‘It’s easy to slip into the negatives’: students on their biggest financial shocks at university

Financial Shocks at University: A Reality Check for Freshers

Starting university can be a daunting experience, and for many students, it can also be a financial shock. From the cost of public transport to the day-to-day cost of maintaining a healthy diet, students and recent graduates share their biggest financial shocks when starting university.

George Gribben, a third-year student at the University of Brighton, says the price of public transport is ridiculous. He pays the same price back home in Switzerland, but the trains and buses are actually on time. He advises students to get into cycling, as buying a secondhand bike is cheaper in the long run than all of the bus and train tickets.

Elodie Clements, a master's student at LSE, moved to London from a rural part of West Yorkshire. She knew it was very expensive, but she didn't realise just how big the margin between spending at home versus at university would be until she was doing her weekly shop and getting the tube. She advises students to track their spending weekly as well as monthly.

Charlotte Farrow, a third-year student at the University of Brighton, says the rent in the second year was a big shock. She lived in cheaper halls in the first year and left sorting her second-year accommodation to the last minute. The quality of her house was poor, with mould, leaks, and a faulty washing machine. It was £700 a month, without bills. She advises students to be proactive and to check for mould.

Jess Mallaghan, a 2026 graduate from Loughborough University, says some of the students struggled with costs when she was at university. She went to university in the Midlands, so the cost of living was not too bad, but a lot of the more sheltered students really struggled as they had never had to budget or cook before. She advises students to split their student finance by month and to allocate a certain amount every month.

Mathonwy Akuwimi, a third-year student at the University of Leicester, says the day-to-day cost of maintaining a healthy balanced diet was a big shock. He realised how expensive everyday essentials were becoming, and how costly it can be just to simply eat well. He advises students to budget carefully from the start and to shop at places such as Aldi or Lidl to help keep costs under control.

Farryn Stock, a graduate from the University for the Creative Arts, was hit by costs before her course had started. She says the equipment and software they expected everyone to pay for was a big shock. She advises students to budget carefully from the start and to shop at places such as Aldi or Lidl to help keep costs under control.

Charlotte Smith, a 2026 graduate from the University of Sheffield, says she was shocked at how easy and common it is to slip into the negatives. She opened an overdraft as a safety net for the financial struggles she had encountered. She advises students to invest some time in creating a budget tracker that works for them and to refrain from offering to buy a round with money that they may need to pay the bills.