What will the whole programme cost?

A first-year fee is not a programme budget. Make one column for each year or study stage, and use the institution’s current fee schedule to fill it in. Record the currency, whether the figure is annual or total, and whether an increase is specified. If a number is not published, mark it as unconfirmed and ask for a written estimate.

• Tuition, registration and compulsory academic charges.
• Accommodation deposits, rent, meals and utilities.
• Travel between home and campus, local transport and any required overseas stages.
• Books, software, a suitable laptop and project materials.
• Insurance or other mandatory charges where applicable.
• A reasonable contingency for costs you cannot yet confirm.

Some deposits may be refundable; record their conditions separately while still allowing for the initial cash payment.

Create a base case using only confirmed funding, then a second case including a potential scholarship. This lets the family see whether the programme remains workable if the award does not arrive. For a renewable award, check whether it covers every year, which fees it reduces and what performance is needed to keep it.

List the dates when application fees, acceptance deposits and instalments are payable. A programme may fit your total budget but require a large early payment. Before paying, read the institution’s current cancellation and refund terms and ask it to clarify anything you do not understand. For a route priced in another currency, record the exchange-rate assumption used in your planning.

Bring three figures: confirmed costs, estimated costs and the amount still unknown. Agree on a comfortable budget before discussing stretch options. This worksheet is for organising education costs; decisions about borrowing or investments need advice appropriate to your family’s circumstances.