The Cheapest Universities in the UK (for International Students)
- Originally published
- Last updated on July 15th, 2024 at 12:44 pm
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In the United Kingdom, the only thing bigger than spy dramas and tea time is your credit card bill.
After all, the cost of living in the UK is ranked #16 in the world, and the average UK family spends £3,000 ($3,720) per month on living expenses. That can be hard on a student’s wallet — Brits tend to spend about 50% of their monthly payments on notoriously high rent, an expense students won’t be able to avoid.
But if you’re shopping for a UK university (look at the cheapest Scotland universities here), you should know that some universities (and their local rents) are cheaper than others.
Where is the cheapest place for your 3 (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) or 4 (Scotland) year degree?
We looked at 163 UK spots to earn an undergrad degree, combining:
- The international tuition for 2024 to 2025 (for a social science degree) (from the university’s website)
- The lowest-priced accommodation at each university (from the university’s website)
- The median local cost of renting a room in the postal code of the university (for 2024, according to home.co.uk)
When we added up the tuition and rent dollars you’d need to get through school, some universities fared better than others.
Which ones are the cheapest?
Welcome to the Cheapest University in the UK
Wrexham University (Prifysgol Wrecsam, once known as Glyndwr University) is the cheapest university in the UK. Its total cost of tuition and accommodation is £52,550 ($66,751). That’s 70% less than the UK’s most expensive. University of St. Andrews students graduate £159,487 ($202,500) poorer than they started.
UK Universities by Total Cost to Attend
When you add tuition, one year of dorm (when applicable), and 2-3 more years of market rent in the university’s postal code, how does your university compare?
Looking at all the green on our map might mislead you into thinking every university in the UK is super affordable to attend. It’s not! But because there’s so much space between the real costs of high-end universities, they wind up in “high cost” tiers of their own (this is not a compliment, y’all—reign in the costs you pass on to students).
Use the search function to find your favorite university.
The Ten Cheapest Universities by the Numbers
Let’s break down the top ten cheapest universities. All between £52,000 and £60,000, there’s tight competition at the low-end of the price spectrum.
The Cheapest University in the UK: Wrexham University
With an extra sprinkling of Hollywood stardust, Wrexham is rising through the UK’s soccer leagues. But that hasn’t meant the local university has gotten so popular it’s had to raise prices. Wrexham University is still an underdog, and that means it’s super cheap.
You’ll pay just £11,750 as an international student for all undergraduate degrees at Wrexham, from animation to forensic science, football coaching, software engineering, and renewable and sustainable engineering.
Maybe it’s so affordable because there’s still little demand for education in long-beleaguered Wales. Once a force in coal mining and steel industries, deindustrialization has stripped the region of its economic power, and in recent years, it’s hardly been the “sexy” place to study.
And there’s a second problem — the university sits at the bottom of the Good University Guide’s 2025 rankings.
But Wrexham University has much more going for it than meets the eye.
First, it’s affordable. It comes with the 4th lowest international tuition in the UK, and its lowest-cost freshman dorm is in the bottom ⅓ of all universities. A private market rental room for your remaining 2 years in Wrexham will set you back £12,500 ($15,879), hovering around the 33rd percentile of all UK universities.
Second, Wrexham’s poor academic performance in the league tables isn’t the complete story. Wrexham loses a lot of points on “entry requirements” and “research quality,” which may simply mean it’s an open and accessible university. That seems true: it’s ranked #1 in England and Wales for “social inclusion” and #2 for teaching quality.
That accolade is based on student surveys, so students here love the quality of education they’re getting for their money.
Overall, if you’re looking for a small-town spot to immerse yourself in Welsh culture and listen to great teachers along the way (and catch a football/soccer game), Wrexham may be the place that makes you — and your bank account — happiest.
Runners Up: Leeds Trinity University and York St. John University
Out of 164 colleges in the UK, the #2 cheapest is Leeds Trinity University, and #3 is York St. John University.
Leeds Trinity University was a teaching university made to train teachers for Catholic K-12 schools. Americans may appreciate that it’s a self-contained university on a big green campus, all set away from Leeds (you’ll need to take a train to get to town).
Although the university has only existed since 2012, today, it has 21 full-time undergrad programs on the main campus, spanning disciplinary areas.
While today you can study various courses, like biomedical science, forensic psychology, TV production, and photography, Leeds Trinity still feels like it’s growing. Perhaps that’s why it’s still affordable. The total cost of an education here is £52,600 ($66,840). That includes 3 years of tuition (every degree except nursing costs international students just £12,000 ($15,249).
Its lowest-cost dorm room costs just £4,100 ($5,210), ranking #20 among our 164 schools if you can score the cheapest room. And when you rent in this northern city, you’ll pay a lot less in the private market than you will for a school near London.
You can go farther north to # 3 York St. John University for another great bargain. It’s another up-and-comer university that has been awarding undergraduate degrees since 2006 and has less than a decade of doctoral education under its belt.
Like Leeds Trinity, York St. John has its roots in teacher training, though it emerged from two Anglican teacher training colleges, not a single Catholic one. Coming in with the cheapest tuition in the overall top 10, students at York St. John can take American studies and war studies, economics, Japanese or Korean intercultural communication, marketing, and 87 other options for as low as £11,500 ($14,615).
Private housing here does run about £50 ($64) a month more than at Leeds or Wrexham, but your mileage may vary. And naturally, that Gold Award for a hedgehog-friendly campus comes at a cost.
All three podium winners are incredibly close — just a .14% difference separates our gold medal winner and third place. And because you’ll probably be racking up a few train fees getting from airports out to these smaller cities in the UK, don’t get too hung up on which is the absolute “cheapest.” They’re all awesomely cheap and can save you some bucks on tuition. Search all three for the degree and setting of your dreams to find the cheapest UK university where you can thrive.
Honorable Mention: University of Cumbria
At a total cost just 3.4% higher than #1 cheapest Wrexham, the University of Cumbria holds its own in affordability and offers students seeking a 3-year degree some of the rolling hills and ambiance of northern England, too.
Yet another teacher training college granted university status in this millennium, the University of Cumbria has exploded to offer 83 undergraduate degrees, starting at £13,575 for international students. While there’s business and game design here, the University of Cumbria also has a whole campus dedicated to outdoor education, so look into unique offerings like outdoor adventure and environmental studies, wildlife media, or woodland ecology and conservation.
The University of Cumbria’s local market value rent is a standout #3 cheapest in the UK, with a monthly median price for a single room of £475 ($604).
If you’re interested in getting off the tourist trail and exploring the wilds of northern England, it could mean you maintain a very happy bank account.
The Cheapest Tuition in the UK
Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh is a crazy good deal. That’s because it’s the cheapest tuition in the UK even when considering a 4-year Scottish degree (as opposed to 3 in the UK).
You’ll pay £8,000 ($10,168) per year for degrees from costume design to acting, events and festival management (in Edinburgh, home of a famous street festival), psychology and sociology, and others.
Despite its rock-bottom tuition, housing in pricy Edinburgh (especially for 3 full years) keeps this university out of the top 20 cheapest universities in the UK.
The Cheapest Dorm Rent in the UK
The cheapest dorms in the UK are twin-bedroom rooms at the University of Leicester, which cost £69 per week for a 40-week lease (£2,760 or $3,509). That includes rooms in several oversized homes clustered in “The Villages.”
A few options are Beaumont House, John Foster Houses, Shirley House, and Shouthmeade House. All have rooms at this price point in converted houses, decked out with wood-paneled walls, Tudor beams, and (presumably) non-working fireplaces make these manses in The Villages feel like a boarding school. Live your Hogwarts dreams here.
It’s all a couple of miles from campus, but you’ll get your steps in. We were prematurely excited by the University’s web page telling us the Villages were near a 24-hour grocery store called ASDA. (Be warned: things in the UK close SO early). But alas, Google Maps tells us that ASDA’s closed at 8:00 pm, so we don’t think that enticing little carrot was real.
The Cheapest Market Rent in the UK
The cheapest overall rent for a degree is at the University of South Wales, where the median room cost is an astoundingly great £360 ($458) per month, totaling £7,200 ($9,154) for the 2 years you’ll need to rent a place.
That’s 104% less than the median monthly rent cost at all our universities — that is £705 ($896) and £14,700 ($18,691).
But in general, even in pricy Southeast England, a 3-year degree will almost always beat a 4-year degree.
If you stay in a dorm your freshman year, you’ll need to pay 2 years of market rent in England but 3 in Scotland. Therefore, while Scottish market rents are usually cheaper than those in the most expensive parts of England, the overall cost of rent is much higher. At the end of our analysis, no Scottish institution rose above 84th place for total cost of rent.
The Most Expensive University in the UK is St. Andrews
Royal watchers and golf fans may know that St. Andrews, a prestigious liberal arts university in a tiny Scottish town, is oozing with history and charm, but it comes at a price.
At a grand total of £159,487 ($200,146), 18% more than its closest runner-up, Imperial College London, St. Andrews is the most expensive university in the UK.
Here are the most expensive universities in the UK.
The Highest Tuition in the UK
While Imperial College London charges the highest per-year tuition to international students in the UK, the University of St. Andrews charges them for 4 full years, coming away with the most cash from each international student who accepts a place there.
Imperial charges £36,700 ($46,641) a year for tuition, while St. Andrews charges £28,190 ($35,826). No one’s a winner here. Both are exceedingly pricy. But over 4 years, St. Andrew’s takes a bigger bite of your wallet, costing you a hefty total of £159,487 ($202,680).
The Highest Dorm Prices in the UK
Rose Buford College dorms are the most expensive in the UK. They set first-year students back £9800 ($12,451).
The acting and stagecraft school on the southeast outskirts of London has just one university-managed dorm, so there aren’t many options for students. They’ll pay £245 weekly for a 40-week lease their first year.
The Highest Market Rent Prices in the UK
St. Mary’s University, in Twickenham, has some of the highest rents in the UK. Twickenham is on the western edge of London. You’ll be closer to Heathrow Airport, but the combination of London-esque rents with small-town low supply makes the median room listed a whopping £1,650 ($2,096). Ouch.
Hint: Look to neighboring zip codes to expand your options and even save a little compared to central London. Private student housing near Twickenham tends to run a little lower than central London, although there’s less of it. The tube doesn’t come out this far, but you can commute via train (fairly) easily from western London neighborhoods.
Head to Wales and Northern England for Big Bargains
The majority of UK universities are FAFSA-eligible. Search England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to find those able to accept American financial aid, making them more accessible to US prospects.
Their tuition costs beat many US schools (fun fact: If you were in-state at a University of California school, you’d be ranked #92 out of 163 schools in total tuition on our UK scale. That shows that tuition in the UK, with its 3-year system, can save even in-state students some dough.
For the biggest savings, head to Wales and cities north of London. Here, you’ll find large, comprehensive universities with plenty of services, huge libraries, sports fields, and modern campuses — but not the price tags of their southern UK or US counterparts.
These winning universities are all in the UK — one of the most expensive countries in the world. However, there be bargains — not dragons — in slightly off-the-beaten-track places like Wales.
The UK for International Students in 2024-2025
Still fuzzy on the basics of England’s 3-year university system and don’t know how Scotland’s 4-year-plan is similar to and different from the US version? Learn more about college life in Scotland and England with longer guides that break down the basics in each country. Compare the differences between England and Scotland here.
How We Found the Cheapest University in the UK
We sourced
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- Tuition (newest year international library course fee from the uni’s own website; backup UCAS when not available)
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- Accommodation (newest year fee and lease terms from the uni’s own website)
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- Private rent (median rent for a single room or 1-bedroom when it was cheaper; all via UK postcode from home.co.uk)
We started with 243 higher education institutions in the UK and got rid of
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- “Colleges” (i.e., not universities) that don’t offer bachelor’s degree equivalents
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- “Colleges” that do offer career bachelor’s degrees, but they’re mainly technical job-training institutions where degrees qualify students to work in regulated UK industries (i.e., we kept theater but got rid of osteopathy programs)
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- “University centres” — these are typically impossible to find an international tuition rate for, and it makes sense since they don’t usually stand on their own as universities but are part of a larger consortium
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- Online-only or hybrid programs
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- Institutions that require you to ask before they’ll even tell you what it costs (not cool, Farnborough)
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- Multi-campus institutions where there’s not a clear “home” campus to consider in our rent/cost analysis. These are primarily for-profits. Apologies to SRUC, a truly cool school, that spans towns in Scotland with courses and housing scattered all over. Costs vary, so check out the locations and programs you’re interested in if a school like this piques your interest. There be bargains!
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- Veterinary and medical universities. These are significantly more expensive per year, and last many more years than a typical undergraduate BA or BSc.
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- Colleges that don’t take international students. Here’s a frustrating example. We found a sky-high “boarding tuition” fee at Northern College of Art, but then, when emailed, they said that they don’t accept international students at all.
We added up the cost of a social science degree (usually history or, for career-minded places, criminology) or a comparable low-cost, non-lab bachelor’s degree at each school, plus the price of one year of the cheapest university accommodation available, plus 2 to 3 more years of the average local rent in each university’s postal code, depending on how many years a student needed to complete their degree.
We didn’t scrape an inaccurate third party for their data. Instead, we pored over university websites for 2+ days for their newest data.
We took the remaining 163 universities and found the university’s tuition fees for international students and the cheapest accommodation price. We sorted through every university’s accommodation (also by hand, searching the university website), then worked to uncover their lease terms and multiplied the number of weeks by the weekly cost.
Caveat: there’s a possibility we didn’t correlate differing rental periods with prices for each accommodation with 100% accuracy based on the year you’ll attend (often, we had to source lease periods independently of the dorm pages, as many universities hide this info and have different dorms with different rental periods. Argh! So that data may have changed since we gathered our data).
Inaccuracies are inevitable because:
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- Some universities’ cheapest accommodations are catered (i.e., include some student meals at an on-site cafeteria) while others may not be, making for some apples-to-oranges comparisons
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- Some universities only have last year’s prices available, making them seem cheap compared to unis that have their act together and post their annual updates early.
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- Prices were sourced over two weeks in June 2024 and may have already been updated by the time of publication or afterward.
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- We rounded to the nearest pound before multiplying
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- Conversions from pounds to dollars happened in late June 2024. Conversion rates were changing all through the period of research and writing, and have undoubtedly changed since.
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- We used the market rate for renting a room all years when the university does not own and manage its housing, using home.co.uk’s lowest median-cost room for rent. However, many universities have partner dorms for first-year students. We just felt we had to draw the line somewhere and not lock students into a single private housing option for the first year if the university does not own and manage this housing. We put our hypothetical students into the cheapest private rent rather than the university-endorsed private rent for our year 1 calculation.
Overall, the spectrum of “more expensive” universities to “cheapest universities” should remain reliable.
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Jessica Share
Jessica is the writer, Ph.D., and mom-of-an-abroad-student-in-the-UK at the helm of College Abroad Guides. When she's not asking college students where the coolest place to hang out in their city is, she's figuring out how she can make $60 imported Greek oregano potato chips and £50 British bacon potato chips appear on her doorstep for the cost of a local bag of Lay's.
