Student finance special: Best paying jobs after uni; cheapest cities for students; top discounts and freebies

For many of you, it'll be your first time out of home and venturing into the unknown can be daunting - so here are eight things you need to know before you rent. 

We look at the boring but handy legal stuff you need to aware of, as well as some more general tips. 

1. Right to rent

This may sound like it doesn't apply to you, but anyone renting needs to be able to prove they're legally allowed to rent in the UK - otherwise you're stuck at the first hurdle. 

Landlords must carry this out at least 28 days before you move in.

You have the right to rent if:

• You're a British or European Economic Area citizen
• You have indefinite leave (without restriction) to remain in the UK, or you have settled status
• You have permission to be in the UK (for example, if you are on a work or student visa)
• You have been granted a time-limited right to rent by the Home Office 

Make sure documents you need to prove any of those (like a passport or visa) are in date. 

2. Renting from the right person

Just like you have to prove you've got the right to rent, any landlord must also check out. 

Most universities will have a scheme you can sign up showing accredited landlords they trust and whose properties meet certain criteria. 

If previous students have complained about landlords to the university, they can be struck off schemes. 

Search for schemes here.

Talk to older students about their experiences with letting agents or landlords - as they'll have first-hand experience of dealing with them on a regular basis. 

There are a few handy tips here you can read on what to look for. 

Your landlord must also:

• Repair things in a reasonable time when you report them
• Arrange yearly gas safety checks by a registered engineer
• Fit working smoke alarms on each floor of your home

But you are responsible for:

• Small jobs like changing light bulbs or testing smoke alarms
• Cleaning (unless there's a cleaner as part of your agreement)
• Report any repairs and allow access to get work done

3. Guarantors, deposits and fees 

A lot of students won't have a strong credit history, especially if they haven't worked full-time before. 

So landlords will usually ask for a guarantor - which just refers to someone with a stronger financial track record (it could be your mum or dad) who will agree to pay the rent if you fail to. 

You'll also need to pay a deposit - usually a month or five weeks' worth of rent - to secure any property. You'll get this back at the end of your tenancy, minus any charges for damages or cleaning fees. 

That deposit must be kept in a scheme - a third party that hangs on to it until the end of the tenancy - when the landlord will tell them to release it all or ask for charges for damages. 

Don't be afraid to go to the ombudsman or complain to the holding scheme if you feel you've been wrongly charged, even if landlords look to intimidate you with threats of long waits or further charges - no one can touch that money until a decision has been made.

You'll also be sent an inventory at the start of the tenancy, which states the condition of the flat (from any scuffs on the walls to any marks on the floor) and what is in each room. This document is used to help determine how much deposit you'll get back - so make sure you go through it carefully to see it's accurate before signing off on it. You'll be charged for any and everything that's damaged or missing. 

And it would certainly help to listen to your parents and take photos of everything when you move in and keep them - it could save you a lot of time, stress and money at the end of the year. 

Here is a helpful guide of what to take photos of. 

One final thing - it's worth knowing that it is illegal for landlords to try and charge any cheeky extra fees for protecting your deposit or for doing credit and reference checks or other administrative tasks. 

4. Mould

Damp and mould are some of the most common problems for tenants, and can present a serious health hazard - but it's tricky to know what to do about it. 

Jenny Lamb, policy officer at Shelter, took us through what you can do (but a warning, she says taking action can be risky - read on to see what we mean)... 

5. Moving quickly - but not too quickly

Many of you will have secured your accommodation for the coming academic year already - but in a lot of cases, you'll need to decide on your housing situation for the next year quickly too.

Many student rentals for the next year are snapped up come Christmas, so it's important you move fast.

Now we've stressed the need for speed, we're also going to urge a bit of caution.

Freshers, or first-year students: choose your housemates carefully.

You may only have a couple of months to decide, but make sure you're absolutely comfortable with living with housemates for a full year.

That can be tricky, but worth bearing in mind when embarking on viewings, especially if you don't want to end up constantly arguing over whose turn it is to clean the toilet or take the bins out. 

There's a great guide you can read here on how to select potential housemates for the next year. 

6. Reading the contract 

It's long, it's boring and going to the pub with your new housemates may be much more exciting, but do read your tenancy agreement properly. 

There are lots of clauses and jargon that make any contract confusing and intimidating, but take the time to read it thoroughly - and if something feels wrong and doesn't sound right - question it. 

Citizens Advice has a great guide to understand your tenancy agreement here. 

7. Environment

Don't underestimate the importance of having a good base to go home to. 

Zoopla has a nice broad checklist to tick off when you're looking around somewhere that you can read here - but don't be afraid to be more picky as well.

Homesickness, hangovers and uni work deadline stress can all contribute negatively towards your mental health - so having a nice space to call home, perhaps with lots of natural light, is imperative. 

It may be tempting to take the cheaper box room with no windows to save the extra money, but think carefully about where you want to wake up every day. 

Living near your uni or having good transport links is definitely something to consider, too, as you don't want to be spending your entire student life travelling. 

Logistics app Citymapper will absolutely be your best friend for getting around - and can help you see how you could travel to and from a potential new home. 

8. Bills and cleaning

A few things on this. 

Keeping your place clean is all tenants' responsibility, so make sure you're doing your bit or reminding others to clean up after themselves. 

The place will need to be really clean for inspections during the tenancy and by the time you move out - but it's worth remembering that it is now illegal for landlords to require you to pay for a professional clean at the end of your tenancy (more on that here). 

It's really important that setting up bills and things like a TV licence are done before or as soon as you move in - but like the tenancy agreement, make sure you check contract lengths and break clauses. 

Next, make sure you share the responsibilities out among the house equally. 

That could look like one person looking after sourcing and paying for the WiFi, while another does the utilities bill.

A small sidenote - you don't need to pay any council tax if you are a student, but if someone in your house isn't, the house is liable to pay it.

Don't worry about doing the sums to work out who owes who what. Instead you can use the brilliant (and free!) Splitwise app, which lets you and your housemates add various bills and does the maths for you. 

Good luck - and happy renting. 

While most students will be focusing on settling in and making friends in the first few weeks, some might already be thinking about the future. 

In England, it costs up to £9,250 a year in fees to attend university, and that's not including the cost of living while you study. 

Annual rents average around £7,475 and last year the typical student spent £219 a week on other expenses. 

With that in mind, and the prospect of paying back loans for decades after graduating, here's a look at the highest-paying jobs in the UK. 

Coming in at number one is what the Office for National Statistics classifies as "chief executives and senior officials". 

They earn an average of £84,131.

This is followed by marketing, sales and advertising directors, who make around £83,015. 

You can see the full list below... 

Hundreds of thousands of young people are about to descend on university towns across the UK - armed with maintenance loans and newly found financial freedoms.

With their arrival comes their business - and retailers and restaurants all fight for the chance to part students with their cash in the form of special discounts. 

There really are so many that we can't include them all - but here are some standouts and some of our favourites. 

Apple

Let's start with the world's most valuable company. 

Buying a new iPad or Mac will land you a gift card worth £120, while you're able to access a cheaper Apple Music plan with Apple TV+ included. 

It's available through discount portal UNiDAYS, or you can read more about the offers here.

Amazon

Another student essential - bag yourself six months of free Amazon Prime (which offers next-day delivery on thousands of items and Prime Video).

Once that ends, students only need to pay half price for their membership (£4.49 a month). 

Check out the offer here.

Spotify

If you didn't go for the Apple Music offer, then getting 45% off your Spotify subscription might be worth it. 

It's this link to sign up. 

ASOS

If you want 10% off clothes from one of the world's biggest online fashion retailers, you just need to fill in this form. 

Another top tip: ASOS often drops prices, starts sales or increases discount when your student maintenance loans hit your account. 

It might be worth waiting til then to use your codes to maximise your savings - you'll get your first loan at the end of September/start of October, one at the start of January and the last will be at the start of April.

YouTube

YouTube Premium and Music can be yours for £7.99 (plus a free trial month), allowing you ad-free watching, downloads, background play and unlimited tunes. 

Click here for more. 

Railcard

An absolute student essential. 

Railcards are a must while you're moving around the country visiting friends, family or just making your way home for Christmas. 

They cost just £30 and give you a third off rail fares for the full year. 

More on that here. 

Nike and Adidas

Two of the big players in sports fashion.

Bag the latest athleisure with 15% off Adidas and 10% off at Nike. 

Schuh

If you don't like the trainers Nike or Adidas have on offer, then take a look at Schuh.

The footwear brand offers 10% off full-price and sale items - click here to find out how. 

Another top tip: if you like a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes, check out whether you could get them cheaper at Schuh with discounts, and factoring in delivery charges and sales.

Sephora

Via discount portal StudentBeans, you can grab 15% off at Sephora. 

It's one of the biggest self-care and beauty brands on the planet, and 15% off will save you a decent chunk. 

Click here to find out more. 

Boots 

Being a student can save you 10% at Boots - sometimes more.

You'll need to sign up for one of their (free) advantage cards - check out the steps here.

Burger King

Students can enjoy a free Chicken or Vegan Royale when they buy a Chicken or Vegan Royale via their StudentBeans portal.

This link has more.

Domino's

The big-night-in vendor offers students up to 50% off. 

This is another one you'll need a StudentBeans discount portal login for, but you can get all the details here. 

Uber Eats

Through UNiDAYS, you can get £10 off your first two orders (over £15) on Uber Eats.

You can get groceries as well as takeaways - details here.

New Look

There's 10% off for students - and you can bag a further 25% if you sign up to their mailing list.

The discount is available in-store and online, so there's a bit of flexibility.

This one is through UNiDAYS - details here.

McDonald's

Grab yourself a free cheeseburger, mayo chicken or McFlurry when you buy selected menu items. 

Read the full list and T&Cs here. 

Deliveroo

The delivery giant always offers student deals, but it's yet to publicise this year's plans.

You can enter your email address into this link for updates. 

Lovehoney

Savings on your sex life start at 20%.

This one is via UNiDAYS - more here.

MyProtein 

50% off protein at MyProtein for fitness-hungry students is one of several offers the company has put up. 

Again, via UNiDAYS, which has the full list of deals and offers here.

Gyms

Sticking with health and fitness, several high-street value gym chains offer discounts, including The Gym Group and PureGym. 

Blackwell's and Rymans 

We've done all the fun stuff like food and clothes - but you do have to study at some stage. 

That's where having 15% off at major book supplier Blackwell's can help. 

All the details are here. 

To help you make notes on the reading you'll be doing, there's 10% off at stationery supplier Ryman - details here. 

IKEA and ProCook

While we're on the less exciting stuff - let's turn to furniture and cutlery. 

Over the years millions of students have descended on the Swedish giant to fill their new rooms and cupboards. 

Offers change every year - and they'll be updated here. 

To fill your kitchen, ProCook are offering 10% off when you spend £30 or more. There are some exclusions, with all the details here. 

Cheap eats

Plenty of other restaurants, bars and pubs offer student deals.

BrewDog have a 25% off food and drink deal for students all day every day, and 50% off after 4pm on Sundays. More on that one here. 

Pho Vietnamese has 15% off all year (more here), while Rosa's Thai has 20% off (here). 

Bowling

Who doesn't like bowling? 

It's even more likeable when two games and a drink cost from £10 per person at Hollywood Bowl. 

There are a few rules with this one, so check those out before booking here. 

Mental health

Being a student in the middle of a cost of living crisis is hard. You can get 40% off at mental health company Calm. This one expires at the end of October - and all the details are here. 

Heading off to university is a massive step and brings with it a wealth of exciting - and some stressful - decisions for students and parents.

With this post, we're trying to make at least one of those decisions easier: what bank account to pick.

Banks get into a yearly dogfight to try and entice students to sign up to their current accounts by offering incentives.

That could be anything from cash to vouchers at Just Eat.

Here's a summary of the top accounts to look at this year, accompanied by a "student score", which was calculated by the brilliant team over at Save the Student and will be discussed a little further down this post...

As you can see, banks offer incentives in the form of rewards or bigger interest-free overdrafts. 

To qualify, you'll need to open an account with your chosen bank and direct Student Finance to pay your loans to it. 

You'll also need:

• One or two forms of photo ID
• Proof of address
• Proof of student status

Overdrafts

All of the above are 0% interest - meaning you don't need to pay back a penny over what you borrow. 

This can be handy as a student, but it's worth thinking about:

• Paying back an arranged overdraft won't help improve your credit score in the same way paying off a credit card (which usually has interest) will - but leaving your account overdrawn for long periods can hurt your score;
• The 0% interest period is not permanent - it usually only lasts a certain number of years after you graduate;
• Be careful with spending - while having a big overdraft is comforting, remember that that money is not yours and will need to be paid back at some stage - and if you leave it long enough, interest could kick in;
• You'll pay high interest rates on anything over the limit - so stay within it;
• Some banks will start you in your first year with a smaller limit, and steadily increase as years go by - that "up to" figure is exactly that - you are not guaranteed the highest figure listed.

Incentives

Outside the overdrafts, it's really up to you to decide which of the incentives best takes your fancy. 

You may want the cash offered by Lloyds and Halifax - but don't sleep on the four years' worth of free railcards that Santander provides. 

That's worth £120 alone - and saves you a third on rail travel.

NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland also offer Tastecards for four years each - usually worth £79.99 annually.

It lets you get 2-for-1 meals or 50% off food or 25% off food and drink at thousands of big-name and local independent restaurants nationwide.

However, a small tip - railcard holders can access Tastecards for £29.99 a year - so you could potentially go for the best of both worlds if you can't pick between them. 

The most important thing is that you read through the various terms and conditions each one comes with. 

Other things to consider

Look up some reviews of your preferred bank before committing - check out if they have good customer service and an easy smartphone app to navigate. 

Also look at how your fellow uni students rate the accounts by looking at...

Student scores

Save the Student have surveyed uni bank account holders to give their thoughts.

NatWest, with its £2,000 arranged overdraft, £100 cash and four years of Tastecards, came in at the top - just pipping the Royal Bank of Scotland, which offers the same deal.

Santander, Lloyds Bank, Nationwide and TSB all scored above 80%, while Barclays and HSBC came in just behind.

The Co-operative bank was last by some distance, with a score of 36.6%.

Heading to university is a big change - and managing your money can be a steep learning curve. 

Here are 10 top tips to help you on your way, courtesy of Save the Student's Tom Allingham. 

1. Get a good bank account 

"A good student bank account is the basis of any successful relationship with money at university, but don't be swayed by the freebies," he says. 

"Every year when we compile our ranking of the top accounts, we focus on the size of the interest-free overdrafts, as well as your chances of getting them.

"Realistically, this will be far, far more useful to you than any freebie a bank can offer."

We've rounded up the bank best accounts for students in this post. 

2. Make a budget - and do it early

Before you go to uni, Tom says, you should work out how much money you'll have coming in and how much you expect to spend.

"From there, you can see if you'll be running a shortfall, and if you need to cut back on spending, increase the amount you're earning, or both," he says. 

3. Open two bank accounts

Alongside your student account, it helps to have a second account - possibly with an app bank. 

"Each week or each month, transfer a set amount of money from your student account to your app account, and use that one for day-to-day spending," Tom says. 

"This makes it much easier to keep track of your spending and avoid accidentally going over budget."

4. Talk to your parents about contributions

Unless you're from Wales, the amount of student finance you're given is decided by your household income, Tom explains. 

"And if you're not getting the maximum amount, the government expects your parents to make up the shortfall," he said. 

"This isn't always possible, but it's important to have an open and honest conversation, as your parents might not know they’re expected to contribute (or how much)." 

5. Always ask for student discount

Everyone knows about getting student discounts at the big retailers, but you can save in other places too.

"Local shops, cafes and restaurants might offer a student discount you've not heard of, so always ask - the worst that can happen is that they say no," Tom says. 

6. Look for bursaries and scholarships

"We've all heard of the funds for students with the highest grades, or from a low-income background," he says. 

"But there are loads more weird and unusual bursaries out there, including cash for vegetarian students and those who excel in esports. 

"So take a couple of hours to look - you never know what you could be eligible for." 

7. Have no-spend days

Try to have at least one day each week when you don't spend any money.

"Not only will this reduce the number of impulse purchases you make, but it should help you build better spending habits too." 

8. Get a Railcard

If you ever travel by train, a 16-25 Railcard is a great way to save cash. 

"This bags you a third off off-peak train tickets, so it'll easily pay for itself within a few journeys. And if you're in London, you can link it to your Oyster card to save on TfL journeys too," Tom says. 

9. Use cashback apps

Wherever possible, use cashback apps and websites. 

Quidco, TopCashback, Airtime Rewards and Shopmium are some good examples. 

"These will refund you some or all of the cost of your purchase at a whole range of shops, so always check them before you buy something," he says. 

10. Apply for work early

"If you want a part-time job at uni, apply early - potentially even before you arrive," he says. 

"Vacancies can fill up quickly, especially leading up to Christmas, so get your application in as soon as you can."

It isn't cheap to be a student these days - but not all university towns were created equal. 

NatWest's student living index has taken a look at where the cheapest places to be a student are - they've worked it out by dividing the average monthly living and accommodation costs by average monthly income (excluding student loans).

The index scores each city - with 0.57 the benchmark score - as the average for the UK. 

Belfast is the cheapest city to be a student, falling well below that UK average at 0.32, while Lincoln is at the opposite end of the scale with almost double the country's standard at 1.01.  

Surprisingly, London comes in below the UK average (0.53) while Leicester (0.94) and Coventry (0.98) are comfortably higher. 

Here's the full index:

You can read more from NatWest's student index here. 

Basically, student finance is a government-financed loan that covers university students' tuition fees and living costs for the duration of their study. 

There are two main types of loan, tuition and maintenance - we'll take each in turn. 

Tuition fees 

Undergraduate courses in England generally cost students about £9,250 a year.

That's a lot for a young person (or their family) to cover, so the government offers to pay that outright, direct to the university or education provider, on their behalf. 

This is known as your tuition loan - we'll come to how this is repaid later. 

Maintenance loans

These help students cover day-to-day costs, such as rent and food, while studying.

For the 2024-25 academic year, students can borrow anywhere between £4,327 and £13,348 for each year of study - depending on where you live, where you're going to study and your family's financial situation. 

The maintenance loan is paid directly to your bank account in instalments.

See how much you could be entitled to by clicking here.

Has the application deadline passed?

Don't worry, if you normally live in England, you can apply for student finance up to nine months after the start of the academic year. 

But the longer you leave it, the more of your own money you'll have to shell out in the meantime.

The application is different in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland - go to gov.uk to find out more.

The various plans 

Here's where it gets more complicated. What plan you may be on is listed below... 

Why no Plan 3? The repayment plan for postgraduate loans in England and Wales is actually Plan 3.

In the UK, you pay nothing up front and only have to begin making repayments when you start earning after you graduate.

The amount you pay back each month is determined by how much you earn. 

You'll repay a percentage of your income over the threshold for your type of loan, depending on how much you get paid - see the table below for the thresholds. 

With those thresholds in mind, you'll repay either:

• 9% of your income over the threshold if you're on Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5
• 6% of your income over the threshold if you're on a postgraduate loan (Plan 3)

If you're on multiple plans, the rules are slightly different.

If you don't have a postgraduate loan, you'll repay 9% of your income over the lowest threshold out of the plan types you have.

In this scenario, you'll only have a single repayment taken each time you get paid, even if you're on more than one plan type.

But if you do have a postgraduate loan, you'll repay 6% of your income over the postgraduate loan threshold and 9% of your income over the lowest threshold for any other plan types you have.

You don't need to worry about paying it off each month yourself if you're employed - the money will be deducted from your earnings before it hits your account, like income tax. 

Interest rates

Like any loan, you'll be paying back what you owe plus a little bit on the top - known as interest. 

With student loans, that extra on the top isn't so little right now, as it is linked to retail price rises.

• 4.3% if you're on Plan 1
• The rate for Plan 2 varies between RPI (4.3%) and RPI +3% depending on circumstances
• The rate for Plan 4 has not yet been announced, but typically it's the same as Plan 1 (4.3%)
• 4.3% if you're on Plan 5
• 7.3% if you're on a postgraduate loan plan (Plan 3)

Writing the loan off

In England, anyone starting university this year will pay back their loan for 40 years before it is written off, regardless of how much is owed.

That's a decade longer than if you started university last year.

In Wales and Scotland it is 30 years and in Northern Ireland it is 25 years.

What other financial help is available?

On top of student loans, there's extra cash that doesn't need to be repaid available to some students depending on where they are in the UK.

It's worth checking if you're eligible for maintenance loans, scholarships and bursaries.

Travel grants, disability allowances, dependants' and childcare grants, NHS and social care bursaries, teaching grants and bursaries, and hardship funds are among the other help available.

This guide on Save The Student is essential reading - and the sooner you apply for help, the more likely it is to be available.