Want to study in London?

London, the wonderfully diverse and cosmopolitan city, home to some of the most extraordinary exhibits, exquisite fine dining experiences and luxurious shopping opportunities. For centuries London has been a great place to study, with over 300 languages spoken in the capital each year over 65,000 international students come here to study, not to mention the home grown students. With London taking centre stage as a wildly fashionable and unconventional city you’ll find everything you need here from world-famous stores like Harrods, to world-famous streets such as Savile Row, Oxford Street and Carnaby Street. You’re sure to find just what you want.

It sounds amazing doesn’t it, but with its reputation of being an expensive city, if you’re thinking of studying in London have you considered whether you could afford it? With a students budget would there be anything for you to do? Anywhere for you to go?

For many living in London is unthinkable, unimaginable rents, extraordinarily high prices for days and nights out, but for the student, London is a city of opportunities with over 20 leading universities, if you know where to look it’s full of value for money outings and absolute bargains. Students can travel at discounted rates, visit attractions for free and eat for under a fiver.  Not to mention the discounts available with the NUS card which in many shops, including clothes stores, can give you as much as 10% off.

Travel
London has the oldest underground system in the world as well as a tram service and the DLR, the cheapest however being the bus. If you fancy doing a bit of sightseeing why not jump on top one of one of the many extensive bus routes in the city offering an excellent view of some of London’s attractions. Travel alongside the Thames and have a look at the Houses of Parliament, an important contribution to London’s architecture. Or Big Ben, whose famous hourly chimes are synonymous with London. If you do plan on doing a considerable amount of travelling get hold of an Oyster card from your local Underground station, which offers a significant discount.

Museums and galleries
Maybe you want to look around some of the many museums and galleries the city is well known for. Although you’ll need to buy a ticket to get into some of the specialist exhibits many of the London museums don’t have an entrance fee so you can enjoy the exhibits in many of the museums and galleries free. 

Why not try the British Museum on Great Russell Street, one of the most visited museums in London. Some of the other museums that you can visit are:

Imperial War Museum
London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza
Natural History Museum Cromwell Road SW7
Science Museum Exhibition Road SW7
Victoria & Albert Museum Cromwell Road SW7

Some of London’s Galleries that have collections free to visit are:
Courtauld Institute of Art
National Gallery
National Portrait Gallery
Royal Academy of Arts
Tate Britain
Tate Modern

Nights Out
Going out in London can be expensive and the cost of drinks can range from £3 for a pint of beer to £5 for a glass of wine. However, many of the clubs and bars will hold students nights where entrance if not free is cheap. Another idea would be to leave home a bit earlier in search of happy hour, usually between 6-7 pm. You will find that many of the clubs and bars that charge an entrance fee usually only begin doing so from around 10.00 pm. An example of one of the student phenomenon’s at the moment is cheapskates, held on Wednesday nights at Moonlighting (although I'm not encouraging mid week drinking) currently the drinks are 80p each.

www.viewlondon.co.uk/clubs/student-nights-in-london-clubs-recommended-lo...

It would also be a good idea to check out the Nightlife section of Time Out, which has a weekly Night Pass offering special reduced or free entry to a number of clubs. Be sure to visit the clubs websites you may even be able to add yourself to the guest list for free or reduced entry.
 
If you fancy going to the cinema the main chains in London are the Odeon, Cineworld, and the Vue Cinemas. For a cheaper viewing try going during the day, ticket prices are usually cheaper for the earlier performances, don’t forget your student card you may be eligible for discount with it. Customers of Orange get a great 2 for 1 deal with orange Wednesdays. Many of these principles also apply for the Theatre but there is a ticket booth in Leicester Square that sells theatre tickets at half price.  www.tkts.co.uk
 
Eating out in London doesn’t have to be expensive. This is where your student card and NUS card will come in handy, many restaurants and fast food chains will offer students discounts. Below are a few websites which publish vouchers which once presented can give you great deals on eating out.

www.restaurantvouchers.co.uk/
www.vouchercodes.co.uk/printable-vouchers.html
www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-restaurant-deals

If after all that clubbing, eating and drinking you feel like getting a bit of exercise jog through one of the capital's parks. London has green space throughout the city, which range in size but include the eight royal parks. Why not visit Holland Park with attractions including the Japanese Gardens, and the Holland Park Opera. Or you could bring a picnic along to one of the many others, including:Kensington Gardens
Hyde Park
St James's Park
Green Park
Regent's Park
Victoria Park   

Universities In London

University of the Arts London
www.arts.ac.uk

Birkbeck, University of London
www.bbk.ac.uk

Brunel University
www.brunel.ac.uk

City University, London
www.city.ac.uk

University of East London
www.uel.ac.uk

Goldsmiths, University of London
www.gold.ac.uk

University of Greenwich
www.gre.ac.uk

Imperial College London
www.imperial.ac.uk

King's College London
www.kcl.ac.uk

Kingston University
www.kingston.ac.uk

London Metropolitan University
www.londonmet.ac.uk

London School of Economics
www.lse.ac.uk

London South Bank University
www.lsbu.ac.uk

Middlesex University
www.mdx.ac.uk

Queen Mary, University of London
www.qmul.ac.uk

Roehampton University
www.roehampton.ac.uk

Royal Holloway, University of London
www.rhul.ac.uk

School of Oriental and African Studies
www.soas.ac.uk

St Mary's University College, Twickenham
www.smuc.ac.uk

Thames Valley University
www.tvu.ac.uk

University College London 
www.ucl.ac.uk

University of Westminster
www.wmin.ac.uk