Cost of living in Edinburgh

How much will it cost?

Your main costs at University will be:

• tuition fees (if applicable)
• accommodation
• food
• books
• clothes
• entertainment

When planning your budget you should also take into consideration costs such as travel and domestic bills.

It is estimated that it will cost you approximately £7,500 - £10,000 for undergraduate study and £10,000 - £14,500 for postgraduate study to live in Edinburgh each year.

The total amount will depend on your lifestyle, and whether you choose to live in catered or self-catered halls of residence, or in a flat.

Accommodation - Undergraduate

The University understands accommodation is very important for students and seeks to provide the best range and standard possible.

There are over 5,500 University owned and managed bed spaces normally available for new undergraduates. These are in convenient locations for the city and cover a range of styles and services to suit most budgets.

Full-time undergraduates living outside the City of Edinburgh are guaranteed an offer of a place in University accommodation for their first year, provided that they accept their offer of admission and submit their accommodation application to Accommodation Services all by the required deadlines.

If you stay in catered accommodation, all based at our Pollock Halls campus, you will receive breakfast and an evening meal each day during the week with brunch and an evening meal at the weekends. If you stay in our self-catered flats or residences, you should expect to spend at least £60 per week on food, although this will vary depending on your tastes and dietary needs.

By way of example, the cost in 2015-16 of renting a single study bedroom in catered accommodation ranges from £174 to £253 per week. A room in self-catered accommodation costs range from £90 and £158 per week. There are a number of lower cost options involving shared rooms.

Our accommodation prices include all utilities, data/internet facilities, personal contents insurance, cleaning provision, while regular, does vary according to the accommodation.

Accommodation - Postgraduate

There are a number of different accommodation options available to postgraduate students.

We guarantee offers of accommodation to:

• all new, single postgraduate research students (UK, EU or International)
• all new, single postgraduate taught students (from outside the EU only)

In such cases, guarantees apply as long as:

• your accommodation application is received by 31 July 2016
• you have accepted an unconditional firm offer to study at the University by 31 July 2016
• you will be studying in Edinburgh for the whole of the academic year starting in September 2016.

For postgraduate taught students form within the EU, including the UK, we are currently unable guarantee an offer of University accommodation; however, we fully expect to have over 200 rooms available for UK and EU students, so an early application is well worthwhile.

The University does not guarantee to provide you with precisely the type of accommodation you would prefer.

Further details can be found on the University of Edinburgh Accommodation Services website:

Food

If you decide to stay in catered accommodation at the University, all based at our Pollock Halls campus, you will receive breakfast and evening meals during the week with brunch and an evening meal at weekends.

If you are not in catered accommodation, you should expect to spend at least £50 per week on food, although this will vary depending on your tastes and dietary needs.