Money, money, money. We love to spend it but earning it is another story. As a student, money can bring with it a lot of stress. Learning to control your finances is a big step, and you will eventually get there! Meanwhile, take a look at these 10 ways you can get free money. We hope this helps all the students struggling!
1. Bursaries
You can apply for bursaries. There are plenty of bursaries available to students for many different reasons. Some are based on academic performance whereas some are based solely on your background, etc. It may be of interest to spend some time looking into your university website to see whether they offer bursaries!
2. Scholarships
A scholarship is a sum of money that either the university or another private foundation may award to a student. Similar to bursaries, there are several types of scholarships available, and I’m sure you may tick the box somewhere. Scholarships may be awarded once or repeatedly. 100% this is worthwhile your time to dive into and research about!
3. Grants
You may be lucky to be awarded a grant. Grants are not like loans in the aspect that you do not have to pay it back. It is a sum of money, usually donated by the government or an organization such as your university. Look online and test your luck by applying to various grants which may be applicable to yourself.
4. Switch banks
Research different banks and find out which offer you the best options! Many banks give interest based on the amount of money you save and store in your account. Some banks may offer more. Santander offers a free railcard for students, and other banks may offer different services. This may be of some use and help save some money for you!
5. Money for referring friends
Various websites and companies offer money or discounts if you ‘refer a friend’. For example, if you refer a friend on UberEats you can get a certain percentage of your total cost deducted. These small changes definitely add up in the long run!
6. Check if you’re owed tax
It may be worthwhile looking into your finances and seeing if everything adds up. You may be owed tax or a certain sum of money. Look into this!
7. Apps
Download apps for student discounts and other money saving hacks. A lot of restaurants have apps with deals on too, like McDonald’s and KFC. . These apps help students to save money on thousands of different brands.
8. Earn interest
If you’re someone who is good at saving money, open a savings account with your bank and store all of your savings in there. The interest won’t seem like much to start with, but it will slowly build up!
9. Lifetime ISA
If you set up a LISA you can set money aside every month, and the government will give you a 25% bonus on anything you save. However, you can only withdraw this if you’re using it to buy a house or if you’re over 60.
10. Scan your receipts
If you keep your receipts, apps like Storewards, Shoppix and Huyu will pay for images of your receipts. They pay in tokens or coins, which you can then withdraw through Amazon or PayPal.
