Ilya Smut – How much does it cost to be a student in Leicester?
I am Ilya, a final-year Cyber Security student at ذكذكتسئµ. I recently turned 22 and currently work as a student ambassador. Having started at ذكذكتسئµ’s International College and then progressed to a Cyber Security BSc, I have now spent five years living in Leicester - so I have had time to learn what student life here really costs.
Let’s start with accommodation. This year I pay £155 a week for a private studio in The Summit. For a 51-week contract it totals £7905, which is relatively cheap in comparison to other cities like London. Previously, when I lived in en-suite rooms they used to cost me between £120-£138 a week.
The second major expense for me is food. I am lucky to have a Lidl really close to my place, so I am able to buy some fresh food quite cheap. The total amount per week can vary, but for me it usually totals £50-£80. It does not include any take-aways or occasional Tesco meal deals. Also, I do not buy any drinks except for milk. Earlier this month I bought 300 bags of tea, so it should keep me refreshed for the rest of the year or at least I hope so! The key to saving here is to cook your own food and avoid take-aways. Learning how to cook literally brought my food expenses from £100-£160 per week down to £50-£80 which is half the amount.
I am lucky to study at ذكذكتسئµ as all the buildings are on one campus, just 7 minutes from where I live. Moreover, the city centre is 15 minutes away from the campus, so most of the time I am simply walking which fortunately costs me nothing. And that is mostly it. It is very rare that I need to go somewhere in Leicester far enough to require a bus ticket. Everything is very close to ذكذكتسئµ including all museums, shops, shopping centres, pubs, cinemas, Leicester Market, and much more. If we were to speak about going to another city, it would cost you around £30 to £40 for one way rail ticket to London and only around £10 for a coach. And prices would be similar for all trips to major cities in the UK as Leicester is located literally in the centre of the country. The main tip here is to get a railcard. I have a 16-25 one and it costs me £30 a year, but allows me to save around 33% on every train ticket I buy.
I also enjoy going to the gym and my choice is our Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre. It is a ذكذكتسئµ facility and offers a big discount to our students. A gold membership with access to all facilities such as gym, swimming pool, sauna, all classes and climbing wall only costs me £121 per 6 months, which comes down to roughly £20.17 a month. You can compare to competitors and see that it is cheaper and also includes many facilities they simply do not have.
To sum up everything I mentioned before – Leicester is a wonderful student city with affordable housing and food, great transportation and lots of interesting places to see. My main advice is to prepare your own food, get a railcard and plan trips in advance to avoid buying the most expensive tickets. Also never forget your student card if you are going shopping. Almost all places in Leicester have some sort of a student discount (e.g. I bought Skechers recently, they gave me 15% off) or student deals.
Being a student can be a story of discipline and smart budgeting, or it can be one of heavy financial struggles - and you are the one who decides which it will be.