Studying in the UK is great value for money. Degree courses are generally shorter than in the USA and Australia, making them more affordable.

Your costs while living in the UK will depend on the type of course you follow. In boarding schools, the fees cover accommodation and meals. If you are studying a career based course, degree course or postgraduate programme, you will need to budget for accommodation and meals in addition to the course fees. 

Regardless of their country of origin, international students on full-time UK courses that last more than six months enjoy all the benefits of the country's National Health Service. This means free consultation with doctors and free hospital care for you and your family. 

English language courses 
Fees for these courses vary greatly. Always check costs with the school or college you are considering. You can expect to pay around £100 per week for classes in a group of around eight to twelve people, and up to £300 per week for more specialized or intensive small-group tuition. Academic English study courses may cost £100 to £200 per week, although some universities offer these free of charge to students who are registered for other courses. 

Boarding schools and colleges 
Students boarding in independent schools will not need to budget for accommodation, food or laundry costs. It is important to check what else the fees do or do not include, such as textbooks or examination fees. Fees can vary a great deal from school to school. A term as a boarder is likely to cost between £3,000 and £7,000 per term, and £1,500 to £4,000 per term as a day pupil. 

Career based courses 
The average cost of career based and professional courses is typically £3,300 to £4,150 a year. The other major part of your expenditure will be on living costs, which will be about £600 per month. 

Degree courses 
Honours degree courses in most of the UK take just three years to complete, while, in the USA and Australia, they take four years. In Scotland, Honours degree courses last four years - equivalent to doing an access and degree course elsewhere in the UK. 
Your main costs will be tuition fees and living expenses. Universities set their own fees. Some rough examples of tuition costs per year are: 
Arts £6,250 to £7,650 
Science £6,500 to £9,700 
Clinical £6,960 to £18,000 

For living costs, you should budget for a nine-month academic year. Average living costs (covering accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, books and daily travel) for an international student studying a degree course will be £730 per month in London or £585 per month elsewhere. 

Postgraduate programmes and MBAs 
Most UK taught and research-based postgraduate Master's courses take just one year (in the USA and Australia, such courses typically last two years). Advanced research programmes, such as for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), can take at least three years full time. Typical course fees are: 
Arts £6,750 to £8,200
Science £6,500 to £9,950
Clinical £6,200 to £17,400. 

For both types of postgraduate study, you should budget for a twelve-month academic year, with living costs of about £585 to £730 per month, as for degree courses. 

On average, fees for a one-year full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) will cost between £7,500 and £11,500. Programmes at some high-profile UK business schools can cost up to £20,000. 

Estimate your likely costs while studying in the UK

Accommodation or rent: average outside of London is £53.45 per week; inside London £80.21. See the 'Accommodation' pages for details of the different levels of costs.

Bills: average is £32 per week, unless you will be in halls of residence where they are included. 

Food/household shopping: average outside London is £28 per week; inside London £33.40.

Clothing: average is £10.80 per week.

Laundry: average is £8.50 per week. 

Typical prices:
Shirts and tops, lightweight sweaters and shoes £25 and under;
Jeans, casual trousers, skirts, heavier sweaters and shoes £35 and under; newspaper 30p-£1.20; CDs £5 -£15; portable music system £50 and up; cinema ticket £4-£8; bicycle £100 and up; desktop computer £500-£1,000