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Students Wellbeing Support

Cost of Attendance

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Cost of Attendance

Cost of Attendance (CoA) is part of the University of Aberdeen Loan Application process. The CoA is an estimate of your education-related costs for the academic year.

The CoA will specify the maximum amount you may be eligible to borrow minus any other aid you may be receiving such as bursaries, scholarships or other loans. If you are eligible for a Subsidized loan, your Student Aid Index (SAI) will also be deducted from a CoA figure to establish your 'financial need'.

Our Packaging Policy explains how loans are packaged and how financial aid is determined.

The CoA for students studying at the University of Aberdeen is based on average local costs. This will increase in line with inflation for each academic year. These educational costs relate only to you, the student. These costs cannot include costs for partners or children (other than childcare or nursery costs).

Please note, that whilst our CoA does include travel, we cannot issue loan payments before the beginning of the academic year, so you should not rely on your first loan payment to finance your travel to Aberdeen and the UK.

If you are in receipt of private loans, scholarships, or bursary funding, either from the University or another source, you must inform us so that this can be factored into your Cost of Attendance. Failure to do so will result in a recalculation and reduction of your loan later in the academic year when it is evident you are in receipt of additional sources of funding.

While your costs may vary depending on where you stay in Aberdeen, we expect your cost of attendance to be roughly in line with our estimates.

We have provided information below on various student scenarios.

If you have completed a FAFSA for the University of Aberdeen and have applied to study with us, you will receive information specific to your degree/situation in your financial aid package.

How much can I borrow?

Students can borrow amounts equal to the Cost of Attendance (CoA). The CoA consists of 2 elements:

How much should I borrow?

It can be difficult to know how much to borrow when you haven't experienced the cost of living in the city you will be studying in for the next year. We cannot tell you how much to borrow, but we can reassure you that you do have options to change your loan amount at any time over the academic year.

Our cost of attendance is set at a generous level. As well as tuition and accommodation fees, it covers the cost of two return flights, origination fees (for Federal Loans), IT devices and allows a little extra for any clubs, societies, hobbies, trips etc.

You do not have to accept the maximum loan which is detailed on your financial aid package. You can live comfortably in Aberdeen on less money, and you can specify the loan amount that you think will best meet your needs.

If you are still unsure, you do have options to increase or decrease your loan at any stage over the next year.

Undergraduate (BSc, MA, BMus) and Postgraduate Research (PhD, MRes) have their loans paid in two instalments across the year. Postgraduate Taught (MSc, MLitt, MPhil) have their loans paid in three instalments across the year.

The below example is for a PG Taught student.

  • The maximum loan entitlement is $47,000 but you request to borrow only $36,000.
  • The loan will be paid in three instalments of $12,000. Institutional charges will be paid in three instalments to coincide with your loan payments and the excess payment from each of those instalments will be refunded to you for living expenses.
  • If you find that you did not need the full $12,000 payment for the first term, you can ask us to reduce your loan instalments for the 2nd and/or 3rd disbursements.
  • If you find that the $12,000 payment in the first term did not meet your expenses, you can ask us to increase your loan instalments for the 2nd and/or 3rd disbursements (up to the maximum loan of $47,000 detailed on the financial aid package).

Your financial aid package will have a different loan amount, but this gives an idea of the flexibility you have regarding making changes as the year progresses.

The same principle is applied for loans that are paid in two instalments for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Research students.

What is included in the Living Expenses?

Most undergraduate programmes are 35 weeks in length. If your programme is longer than this (i.e. PGDE, MBChB), we will amend your Cost of Attendance Living Expenses accordingly.

Postgraduate Taught and Research students are assessed 12 months at a time. Extensions or programmes taking more than 12 months, but less than 24 months will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Items included

  • Rent / Housing
    • Your contract may be longer than your programme length. If so, you will need to cover any extra through funds outwith your loans.
    • If you want to look for a flatmate, our Student Association does have a facility to help https://www.ausa.org.uk/advice/findaflatmate/
    • University Accommodation options can be found here
    • You can also search the internet for private student accommodation or leasing agents.
  • Utilities
    • This includes gas, electricity and internet.
    • Some accommodation may include this within your rent.
    • The figure that we use is based on average figures for a 2 bedroom flat when shared with another person (50/50 split).
    • You may be able to change your energy and/ or internet provider to get a better price.
      • There are websites you can search for better prices such as Uswitch
  • Food
    • This is an average weekly shop for a single adult.
    • Nearby supermarkets include Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Asda & Morrisons.
    • Convenience supermarkets can be more expensive than larger stores.
    • The University does offer a weekly food card for students wanting to eat mainly at university outlets on campus.
  • Travel Expenses
    • This is the approximate cost of a First Bus Weekly Student Pass. You can download the FirstBus app to purchase this.
    • First Bus is the main bus provider around Aberdeen.
    • Stagecoach buses are available within the city but are mainly used for trips to surrounding local areas.
    • The cost of a student railcard cannot be included in your cost of attendance but if you wish to explore more of Scotland you can purchase a student railcard on the Scotrail website.
  • Personal Costs - this can include (but is not limited to) the following -
    • Toiletries
    • Socialising
    • Gym Membership
    • Sports Club / Society Membership
    • Clothing
    • Reading (not university related)
    • Music apps
  • Books / Computer Equipment / Printing
    • University books
      • The University library will have most books for your courses in either physical or electronic formats.
      • Blackwells Bookstore on campus also provides a student discount.
    • Laptop
      • Funds for this are spread across your studies.
      • If additional software is required for disabilities or learning differences, please let us know and we can liaise with the Student Support team.
    • Printing
      • You can top up your student ID card to print on campus.
  • Return Flights
    • The figure that we have used is the average cost of a flight from Aberdeen to various locations in the US when booked 2-3 months in advance.
    • We include funds for 2 return flights.
  • Visa
    • We will include the cost of your visa as part of your cost of attendance within your 1st year of study.
    • You can request additional funds if you need to apply for a new visa due to an extension to your studies or extending your studies (i.e. BEng to MEng)
  • Healthcare surcharge
    • We will include the cost of the healthcare surcharge within your 1st year of study for the duration of your studies (time shown on your CAS).
    • You can request additional funds if you need to apply for a new visa due to an extension to your studies or extending your studies (i.e. BEng to MEng) 
  • Origination Fees
    • We will include an approximate value based on your situation. Actual origination fees will vary. Origination fees for 2025/2026 are available here once determined by the US Department of Education.
    • This is only available to students taking Federal Direct Loans.
    • If you are not taking PLUS loans or are taking private loans, the value you are eligible for your origination fees will be amended as required.
    • You need to ensure that you keep these in mind when deciding the amount you wish to borrow.
  • Conversion rate
    • As the values for your cost of attendance are calculated in GBP, we need to convert the values to USD.
    • The Exchange rate is 1.3720 at the time of compiling these tables.
    • Regulations allow us to set a theoretical exchange rate to convert GBP to USD values to allow for volatility in the exchange rate as the year progresses.
    • The exchange rate that we have used for the 2025/2026 academic year is 1.45
      • £1 = $1.45
      • $1 = £0.69
    • The actual exchange rate is determined by Convera on the day that your loans are disbursed.

You will receive a statement from noreply@convera.com or usaloans@abdn.ac.uk when your funds are disbursed. The email will detail the net value released, the exchange rate, the funds paid towards your institutional charges, and the funds transferred to you for living expenses.

If you have any questions relating to your statement, please email usaloans@abdn.ac.uk

Undergraduate Maximum Cost of Living Expenses for 2025/2026

Part-year studies are assessed on a pro-rata basis depending on the number of months that you have been approved for.

Postgraduate Maximum Cost of Living Expenses for 2025/2026

Extensions or part-year studies are assessed on a pro-rata basis depending on the number of months that you have been approved for.

Conversion rate

  • As the values for your cost of attendance are calculated in GBP, we need to convert the values to USD.
  • The Exchange rate is 1.3720 at the time of compiling these tables.
  • Regulations allow us to set a theoretical exchange rate to convert GBP to USD values to allow for volatility in the exchange rate as the year progresses.
    • The exchange rate that we have used for the 2025/2026 academic year is 1.45
      • £1 = $1.45
      • $1 = £0.69
    • The actual exchange rate is determined by Convera on the day that your loans are disbursed for Federal Loans, and the day we receive the funds for private student loans (normally funds are disbursed the same day).
  • This information is also mentioned in the "What is included in the Living Expenses?" Section
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