This article contains information on the Top 10 Cheapest Universities in the UK to Enroll in for this year, 2023. The joy of every student is to attend a world-class institution that will enhance their educational, career, and personal development in all ramifications of life, but oftentimes, the affordability of such world-class institutions is a major issue that makes them settle for less.
A critical fee study of the universities in the UK reveals some universities are way cheaper compared to others. Though the cost of university differs among subjects and is somewhat dependent on whether the course is classroom, lab, or clinically based, nonetheless, these are the average annual international tuitions for the top 10 cheapest universities in the UK.
These fees might still be on the expensive side for some parents, guardians, students or whoever the fee bearer is, depending on their economic power, but some scholarship awards can ease the burden.
We have therefore taken time out to conduct some research and come up with 10 of the best but cheap universities in the UK. We also took into consideration the living conditions, learning infrastructure, facilities, and accreditation. The cost of schooling is very expensive in the UK. This cost may be reduced, especially for students on government or international scholarships. However, there are several other expenses that have to be made, so you have to weigh your options.
Cheapest Universities in the UK
1. STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY $11900
Staffordshire University is a public university in Staffordshire, England. It has one main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent and three other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield, and Shrewsbury.
There are six academic departments at the university, including computing and digital technologies; creative arts and engineering; health and social care; law, policing, and forensics; life sciences and education; and the Staffordshire business school.
On the campuses in Stafford and Shrewsbury, there are two Centers of Excellence in Healthcare Education, which provide an innovative learning environment for health and social care students.
There are many student societies at the university, including a Pokemon club, a vegan and vegetarian club, a Harry Potter club, a swimming club, a table tennis club, and a theme park society. There is also a selection of sports teams that students can join, including American football, hockey, lacrosse, trampolining, snow sports, tennis, volleyball, and many more.
There are libraries across all three campuses, as well as a dedicated library for the children of mature students, with colorful seating, tables, and a story chair.
The university has several partnerships with universities across the world. These include ESERP Business School in Barcelona, Riinvest College in Kosovo, Gulf College in Oman, the Chengdu University of Technology in China, APIIT SD in India, British University in Vietnam, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the USA. It was rated gold for teaching excellence by TEF Gold, the top 40 UK universities, at 37 out of 121 in the 2020 university league table.
2. UNIVERSITY OF SULLFOLK, $12900
The University of Suffolk is a public university in Suffolk, England. The institution was established in 2007 as University Campus Suffolk (UCS); the current name was adopted in 2016 when it was awarded university status. It has five campuses:
University of Suffolk, Ipswich College
The University of Suffolk, Ipswich The University is based on the Ipswich waterfront, A range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses are offered at Ipswich, including art and Design, Business management, computing, education, film, health, Nursing and Midwifery, Humanities, Social Sciences and Initial Teacher training
The University of Suffolk at Suffolk New College
Suffolk New College is located next to the Ipswich campus and was developed from the Further Education Center of Suffolk College. It is a center for civil engineering degrees, initial teacher training, and FDA/BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion.
The University of Suffolk at West Suffolk College
The Bury St. Edmunds Center is located on the site of West Suffolk College. A range of foundation degrees in subjects including Art, engineering, logistics, transport, and management are taught at the site, as are degrees in Business Management, Education, English, and History, CIOB-accredited Construction management, and initial teacher training. The site was renovated in 2011 and currently has an industry-standard recording studio.
The University of Suffolk at East Coast College (Great Yarmouth Campus)
The Great Yarmouth center is located at the Southtown site of East Coast College in neighboring Norfolk. Subjects such as Computing, counseling, Engineering, Fashion, Music, and Photography are available at the center, which has a modern recording studio.
The University of Suffolk at East Coast College (Lowestoft Campus)
The Lowestoft Center is located on the site of East Coast College. Lowestoft offers degrees in Children’s Care, Learning and Development, Design, Inclusive Practice and Integrated Working, Operations Engineering, Supporting Inclusive Learning and Practice, and Social Science.
3. ROYAL AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY: $13200
Established in 1845, they are recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the delivery of education, research, and consultancy in and relating to agriculture and the rural environment. The Royal Agricultural College (RAC), now the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), is the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world and has been at the forefront of agricultural education since 1845.
They offer courses at the foundational, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels to over 1,200 students from all around the world. Subjects include business and management, sustainable agriculture, food supply, agribusiness, equine research, real estate, and rural estate management. Royal Agricultural University students also have the opportunity to be part of a team running one of the three student-led businesses, which provide excellent skills development opportunities while running a real business:
Muddy Wellies, launched in 2007, is a craft ale and cider company whose 10p from every bottle sold goes into the RAU’s First Steps fund to help students start their businesses.
Cotswold Hills Wine, launched in 2017, is produced from the grapes grown on our vineyard just outside Cirencester. Students have the opportunity to get involved in almost all aspects of the process, from vine to retail. As with Muddy Wellies, proceeds support students in developing their concepts.
Cotswold Hills Honey, launched in 2018,
All students have access to the Growth Hub, Farm491, and Rural Innovation Centre to further develop their business ideas, both as students and after graduation.
The university has been recognized many times, most recently being shortlisted for the Guardian University Award 2018 in the Enterprise and Employability category.
4. UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA: $13440
The University of Cumbria was established on August 1, 2007 from the amalgamation of St Martin’s College, Lancaster, the Cumbria Institute of the Arts, and the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire, which ran degree programs accredited by Lancaster University and the University of Central Lancashire. The university maintains campuses in Carlisle and Lancaster. Besides, it has campuses in Ambleside, Penrith, and Workington. Some financial aid is accessible under various schemes at the institution. There is the Bright Futures Fund, the Hadfield Trust Creative Travel Award, and the Professor Strike Prize for STEM. Such scholarships can be availed of by all eligible candidates, irrespective of their nationality. Academic excellence is the prime factor in qualifying for these aids
New developments have included the creation of the University of Cumbria Business School on the university’s Lancaster Campus and the launch of a Rural Growth Hub to support businesses in the National Park.
It was conferred a bronze medal in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award and ranked in the top ten of universities worldwide according to the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, the only global performance tables that assess universities’ impact against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was ranked 8th out of a total of 676 participating institutions worldwide and first in the UK for the Quality Education SDG, which measures universities’ contribution to early years and lifelong learning, their pedagogy, research, and commitment to inclusive education.
5. UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND: $13440
The University of Sunderland was founded in 1901 as Sunderland Technical College and was awarded university status in 1992. It has four campuses: two in Sunderland on the northeast coast of England; one in London, which is used for teaching business, tourism, and nursing degrees; and a new development in Hong Kong. In 2018, the University was named one of only five new medical schools in the UK, established to address the regional imbalance of medical education places across England and to widen access to the medical profession. The first cohort of students will join the School of Medicine in September 2019.
Leading organizations such as Microsoft, Network+, Citrix, VMware, Linux, A+, Cisco, and the EC-Council provide professional IT training to students.
Many take work placements with such companies as part of a degree, with links being particularly strong in engineering and media. In their feedback from the Teaching Excellence Framework, assessors highlighted the University’s embedded professional practice and the tangible contribution made by business and industrial partners to program content.
Links with industry are a key part of the University’s approach, with each faculty having its own collaborative business partners to influence program content, collaborate on research or degree apprenticeships, give guest lectures, or provide work placement opportunities to students and graduates. It was ranked 109th in the Times University Guide 2020 and 89th in the Guardian University Guide 2020
Following the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, ten subjects at Sunderland were awarded the maximum standard of world-leading research.
They received a Silver Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) rating in 2017.
6. UNIVERSITY OF WEST SCOTLAND: $14000
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) was formed in August 2007 by the merger of the University of Paisley with Bell College. It is the largest modern university in Scotland, spread across four campuses in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton, and Paisley. The University operates four campuses in the south and south-west of Scotland, giving students from outside the area a chance to live in a beautiful part of the country. The Ayr Campus is located on the west coast of Scotland, while Dumfries is located two miles from the centre of the town and the Hamilton campus is in Lanarkshire.
UWS is placed by Times Higher Education in the top 600 universities in their 2020 World University Rankings and the top 150 in THE’s Young University Rankings 2020. The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 ranks us as a top 100 UK university and as the highest-ranked post-1992 university in Scotland. It was rated 108th. Students can take advantage of the option of a year’s paid work placement as part of many degrees. Computing is a key strength, now formally acknowledged by an excellent teaching assessment. The institution also has Scotland’s largest school of health, nursing, and midwifery. Accounting and finance research was rated world-class in the last assessments, achieving the highest ranking of any subject at a modern university in Scotland.
7. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE NEW UNIVERSITY: $14540
Buckinghamshire New University is a well-recognized public university that is known for imparting quality education to students from all across the world. This institution dates back to 1891 and was established as the School of Science and Art. It earned a Gold accreditation for Corporate Social Responsibility in 2018. This standard of accreditation recognized the positive impact that the institution’s staff and students made to improve the environment.
At present, there are a total of four campuses that are operated by the university. These impressive campuses are located in the towns of Uxbridge, High Wycombe, and Aylesbury. The High Wycombe Campus serves as a thriving base for applied health care research and nursing students. It was ranked 113th in the Times University Guide 2020, 120th in the Guardian University Guide 2020, 12th in the UK by the Huffington Post in a list of creative universities, and was also included in a list of the top 14 creative universities in the UK by The Daily Telegraph. Also, Bucks New University has won awards for its training of pilots and music industry management.
8. PLYMOUTH MARJON UNIVERSITY: $14540
Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon, is the trading name of the University of St Mark and St John, a university based primarily on a single campus on the northern edge of Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom. Formerly named University College Plymouth St. Mark and St. John, the institution was awarded full university status in 2013.
The university campus is several miles north of Plymouth city center, next to Derriford Hospital. Residential accommodation is provided, with all first-year students guaranteed a place. In 2013, a major investment program in campus facilities was completed, including new sport and exercise science laboratories, extensive indoor and outdoor sports provision, a theater, a media center, and a music studio.
9. UNIVERSITY OF WALES TRINITY SAINT DAVID: $14540
Founded in 2010, the University Of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is a public institution for higher education and research at multiple locations. Set up under the 1828 royal charter of Lampeter, the institution was the result of the merger between Trinity University College and the University of Wales. The institution merged with Swansea Metropolitan University in 2013.
UWTSD has three main campuses across south-west Wales (Lampeter, Carmarthen, and Swansea).
The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral-level programs in humanities, architecture, engineering, business, tourism and hospitality, media, performing arts, and education. It extends a range of online, distance, and part-time courses that facilitate flexible learning around personal and professional life while maintaining academic rigor. The university has partnerships with various UK-based and overseas organizations and institutions that offer valuable research and development opportunities to the students, along with global learning experiences. The university has two learning centers in Cardiff: the Wales International Academy of Voice and the Canolfan Berfformio Cymru (Wales Centre for Performance).
10. COVENTRY UNIVERSITY: $11900-$16000
Coventry University is internationally recognized for its expertise in peacebuilding, serious games, and disaster management, as well as the world-leadingaliber of its engineering and design graduates, particularly in the automotive field. It is the UK’s fastest-growing university and the country’s sixth-largest overall. It has two principal campuses: one in the center of Coventry, where the bulk of its operations are located, and one in Central London, which concentrates on business and management courses. In 2017, the university won a gold medal in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Nationally, Coventry is ranked 13th by The Guardian University League Tables 2019, 44th by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019, and 53rd by The Complete University Guide 2020. Internationally, within the top 531–540 universities in the world by the 2020 QS World University Rankings
