Higher education doesn’t come cheap and for most students, money, or the lack of it, can be a down-right pain in the hindquarters.

Managing your moolah is a skill and budgeting’s a key part of making the balance sheet, well, balance. For many students, this is a tougher deal than it sounds.

First off, you’ll need to figure out how much money you’ll have and where it’s going to come from. Then you’ll need to work out how much you’ll be spending and on what. And we’re not just talking the usual suspects, like rent and bills. Check out this section for the low down on where it all goes.

When it comes to staying in the black, work out your budget as soon as possible. Preferably before you even pack to go to university.

For those who find the question of finance as relaxing as an interview with Alan Sugar, UNIAID, a charity set up to help students figure out their finances, has come up with a student calculator that does the number crunching for you.

You’ll need to figure out how much you’ll expect to get from your student loan, bursaries, parents and the like, and what you’ll be spending it on. The calculator will then give you a budget that’ll keep you in the black. Nifty, hunh?

Check out the two types of calculator:

• The original student calculator (for UK students)
  
• The International student calculator (for overseas students coming to the UK) 

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