Postgraduate taught cost of attendance

The cost of attendance is displayed here as a requirement for the purposes of US Federal Direct Loan administration.


The cost of attendance for a student is an estimate of that student's educational expenses for their annual period of enrollment.

The US Govt. Higher Education Act, Sec. 472, allows the use of average expenses rather than actual expenses for all full-time students in the same category. See more information on US funding.

Example exchange rate

The annual cost of attendance has been converted to US dollars (USD) using an estimated exchange rate of £1 GBP = $1.40 USD.

  • Important: This is not the rate that will be used to exchange loan funds. This is an example rate, marked up each April, in order to give US Loan borrowers access to the maximum available loan funds while allowing for exchange rate fluctuations during the academic year. This is because the university does not administer exchange rate recalculations during the academic year.
  • Please note, these are the maximum borrowing values and most students do not need to borrow the full amount.

Additional guidance on money

Managing money as an international student can come with challenges, from budgeting and banking to understanding everyday costs in the UK.

Read our practical guidance on money matters, written to help international students understand what to expect and how to plan with confidence.

Postgraduate taught estimated cost of attendance for 2025-2026

Item GBP sterling USD dollars
Tuition fees (actual tuition fees tables) £27,945 $39,123
Catered residence fees or rent, utilities, food £13,708 $19,191
Travel (based on two trips each year) £2,000 $2,800
Computer equipment, books, etc. £1,200 $1,680
Personal, living expenses for 50 weeks £5,000 $7,000
Visa £524 $734
Immigration healthcare surcharge £1,164 $1,630
Totals £51,541 $72,158

Important: The dollar value for every loan disbursement will be converted to sterling based on the exchange rate on the day that the funds are received by the University's bank.

Adjustments to the cost of attendance for additional needs

US Federal Law also permits the university to increase an individual cost of attendance for some additional costs, including, but not limited to:

  • an allowance for dependent care
  • an allowance to assist with any disability

For further information on extenuating costs please contact usloan@st-andrews.ac.uk.