Living Costs
The cost of living in Chester or Warrington is fairly affordable, compared with other parts of the UK, and it is possible to live quite economically.
In the 2023 Whatuni Student Choice Awards, the University of Chester was voted 2nd in the UK for Cost of Living Support (Submission-based Award) based solely on student voice.
At Chester, we are determined to support our students with any financial guidance they may need. Studying at university is an investment in your future and we want to make it as accessible to as many people as possible, so here’s some financial information that may be useful to know when moving to the UK.
The cost of living in Chester and Warrington is fairly affordable when compared with other parts of the UK (especially London and South-East of England). However, these prices can vary depending on several factors. This includes the type of accommodation you choose, as well as your spending habits and lifestyle.
The UK Visas and Immigration guidelines on the cost of studying in the UK (for one academic year) is currently set at £9,135 for any University outside London. If you decide to study at the University of Chester you will need to be able to show that you have sufficient funds to cover the tuition fees for your first academic year and living costs of £9,135 to secure your student visa. For detailed information, Study in the UK has a handy guide that may help you to plan and manage your money for your studies in the UK.
Guidance on prices can be found on a variety of online sources. For example, prices of food can be checked on mySupermarket, costs of private accommodation rentals can be found on national property pages such as Zoopla or Rightmove, and prices of cinema tickets can be found on relevant websites such as VUE Cinema.
Once you have been in the UK for a while you will know where to find good deals and discounted prices on a whole range of products and services. Student discounts can also be obtained in many shops and restaurants, and students can also get reduced bus & rail travel tickets.
Earn While You Learn
There are lots of ways that you can earn some extra money alongside your studies. Getting a part-time job is also a great way to meet new people and gain new skills. Our Careers and Employability team can help you find local part-time work alongside your studies, while our UniJob service offers paid part-time roles working at the University. We also have Paid Workplace Experiences where you can get graduate-level paid work and offer Employer in the Foyer events where you can find out about local work opportunities.
Your Money Team
The 'Your Money Team' is part of Student Services which is here to help with any of your financial concerns. As part of their service, they run a regular 'Your Money Pop-Up' events, where you can have a chat with one of our friendly Student Money Advisers. This is a great opportunity to get your money-related questions answered and learn about how to manage your finances going forward.
Catering Initiatives
There are also lots of ways to save money at our sites via our catering initiatives. For the 23/24 academic year, we’ll be offering hot Value Meals for less than £3, alongside our free Too Good to Throw meals which will be served on a first come, first served basis from 2pm.
Free Loan Equipment
We have a range of computers available and laptops you can loan across our sites for free, as well as access to thousands of books, e-books, and e-journals.