Most people were already aware before starting university, but there are those special ignorant few who have discovered in a ‘trial-by-heating’ the eternal maxim: being a student is ungodly expensive.
No matter your age, gender, nationality, course or class the rule stands – for all the differences that divide the masses, here cost is truly the great equaliser.
This is especially true for Edinburgh, ranked by EduSCOT as the most extortionate of Scotland’s university campuses. The university itself estimates the rent costs of £925 a month for self-catered halls, £1,169 a month for catered accommodation, and £743 a month for private flats (per person).
Of course, this fails to cover the superfluous expenses of needing to live. Gov.scot estimates from a 2023/24 survey that the total median annual expenditure for undergraduate students in Scotland was £8,883, compared to postgraduate’s £10,558. However, keep in mind that this generalises the entirety of Scotland, and that Lothian rents have increased on average (from August 2023 to August 2026) by 7.6 per cent.
The cost calculators, like the University site, include the common tolls that one must pay if they wish to study at the prestigious school – constantly at the pedagogical forefront testing out progressive new methods like firing their teachers and cutting courses – but there are many more hidden costs as rewards for being a student.
Those that immediately spring to mind for the 10 undergraduate students interviewed are food, laundry (especially prevalent for students in halls), kitchen and bathroom cleaning equipment that your flatmate uses only in theory, and course materials. Of course, if you join the Pleasance gym and a sports club, the price immediately shoots up by at least £300.
If you are over 22 and don’t have a bike, then slap on transport costs for buses. Even if you’re an adamant walker, having a social life in Edinburgh demands travelling all over the city for an overpriced coffee and that pint that costs a fifth of your weekly shop. There’s a distinct lack of events that don’t cost money in some way or another, essentially pricing students without disposable money out of friendships – that said, the meadows is especially lovely in winter if you don’t mind a bit of frostbite.
Also noted as a prevalent issue by one student was the cost for phone/laptop storage beyond the university email cloud storage capacity for all their documents. This is in line with the specialist equipment some students mentioned having to buy for their courses, primarily for an arts or STEM degree.
One interviewee mentioned their financial troubles when moving flats, where just keeping your own property is something companies capitalise on: “When the dates between flats don’t overlap you either have to rent a storage shed or transport it back home.” Raising another valuable point, that transport is exorbitant for many students, especially international students, and that’s before they even get to the university. On the other hand, those who don’t bring much from home will most likely have to buy furniture and decorations whilst they are here. In fact, the university is well aware of this, and promotes the plant and poster sales at freshers each year – a lovely way to get a cut of the double SAAS new students are happy to spend.
It would be a hard task to find anyone apart from the University management who believes living as a student in Edinburgh is cheap. It’s expensive enough to make you (or more likely your parents) weep.
There is, however, lots one can do to save and budget – scour Facebook marketplace for cheap furniture, decorations, plants, tech or a bicycle; shop cheap where you can, by second-hand and up-cycle where possible; borrow and share; find friends who don’t make you feel bad for suggesting free activities; and, please, avoid Margiotta’s.
At the same time, take heed not to get too stressed over or lost in the finances. Spend what you can comfortably spend, and try not to limit your time here from fear and remember that most every student is in the same, cheap, boat – have fun and paddle away.
Photo by Taisia Karaseva on Unsplash
