Information for international students who want to find out more about paying deposits, making payments, additional costs they may incur whilst at university and how to budget for them.
Fees and Managing Your Finances
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Paying Your Tuition Fees
You can find out more about how to pay your tuition fees here.
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Living Costs
In addition to your tuition fees, you should also allow enough funds to cover your living expenses for the duration of your studies. The cost of living in Northern Ireland is among the lowest in the UK.
The actual amount that you will need depends on your lifestyle, but we estimate that the minimum amount required by a single student to cover basic living expenses (e.g. accommodation, heating, food) is around £1,100 per month.
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Managing Your Money
Managing your money can sometimes be a challenge, especially as student income is often very limited. Financial worries are the last thing you need when you are trying to concentrate on your studies, so it's worth considering how you are going to manage your money before starting your course.
Completing a simple budget plan to predict your income and outgoings is a helpful way of taking control of your finances. There are several tools available to help you do this:
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Opening a UK Bank Account
What do I Need?
To open a bank account in Northern Ireland, you'll first need to arrive and be living at your permanent term-time address. You must also be fully registered on your course (which means you must have paid your fees in full or set up a payment plan at registration).
It takes about 2 weeks to open a bank account so you cannot use this to pay your fees. You must have the money available to pay your fees in full when you arrive or a credit/debit card from home (which will be accepted by a UK bank) to use to set up the payment plan.
To open a bank account, you will be required to produce:
- your original passport
- your BRP (visa)
- your student card or confirmation of student registration
- proof of your current address in Northern Ireland (i.e. a utility bill, rental agreement etc.)
If you are currently living in student accommodation on campus, your proof of address can be a letter provided by the ISAS team confirming your accommodation status.
Do Your Research
Each bank will have a list of documents that they require in order to open an account. If you do not have a current utility bill or rental agreement as proof of your term time address, the University can prepare a letter for you - after you have registered onto your course.
Some banks will require you to make an appointment and visit the branch in person with your original documents, while others may allow you to open the account online. You should check with each bank's website on the options available to you.
You should also check which account may be most suitable for you in your own particular circumstances. For example some banks will not charge a monthly fee but will charge to receive currency from your home country. Other banks may charge a monthly fee but may not charge to deposit funds in from another country.
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Additional Costs
Throughout your studies you may wish to get involved in additional activities, some of which may include field trips, purchasing materials, joining societies, memberships fees.
Our libraries located on our three campuses provide access to all books and other references in module reading lists, however some titles are also advised for student purchase. It is important to consider these costs when planning how you will use your money.
To help you budget more accurately for your time at Ulster visit our Budgeting and Money Management guide.
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Fee Liability
Important information for students who wish to exit their programme of study early can be found on the Liability Policy.
