Money does matter. There is no avoiding the fact that as an undergraduate student you will need to:
- ensure you have enough money to cover your living and study costs.
- learn to manage your money – possibly using a budget to keep on track.
- find money-saving ways to make the things you enjoy doing affordable.
- possibly juggle a part-time job with your studies.
- apply for additional funding to help cover costs.
This sounds like a lot, but the good news is, there are lots of great resources out there to help you manage your money successfully! If you are organised and proactive in seeking financial support, this can be something that you don’t need to worry about.
Here are a few resources which you might you find helpful:
- UCAS Managing Money – this is a great place to start with lots of information about the things you should be thinking about and links to useful tools.
- UCAS Additional Funding – if you need to seek additional financial support this page offers some good suggestions about where to start and links to more helpful information about scholarships, grants and bursaries.
- UCAS Budget Template – if you need help making a budget for your income/ expenses, this template will help get you thinking about what to include.
- Save the Student – this site has lots of information about making your money matters work well including guidance about banking, bills and shopping.
- Student Information Scotland – this calculator can help you work out what you are entitled to in terms of financial support and is specifically aimed at people studying in Scotland.
You can also check out our Top Tips for Funding Applications which is a brilliant resource created by Transitions Alumni Chris Michie who has loads of experience of application writing. You can hear Chris talking about his top tips and there is an accompanying Factsheet which you can download from this page.
Most importantly, if you realise you are getting into difficulties with managing your money seek help as soon as possible. There may be many potential solutions that can take this worry away. Contact welfare@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance and RCS staff will be able to help you work out the next steps.
