Knowing what a year costs, and when the money actually lands, takes most of the stress out of first year. Here is what SAAS pays, what RGU estimates you will spend, and the free help that exists whether or not you are struggling.
Every figure on this page is for 2026/27 and comes from the organisation that sets it. None of them is ours.
RGU's own starting point is worth having: Aberdeen is first in the UK for affordability in the QS Best Student Cities 2026 rankings.
What SAAS pays
If you are a young student from Scotland, this is the full table, taken from SAAS's own funding page, last updated 29 April 2026.
| Household income | Bursary | Student loan | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 to £20,999 | £2,000 | £9,400 | £11,400 |
| £21,000 to £23,999 | £1,125 | £9,400 | £10,525 |
| £24,000 to £33,999 | £500 | £9,400 | £9,900 |
| £34,000 and above | £0 | £8,400 | £8,400 |
Two things that are easy to miss. The loan figure includes a £2,400 Special Support Loan. And your tuition fees are separate — SAAS pays them straight to the university, £1,820 for a first degree, so the money above is for living on.
You apply every year. It is not a four-year award that runs by itself.
If you are from England, you apply to Student Finance England instead, and the amounts and the schedule are different.
When the money actually arrives
You choose. SAAS lets you take your funding over term time, usually nine months, or spread over the year.
Term time pays a double payment at the start of your course, then monthly payments after it. Spreading it over the year makes each payment smaller but covers the summer, which is why SAAS suggests it if you are budgeting across twelve months rather than nine.
You cannot have the spread option if you are on a one-year course or in your final year — those are term time automatically. And you are locked in for the year: the choice is made on the application and cannot be changed until you reapply. SAAS on payment options.
Nothing is paid until your university confirms you are enrolled, so the first payment lands after enrolment rather than on the day you arrive. Have something to live on for those first weeks.
What RGU estimates you will spend
These are RGU's own 2026/27 estimates, not ours.
| RGU's estimate | |
|---|---|
| Food and toiletries | £50 to £60 a week |
| Personal spending — clothes, social, sport | about £55 a week |
| Books and stationery | £25 to £40 a month, or up to £500 over the year |
| Mobile phone | £10 to £40 a month |
| Eating out | £7 to £15 a meal |
| Cinema | £6 to £8 a film |
| Bus | £2.25 a journey, or free if you are 21 or under |
| Gym | Free — all RGU students get RGU SPORT membership |
RGU points out that a lot of the book budget is avoidable: most reading is in the library or on Campus Moodle.
Two of those lines can go to zero. The bus is free for anyone 21 or under living in Scotland — see the getting to university guide — and RGU SPORT is included for every RGU student.
What you do not pay for here
Every utility bill, the internet and contents insurance are in the rent at ABeleven, so the winter heating bill that catches people out in a private flat does not exist. There is a gym in the building as well, and a laundry.
What a room costs depends on the type and how long you stay, and Homes for Students holds the live figure.
See what is availableFree and cheap help at RGU
None of this is means-tested or embarrassing. It is used by a lot of people.
- Breakfast Club, free, every Tuesday morning at the Union.
- Supper Club, a free hot meal, every Thursday evening during term time. Numbers are limited and some of it is bookable in advance.
- The Kaim Shop, RGU Go Green's student-led second-hand shop at Kaim Cottage between the Aberdeen Business School and Garthdee House. Clothes, household things, books and study materials, free or close to it.
Current times move, so check RGU:Union's cost of living pages for this term's.
The RGU Discretionary Fund is a non-repayable grant for students in real financial difficulty. It covers living costs, study expenses and travel, but not tuition. You have to be from Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland, registered and attending, able to show financial hardship, and to have taken out your full student loan entitlement first. EU and international students are not eligible for this particular fund. RGU Discretionary Fund.
TOTUM, UNiDAYS and Student Beans are all free to register and all work in Aberdeen's shops, restaurants and cinemas. RGU recommends them.