Rs 41 lacs). We believe the right average of studying MBA in the UK is GBP 11000 to GBP 18500 (Rs 11 lacs to Rs 18.5 lacs). Some MBA programs like Said MBA (Oxford University), Judge MBA (Cambridge University), London Business School MBA will be higher. To know the cost of all UK MBA programs, have a look at our MBA in UK section.
• Cost of Studying Masters courses in UK: Course fee for MS in UK ranges between GBP 9000 to GBP 21000 (Rs 9 lacs to Rs 21 lacs) for the full program. GBP 11000 to GBP 16000 is what we find as the right range at UK Universities where most students are likely to get admissions. However, some Masters in UK like the ones at Cranfield University, London Business School, LSE may cost higher.
• Cost of Studying Bachelors courses in UK: Course fee for Bachelors in UK ranges between GBP 8000 to GBP 16000 per year (typically ranging from Rs. 8 lacs to Rs 16 lacs). Bachelors in the UK is generally a 3 year program.
• Cost of Studying Foundation courses in UK: Foundation course fee in the UK ranges between GBP 8000 to GBP 12000 per year (Rs 8 lacs to Rs 12 lacs). Consider the cost of studying Bachelors in the UK thereafter.

Living Costs in the UK while studying:

Living Cost in London: £12000 to £14000 per year

Living Cost outside London: £9000 to £11500 per year

The above costs include your accommodation (room and board), travel, food, some books, some clothing and may be some entertainment expenses too.

For UK Visa application, the ‘maintenance funds’ that you need to show are:

• Studying in London: £11,385 (£1265 multiplied by 9 months) if the UK University is in London (inner London boroughs)
• Studying outside London: £9,135 (£1,015 multiplied by 9 months) if the UK University is outside London (outside of inner London boroughs)

Please find below a break down of costs that can be considered while estimating living expenses:

1. Books and study materials will cost £500 to £700 approximately per academic year
2. Travel costs within the UK will be between £500 to £1000 approximately for the academic year
3. Room and Board will cost between £3500 to £7000 approximately for the academic year depending whether you live in private accommodation or university accommodation
4. Meals should cost about £1400 a year
5. Clothing will cost £500 to £700 annually (if you go to cold places, you better buy some clothes that suit their weather; otherwise you may shiver)
6. Personal expenses will cost around £1200 to £2000 approximately for the academic year

C. Other Costs:

• UK Student Visa Fee: INR 34737 is the cost of applying for UK Student Visa (Tier 4) (as on 15th June 2020. You can track changes in the UK student visa fee here
• Air tickets to travel to the UK: £350 to £600 (depending when you finish your admission process and / or book flight tickets)
• Health / Medical Insurance in UK: Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs £225 per person per year
• Car: If you wish to buy a car, assume that it will cost you around £2000 or higher if you fancy a top end car
• Family Member: If you take along other family members with you, assume that your annual expenses will increase about £2500 approximately for each additional family member

Scholarships at UK Universities

Scholarships in the UK are are made available by nearly all UK Universities. However, these do not typically cover the entire cost of tuition fees and/or living expenses. Some merit-based scholarships in the UK go up to 100% but they are very competitive.

Usually UK scholarships range between GBP 1,500 and GBP 6,500 per year. External agencies exist that provide scholarships for Indian students wanting to study abroad in the UK.

Applicants will usually need to hold a place at an institution in order to apply for a university scholarship. We therefore recommend students looking to apply for scholarships to apply to their programs no later than January/February of the year they hope to attend.