Millions of people go to university each year and for the vast majority of them, they will need a student loan to get them through. The amount of loan avialable depends on your circumstances and amounts can vary between £1000 and £4500 a year, which is paid in 3 monthly installment

Your tuition fees normally account for about £1000 per year and add to this accommodation, text books (which i'll come to in a minute) and food & drink, yout costs soon mount up. One thing that new students dont account for is the cost of textbooks which can be around £30 per book, per subject. Sometimes you may need 2 books per subject and if you have an average of 6 subjects then thats £360 on text books alone!! a good bit of advice is to have a look on ebay because graduates often put their old books on sale which would save you a lot of money.

One way to make sure you don't spend too much of your loan is get a part-time job which help your cash-flow a bit instead of you having to withdraw money all the time without anything going in.

There is no doubt that students may find their money stretched a little more than the average student this year. Prices for everyday items is rising but plans for the economy mean that there is still a chance that by the time you start next year things may look a bit rosier.

It is important as well not to miss out on any money that you are entitled to. Around two thirds of all students will be able to receive a non-repayable grant that can certainly help with rent, books, travel (or a night out!). Dont miss out on money you are entitled to, check with your university what options are available to you and enjoy any privliges you can. 

Its bad news for students unfortunately as it looks as though the amount of debt students will find themselves in when they graduate looks set to increase.

The average student did find themselves in around £12,000 however thanks to the economic situation of the UK, students may find they leave university with a debt of £17,500. This is shocking news for students who already face a rise in student fees.

One of the reasons school-leavers decide not to go to university is the cost of a course. Many students believe the value of their degree does not outweigh the cost of gaining it. However, students are advised that a degree in todays market is invaluable and students are recommended to find ways to finance their way through university by getting part-time jobs and saving as much of their student loan as possible.

One big decision when going to university is whether you should stay at home or move away. It is a big decision and one that could have a big effect on your time at university.

Financially speaking, you will save a lot of money by staying at home as you wont have any rent to pay, have your meals made for you each night and (probably) not have much cleaning to do. However, one of the main things about going to uni is to find about yourself and grow as a person, it may cost you more but the time you have will be so much better.

In times of financial struggle I can understand if you want to stay at home but you will lose some of your independance and can effect the time you have at university. Its your choice at the end of the day but think wisely as it could change the 3 or 4 years you have.

Here are some useful tips for students;

• All students love to go out and have "a few" drinks with your mates, one way to have a great but cheap night out is to choose the "students night".

• Grants are common amongst university students
• Remember; you don't have to start paying back your loan untl you are earning £15000 so theres no need to panic straight away.
• As well as grants; there are hardships and funding for certain students depending on your circumstances.
• In the UK, students do not need to pay council tax so when you move into your student accommodation, dont pay more than you have to (although you do have to print a sheet of the government website to prove it)

After university you can come out with a lot of debt. However, if you plan on being a teacher then fear not...you dont have to pay it back!

Around £5.7million is written off by the government because people are becoming teachers. It is the governments way of thanking those who want to pass on their knowledge gained to younger school children. You have to do your PGSE first then once you are fully qualified you can take up teaching and after 5 years your loan is paid off for you!

Most students come out of university with debt unless you are extremely rich (or more likely, have rich parents!!). According to recent figures released, the average student comes out with £12,069 of debt, however if you manage to receive the maximum amount of loan during the semesters then you may be looking at £16,000 which is a lot of money.

One thing to remember is that you don't have to start paying your loan back until you are earning £15,000 (in the UK). You don't start paying your loan back straight away either. You tend to finish university in May or June (depending on exams) and you will be sent letters through the post explaining the exact dates but it will generally be around April. This is handy as it gives you a few months to get some money together before you enter the repayment period.

The time after you've graduated is an amazing feeling and something that you wont forget. No more exams (unless you decide to do a masters) and a sense of freedom! Some people want to have a rest and you will feel like you need one. Whilst you may need a couple of weeks rest after a hectic last couple of months at university, there is one bit of advice which you need to heed.... START LOOKING FOR A JOB!!

It may not be as easy as you think to find a job, whatever result you came out with because at the end of the day, there will be hundreds if not thousands of people with the same mark! apply straight away and give yourself a good 4-5 months of earning before you start paying back your loan.

We all put (at least we should) a lot of effort into our time at university and the amount of time spent working and revising, getting ready for those dreaded finals. After the finals, you may want to take a break from everything but if you take one peice of advice away then it is this... do not leave it too late until you start looking for a job!

You may think it will be easy to find one but consider this, there will be thousands of people who did the same subjects (or close enough) and got the same mark or even better so the pool of graduates that employers have to choose from his huge. You need something that will help you stand out from the rest, your CV is a the first thing any potential employer will see. The secret to a CV is to keep it short and sweet, an employer will not want to have read through 6 pages of waffle. Ideally it should be 3 pages max and highlight for key skills and want you think separates you from the best.

Some people opt for graduate schemes after university. It is a popular option for some large companies and can be a good way to get some experience of how a large company works.

For these grad schemes and some other jobs as well you may need to know the amount of UCAS points you scored on your exams, whether that be GSCE's, AS levels or A levels. Of course, most companies only look at the degree you achieved from university but just in case they do require your UCAS points, have a look at the link below and you can work it out

I mentioned this briefly in a previous section but heres a bit more info on how to get in the driving seat when it comes to jobs.

One good way to find a good first job is to make a list of everything you want from it, now be realistic because you wont be earning £30,000 a year with benefits in your first job. Once you have made a list then start looking on the internet to find jobs that match your search criteria. Make a list of your qualities and compare them to the requried qualities listed for a certain job; this will help you a lot because you will be able to apply for the job better if you have the required skills.

When you have found a couple of jobs that you fancy then start the application procedure. You should be sending a cover letter to accompany your application, this letter includes a short summary of your CV and what skills and qualifications you have that make you the ideal candidate for that job. Go to the news sections of the internet and type the company's name in; maybe they have released a new product that interests you or maybe you did something similiar (but on a smaller scale probably) at university.

Applying your skills to a relevant theme helps an employer understand your skills, just listing them isn't good enough because most people will do that and normally list the same things. Don't just say you are a team leader. Say, for example, you were elected team leader during an end of year project and had to delegate tasks to other team members. This gives the employer an idea of why you are a good team leader. You need facts to back up your claims.

Some students decide to get part time jobs whilst at university so they can afford a few nights out and maybe the odd book or 2! Part time jobs are a good idea but you must make sure you dont do too many hours that it interupts with your studies.

Many bars and restaurants have a large student contingent and are a favourite amongst students. Remember though, you will have to work strange hours and normally weekends so if you are one of those students (like many) who simply have to go out on a weekend then maybe you need to consider another kind of job.

A good idea is to work somewhere within the university. Many universities have part time jobs available for their students and you will get your weekends off too!!

All students will end up in some kind of debt and students are advised not to stress themselves out too much. Unless you are from a very well off family you will have to take out a student loan, amounts vary depending on your situation but at the end of the day, nearly every student end up in debt so there is nothing to panic about.

You will get a good job after finishing university so you will soon start to take chunks out of your loan so dont' worry! As long as you spend your money wisely during university you will be ok. There are grants that you can apply for which help you with funding for books, accommodation (nights out!!).