How to learn and study in the UK at low (or no) cost

Books, tutors, study tools, materials … the prices all add up. Whether you are a student at school, college or university or hoping to swot up on a topic independently, there are ways around some of the costs if you know where to look.

Check out uni websites

Many universities offer free online short courses, which often cover a range of topics. Most aren’t official qualifications but could be a beneficial addition to your CV, or an induction into a topic you are hoping to explore at a deeper level.

They usually come with a lesson plan for students to follow over a number of weeks but some also offer the option to study at your own pace.

US institutions, such as Harvard and Stanford universities, offer free courses covering social sciences, humanities, business, literature, art, education and teaching that are pre-recorded and can be accessed via their websites.

Similarly, the Open University offers free courses in history and the arts, including topics such as art and the Mexican Revolution or historical perspectives on race.

A wide range of options can be found on Coursera, a platform that consolidates online courses from universities around the globe.

For example, the University of Alberta is offering lessons on indigenous Canada, and Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, offers beginner Korean. These can be accessed remotely at no cost, although if you wish to download a certificate, you may need to pay a small fee.

Find remote options

For recognised certificates, platforms such as Alison offer free and low-cost courses that can gain you diplomas and other recognised qualifications.

Open Study College provides vocational courses, such as animal care, beauty therapy and fitness, with a payment plan option that means students pay about £10 to £15 a month, depending on the certificate.

If you are job hunting or hoping to sharpen your skills, websites such as Reed offer a multitude of resources aimed at boosting CVs.

For example, Reed Courses has scores of free courses, including counselling with certification, and editing for radio and TV production.

The site also features a list of discounted, or government-funded courses, as well as payment plans for those that come with a fee.

For technology-specific classes, try US-based Codecademy, which has free coding lessons, as well as Google’s online free courses, which centre around building digital skills and increasing employability in the tech field.

However, if you are looking for a more creative route, try searching for free courses on Eventbrite, which regularly features free events hosted across the UK, from free life drawing to cooking tutorials.

Order secondhand books

Academic books can be picked up online and are often in great condition because of their temporary use in syllabuses.

Try secondhand websites such as Wob and AbeBooks if you are after something specific that probably won’t be available in your local charity shop (unfortunately, another good site, the UK-based Book Depository, is closing on 26 April).

These sites regularly sell unused workbooks and niche textbooks for every level of learner, usually for a great deal less than the retail price.

If a book is proving difficult to source, try searching for the title on Amazon and looking for the secondhand options underneath the listings.

Comparison sites such as BookFinder.com will also provide a list of secondhand shops currently selling your desired title. Remember to sell your books on after you have finished with them.

Digital downloads

Digital copies of books can often be a lot cheaper than physical ones (although you may need to print off pages depending on your study style).

Amazon’s Kindle store usually has low-cost book titles, and a Kindle device is not necessary to read these ebooks – the user only needs to download the free Kindle app on any device.

Not-for-profit organisations also tend to provide free downloads of study materials. For older and classic titles, try Project Gutenberg, a volunteer organisation that uploads texts where the US copyright has expired. Download texts for free.

Open Culture similarly offers free textbooks and learning materials, with a particularly extensive list of resources for language learners.

There are also a lot of free downloadable materials and support for school-age learners.

One of the most obvious is the BBC’s Bitesize platform, which expanded its resources significantly during the coronavirus pandemic’s explosion in remote learning.

Students can tailor academic materials by key stage, year group and whether they go to school in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Alongside this, BBC Sounds offers free audiobooks that feature some of the titles on school curriculums.

Elsewhere, the School of Life has downloadable learning packs for children that aim to help with learning relationship skills, art as a form of therapy, and nature. Meanwhile, Oxford University’s Oxplore programme provides a free platform and accompanying resources for encouraging children to engage with philosophical debates.

Local and online libraries

Don’t discount local libraries and the online network they come with. A free library card can be vital to gaining access to online library platforms as well as providing an additional study space.

Head to the UK government’s website to find your local library’s catalogue, and ask a librarian if they are able to order a book from another branch for you if necessary.

“One of the ways I kept costs down while at university was to get the required reading list from my lecturers on the first day of term, then head to the library,” Connor McAuley at the personal finance blog Foundered says.

“Usually, you can keep the books for two to three weeks and then extend this for the following two to three weeks,” he adds.

Library card holders within some council areas will also have access to online facilities such as Ziptales, a children’s book and learning site that is available across England and Wales in boroughs such as Merthyr Tydfil, Sunderland and Waltham Forest.

Meanwhile, Open Library allows anyone to sign up for a free account and access books “on loan” for a limited time. Alternatively, the British Library has a free Reader Pass for its reading rooms, as well as access to digitised historical documents and manuscripts.

Download free study apps

There is a plethora of free apps available, tailored to a variety of topics and study styles.

Consider practical study apps such as Memrise for flashcard creation, Easy Referencing for help with citations, and Focus Keeper for time management.

The not-for-profit organisation Khan Academy has a free app with tailored lessons on maths, science and history for various levels.

More casual free learning apps, such as Duolingo, also exist for more relaxed language studying.

Don’t forget to check out YouTube, which has a host of videos across a range of topics.