University of Leicester

Leicester is a public research university in the East Midlands, and its structural position is favourable on cost. Degrees run three years, because Leicester is in England, against four at a Scottish university and five for an attestat holder who needs a foundation year first. It is also outside London, so the Home Office maintenance requirement is GBP 1,171 a month rather than GBP 1,529, a saving of GBP 3,222 a year. Leicester is a mid-sized Midlands city where living costs sit well below the south-east, though the gap between the visa floor and real spending varies enormously by location and is worth checking precisely.