International students
Students have two main costs to meet during their time at university: tuition fees and living expenses. Tuition fees and the range of financial support available will differ depending on whether you are defined as a Home (usually resident in the UK), European Union (EU) or overseas (International) student.
International students are expected to have sufficient funds to maintain themselves and pay their tuition fees in line with the UKBA Tier 4 policy. Student fees and financial support for international students differs considerably from that offered to students defined as Home or EU.
On this page:
International student status
International student fees and financial support differs considerably from that for students defined as Home or EU. It is important to determine correctly what this classification is. To determine your likely status, read the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).
A final decision regarding your status will be made by the University when you enrol and present your immigration paperwork, passport and identification documents.
Additional information and advice about fees and funding for refugees and asylum seekers who are academics is provided by CARA the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics.
Tuition fees
| Programme of study | Fees |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | From £10,000 |
| Sandwich Year | From £680 |
| MSc, MA, PgDip | From £5,400 (including dissertation) |
| MBA | From £11,250 (including dissertation and residential) |
| MPhil, PhD | £9,980 |
Additional fees
Some undergraduate course modules include field trips that you will be asked to pay for separately. Some postgraduate courses include compulsory residentials, the cost of which is added to your total tuition fee.
Your course may require you to attend other teaching sessions outside the University for which you may be required to pay an additional fee. Some courses require registration with an external body for which a fee is also payable.
Living costs
As a guideline, it is estimated that a single student living in London will need around £9,000 per year to meet basic living expenses such as accommodation, heating, food, local travel, books, equipment, clothes and other necessities. This does not include tuition fees. The University's Student Gateway provides useful information about general living costs, health costs and Council Tax in its money matters section.
Sources of funding
British Council Scholarships
The British Council offers a number of awards for international students studying in the UK. For further information about scholarships available for international students please go to the British Council’s Quality Unit web page and click on the sources of funding for international students link.
One of them is the British Chevening Scholarship, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID), which enables international students to study in the UK.
Offered in more than 150 countries for study in any subject field, the scholarships are for those pursuing a full-time postgraduate, or second degree course, or full-time research at a UK Higher Education Institution. The scholarships cover all or part of the cost of the period of study. For further information, visit www.chevening.com.
Charitable Fund
International Students can apply to LSBU’s Charitable Fund.
International scholarships and financial help
We offer our International students considerable financial help through scholarships and charitable funds. Some International students may be eligible for multiple discounts. To be relevant, benefits are applied in the following order:
- Nationality Scholarship
- Alumni discounts for postgraduate study (10% discount only)
- Early payment discount
How it works
Below is an example to demonstrate how payments would be calculated. It assumes a self-financing International student from China has applied for a masters programme at LSBU where fees are £10,000. They paid early or by the enrolment session they've been invited to attend.
| Standard fee | £10,000 |
| Less Nationality Scholarship of £1,000 | £9,000 |
| Less Alumni 10% discount for postgraduate study, £900 | £8,100 |
| Less early payment discount at 5%, £405 | Total reduced payment £7,695 |
Please note: this course cost is for illustrative purposes only.
