Student finance

Germany could be considered a paradise for students as regards tuition fees. The reason is simple: there are none.

“Asking students who should pay for their education is like asking shoppers who should pay for what they’ve just bought,” commented one professional when I started asking students for their opinions about university funding.

But this analogy, which places a fee-paying student in a simple customer or consumer role, cannot be quite right.

In April 2013, Ellie Wood dropped out of her undergraduate degree at the University of Liverpool, just seven months after starting.

In this time, she’d been forced to take on crippling debt just to afford university housing and the other expenses that come with living in a big city. Ultimately, the cost was too much to bear.

Frankfurt is undoubtedly a great place to study. Right in the heart of Germany, the city is a well-connected hub and easy to reach by car, train or plane. Public transport is well developed and distances are short. The city also boasts a vibrant cultural scene, many opportunities for internships and part-time jobs and a wealth of other amenities. Several polytechnics and one university offer a wide range of subjects in many disciplines. As a place, it seems ideal for any student. There is only one minor problem: the price tag that comes along with studying here. 

You’re a student and you like extra guac on your burrito, mimosas in the afternoon, and organic almond milk in your porridge. You’re subscribed to Netflix, to Spotify, to the gym, and when you look at your overdraft you’re reminded of that Battle of Hastings exam you have coming up… -1066… hmmm, how did that happen?

What makes one university better than another?

More often than not, the answer from students, academics and other higher education professionals has been some quality test of university teaching or research.

But the Social Mobility Index aims to shift the focus to access and outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Northern Ireland’s capital, home to Ulster University’s Belfast campus, boasts a buzzing nightlife and high-quality attractions such as Titanic Belfast, while its low rental prices make it the cheapest city in which to study in the UK.

The average rent in Belfast is £46 a week, compared with £105 in London and £112 in Oxford, while grocery shopping is cheapest there, too – the average spend is £16.13 in the city, compared with a whopping £29.35 in Dundee.

Welcome to THE Student

From now, you’re getting even more than you bargained for at Times Higher Education – in a good way, of course.

For 12 years we’ve given you rankings, data and table upon table for you to use in one of the most important decisions of your life: which university to choose.

But we want to make that decision process even smoother for you, by guiding you each step of the way and using our resources to help you to really understand all the options on offer and factors to consider.

The cheapest region of the UK for students has been named as the East of England, according to research by a money-saving website.

Students in the East, which includes Cambridge, Norwich and Essex, get the best deal, say the money-saving team at PromotionalCodes.org.uk.

Eleven regions were judged on the cost of catered student accommodation, nights out, alcoholic drinks and public transport, all of which drain the bank accounts of many a student.