Top cheapest universities in UK for international students

Universities in the United Kingdom have proven to be among the best schools globally. However, the barrier to traveling to European nations like the UK is usually a lack of funds and the challenge of getting visas to these places.

If you are on a tight budget and looking for one of the cheapest universities for international students to study, we have prepared a list of the top ten cheapest universities in the UK for international students in 2023, where you can study your desired course.

Though it is a fact that studying at universities in European countries can be expensive, the UK has some low-cost universities ready to offer admission, even for people with smaller tuition budgets.

The cheapest universities in the UK for international students listed in this article offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to international students on a low budget.

Our list of the top 10 cheapest universities in the UK for international students will help you make the best decision about your educational career.

1. University of Chester - £9,250

The University of Chester is the cheapest university among our top 10 low-cost universities in the UK for international students in 2023.

It is the fifth-oldest higher education institution in the United Kingdom and is in Chester, England.

Chester University is on five different campuses: Chester, Ellesmere Port, Warrington, Shrewsbury, and Cheshire. The university has over 14,900 students, of which 10,800 are undergraduates, and 4100 are postgraduates. This could be because the cost of tuition is low, which has also made it appealing to international students who want to take their dream courses abroad.

The University of Chester is ranked as one of the least expensive universities for international students in the UK in 2023, with tuition fees of £9,250 for international foundation programs, £12,950 for undergraduate programs, £13,450 for postgraduate programs, and £13,750 for an MBA.

2. University of West London - £12,000

The University of West London is a public research institute with campuses in Reading, Berkshire, Ealing, and Brentford in Greater London.

It is named the top modern university in London in The Guardian University Guide 2022 following its transformation project, which cost over £100 million.

The good thing about studying at the University of West London, which has made it one of the cheapest universities in the UK for international students in 2023, is that it allows students to pay 50% of their fees while the rest can be paid in three equal instalments for the first three months.

The University of West London also works with accommodation providers to assist international students in finding comfortable housing near the school.

The University of West London also provides 100 international ambassador scholarships to first-year international students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

3. University of Salford - £12,250

The third most affordable university on our list of the top 10 cheapest universities for international students in 2023 is the University of Salford, first known as the Pendleton Mechanics Institute, established in 1850.

The public research university at Salford, Greater Manchester, England, has over 21,500 students as of 2019, of which 17,325 were undergraduates and 4,175 are postgraduates.

The University of Salford earned a place on our list of the cheapest universities for international students owing to its low budget tuition fees of £12,250.

The £12,250 tuition fee at the University of Salford is only for undergraduate and foundation programmes, while the fee for postgraduate programmes ranges from £15,750-£19,530.

Salford University also offers international scholarships to support high-achieving international students. Its greatest strength, which has made it one of the cheapest universities in the UK for international students, is that offers a discount of 3% for those paying their tuition fees in full.

4. University of Bolton - £12,950

University of Bolton, formerly known as Bolton Institute of Higher Education and Bolton Institute of Technology, is the fourth cheapest university on our list of the top cheapest universities for international students in the UK in 2023.

The public university, which is based in Greater Manchester, England, was established in 1926 and, since then, has been a great help to international students who wish to study abroad owing to their low tuition fees and living costs.

After estimating the cost of expenditure for international students aspiring to study in the UK, Boston University has stipulated a new £12,950 cost of undergraduate fees for international students in 2023 students.

The fees for courses like MBA, MSc Physician Associate Studies, and others are said to be over £14,450.

Below is the estimated cost of living for international students at the University of Boston.

5. University of Sunderland - £13,000

Each year, the University of Sunderland admits a huge number of students from over 100 different countries, with the evidence showing that about a fifth of its scholars are international students.

The University of Sunderland has over 24,796 students, of which 17,527 are undergraduates and 7,269 are postgraduates, owing to its low-budget fee that ranges from £13,000 to £16,500 in 2022, a nice budget when compared to many universities in the UK.

The public research university, which is located in Sunderland in the North East of England, is the fifth cheapest university among our list of the top 10 cheapest universities for international students in 2023.

The University of Sunderland also runs postgraduate research programmes for international students, with a tuition fee of £8,000 per year for part-time and full-time distance learning and a tuition fee of £13,000 for on-campus full-time learning.

Some courses offered by the University of Sunderland include allied health professions and public health, arts and design, business, computer science, crime policing and investigation, engineering, English, health and clinical science, law, media, medicine, etc.

6. University of Cumbria - £13,250

Cumbria University is also one of the cheapest universities you can consider going to in the UK. It is the sixth low-cost university on our list of the top 10 cheapest universities for international students in 2023.

This public university was founded in 1822 as the Cumbria College of Art and Design. The school is based in Cumbria, with its headquarters in Carlisle and campuses in Lancaster, Ambleside, Workington, and London.

The institution offers many exciting courses, such as business, education, tourism, radiography, health and social care, sciences, outdoor education, nursing, paramedic, midwifery, and many others.

Cumbria University offers one of the most affordable tuition fees for international students in the UK, with a tuition fee of £13,250 per year for standard undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees and £16,000 for undergraduate and postgraduate pre-registration health degrees.

The University of Cumbria also gives international students a discount if they pay their tuition fees early, even adding more to its affordability.

7. University of Wolverhampton - £13,450

The University of Wolverhampton is one of the largest schools in the West Midlands, with three main campuses across West Midlands, Shropshire, and Staffordshire.

The University of Wolverhampton is the 7th cheapest university among our list of the top 10 cheapest universities in the UK for international students in 2023, owing to its low-budget tuition fees for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

For non-lab-based undergraduate programmes, Wolverhampton's tuition fee costs £13,450 per academic year, while lab-based full-time undergraduate courses cost £13,950, and non-lab-based full-time postgraduate courses cost £14,450.

The tuition fee for the lab-based full-time postgraduate course is £14,950. For a full-time postgraduate course with professional placement, the tuition fee is £15,450, while for extended courses, the tuition fee is £16,000.

Wolverhampton University has three faculties, which are the faculty of arts, business, and social sciences, the faculty of education, health, and well-being, and finally, the faculty of science and engineering, with over 380 courses.

International students who are charged overseas fees of £3,000 as a deposit are allowed to pay 50% of their remaining tuition fee prior to completing enrolment.

8. University of Bedfordshire - £13,500

The University of Bedfordshire, whose roots date back to 1882 before gaining university status in 1993, is the 8th cheapest university on our list of the top 10 cheapest universities in the UK for international students in 2023.

The UK-based school is a public research university with five campuses in Luton, Bedford, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, and Putteridge Bury.

The University of Bedfordshire has several international partnerships with Egypt, one of Africa's richest countries, Vietnam, Oman, and Mauritius, with over 20,000 students from over 100 different countries. It has a specific tuition fee for international students, depending on the level of the course they are undertaking.

One of the criteria that has helped it rank as one of the cheapest universities in the UK for international students is that it allows international students to pay 65% of the required tuition fee.

Below is the cost and structure of the tuition fees for international students at the University of Bedfordshire.

9. Teesside University - £14,000

Teesside University is the 9th university on our list of the top 10 cheapest universities for international students in the UK in 2023.

Teesside University ensures a seamless application for international students, providing a dedicated international team across the globe to help students throughout their university journey.

The university was ranked number one out of 96 universities for overall satisfaction in the international student barometer survey in 2021.

According to the 2020/21 HESA student record, Teesside University has over 21,276 students, of which 15,507 are undergraduates, while 5,769 are postgraduate students.

Below is an overview of the annual student tuition fees for enrolling in a programme at the university.

10. Leeds Beckett University - £14,000

Leeds Beckett University is the last and 10th cheapest university on our list of the top 10 cheapest universities for international students in the UK.

Just like the rest of the other universities on our list of the top 10 cheapest universities in the UK, Leeds Beckett University is a public university. It was formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University.

The university, which has campuses in the city centre and Headingley, was founded in 1824 as Leeds Mechanic Institute before gaining university status in 1992.

The cost of tuition fees at Leeds Beckett University depends on the course level you are applying for and the course you want to study.

Here is a summary of the annual tuition fee for courses at Leeds Beckett University.