We know how important reducing costs and having opportunities to earn money alongside your studies are to you - so here are a range of initiatives to help.
Go straight to...
- Learning resources
- Christ Church Sport and Active Health
- UPay App
- Heat and Eat spaces
- Helping you make money
Helping you save money
Whether it is the big or small expenses we are looking at ways to help reduce your costs – as we know every penny counts.
Travel and accommodation
Our campuses are all located close to city or town centres, making them easy to access by cycling or walking. We’re committed to sustainable travel and providing facilities so you can cycle to campus.
We work with a variety of transport providers to provide our students with a range of discounts when traveling by bus or train.
You can take a single journey and never pay more than £2 under a new temporary scheme. The Bus Fare Cap Grant scheme is a Government funded scheme being introduced on most single (including Child and Student) bus journeys across England until December 2024 and it includes Stagecoach and Arriva.
If you do need to travel by car why not consider car sharing - to be more sustainable and save money too!
Learning Resources
Our Libraries provide students with the free learning resources they need for their studies and have said goodbye to library fines, as we believe there should be no financial barriers for students accessing our collections.
The policy change to no library fines has been implemented in collaboration with The University of Kent and The University of Greenwich. This means the change will be in place for all our students, including those using the Drill Hall Library at Medway and our KMMS students. And, thanks to the success of saying goodbye to library fines, we're now saying adieu to admin fees too!
Plus, following a successful pilot throughout the 22-23 academic year, we’re pleased to announce that the document delivery service will remain a free service permanently. This removes the previous £2.00 charge for each document delivery request. The number of requests you can make each year remains unchanged and charges are still liable on late, lost or damaged document delivery items. For more information about the document delivery service please see our website.
Our campus Bookshop has a Price Match promise for all core recommended titles and textbooks included in your course module handbooks.
You can also cancel your magazine subscriptions because you can get them for free through the Libby App. With access to over 1000 magazine titles, it doesn’t matter what you’re interested in; sports, movies, video games, technology, cookery, music, art, fashion, travel, history, photography, or gardening we’ve got something for everyone….
As well as the amazing selection of e-books, audiobooks and magazines, we've added access to Indieflix and Qello Concerts. Scroll down in the app to the extras section to find them:
- IndieFlix allows you to stream thousands of full length classic and contemporary feature films, award-winning shorts, film festival favourites and documentaries from around the world.
- Qello Concerts features the world’s largest collection of on-demand full-length music performances, 1000s of concert films and music documentaries, with new concerts added every week. You’ll find Qello exclusive content by artists such as Dua Lipa, BLACKPINK, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Elton John, Paul Simon, Foo Fighters, Florence and the Machine and many more.
And don’t forget that as a Christ Church student you have access to free software and productivity tools via your CCCU App store.
Christ Church Sport and Active Health
We understand the financial challenges that often come with being a university student, and we're fully committed to breaking down those financial barriers when it comes to sports and getting active. Engaging in this sort of activity is more important than ever, given the social connections, physical wellbeing, and positive impact on mental health they provide.
That's why, for the third year running, we've maintained the same membership prices for our sports clubs and gym facilities. Our gym membership now also includes access to fitness classes and some sports activities. We've also introduced discounts for sports team members, and students in our accommodation get free access to our gym and classes.
We've recently re-established the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) on the main Canterbury campus; providing a space for students to enjoy all sorts of activities with friends at no cost. You can also take part in the 'pick up and play' sessions happening in the Sports Centre on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays where you can play sport for for free.
Plus, whether you’re walking to a lecture, taking your bike out for a ride, having quick swim, or going for a run - you can earn points through Christ Church Moves. Once you’ve earned enough points, you can use them to claim incredible prizes, ranging from a hot drink to sweet treats and so much more.
Did you know that there are plenty other initiatives out there to support you in saving money as a student? One of these is, in partnership with the Students’ Union, providing period products for free across all campuses. Research shows that 43% of students have struggled to afford period products at one point and at an average cost of £10 per month we hope this saving makes a difference.
Finally remember there are a range of great discount schemes available to students such as Totem or Unidays and if you are a Canterbury resident, you are eligible for a free MyCanterbury Discount Card.
Eat well for less
UPay App
CCCU is a cashless campus. UPay is a cashless and secure payment system which you can use to buy refreshments from our on-campus catering and food outlets (but not vending machines). You, and other people that you nominate, can upload funds to your UPay account from any smartphone, tablet or PC, to help you budget. It also provides access to exclusive deals, offers, free food and loyalty rewards such as:
- Loyalty offers – reward coins on our most popular items including hot drinks and our 5-item breakfast.
- Hot drink tokens – pre-purchase your hot drinks in various multiples to make savings.
- U-don’t pay – students and staff who opt-in to push notifications get notified when free food is available in our outlets that would otherwise go to waste.
To get going, download the UPay app via The App Store, Google Play or www.upay.co.uk and register for an account. To sign in for the first time, use the Single Sign On option (look for the Microsoft logo, and then enter your University computing username and password), after which you can make use of Touch ID if you prefer.
Before you can make your first purchase, you’ll need to add funds to your account. You can top up any amount between £20-100, on a pay-as-you-go basis, or by setting up auto top-ups for a fixed amount.
Once your account is set up, simply pay for your on-campus food and drink at the till by scanning the in-app QR code.
If you have any questions or comments about UPay, please contact uniware@canterbury.ac.uk.
Our catering outlets
We want to ensure all of the University community has access to nutritious, healthy food at affordable prices. This is why we have got together with our Head Chef to create our helping hand menu - a selection of classic and healthy lunch dishes costing £3.00 or less. We have also reduced our bargain breakfast to £2.20 for five items, and have great lunchtime deals like £1.50 for a pasta cup.
Heat & Eat spaces
The Catering Department are also making it easier for you to bring your own food to campus with Heat & Eat spaces. So, if you have some leftovers from your dinner, you can bring them in and heat them up in a microwave or make your own cup of tea with the hot water dispensers. You can find them in:
- Food Court, Canterbury – microwave and water boiler available
- Verena Holmes, Canterbury – microwave available (boiling water can be requested from staff in Verena Holmes Coffee Dock)
- Augustine House, Canterbury - microwave and water boiler available
- The Students' Union building has a kitchen space with microwave and hot water dispensers.
- Rowan Williams Court, Medway – microwave available (boiling water can be requested from staff in the Touchdown Café, Rowan Williams Court)
- Cathedral Court, Medway - microwave available (boiling water can be requested from staff in the Touchdown Café, Rowan Williams Court)
Helping you make money
If you are looking to earn money alongside your studies, then know that we are here to support you in finding the right opportunity for you.
Careers and Work Experience
If you are looking to earn while you learn and boost your income then sign up to our recruitment service Unitemps which has a great range of part-time jobs on offer within the University and local area.
Have you thought about becoming a Student Ambassador?
If you're looking for a way to give back to the community, inspire other students, develop your employability skills, and have a job which earns you money whilst fitting around your studies - then becoming a Student Ambassador could be for you!
Also remember our Careers and Enterprise Team are on hand to give advice in CV writing, job applications and interviews. The Careers and Enterprise Online Hub has an online CV checking tool (CV360) and an interview simulator for practise (Interview360) as well as a Job Search linked to jobs based on your degree as well as internships. Please feel free to contact them for any help you need with finding and applying for part-time work at careers@canterbury.ac.uk.
Plus, if you are looking to undertake a career development opportunity but finding it financially difficult to do so, then you may be eligible to benefit from the Career Development Fund.
The fund provides two types of bursaries for those who have a work experience opportunity that is an unpaid or low-paid role or has additional costs associated which would make it difficult for you to take up the opportunity now without financial assistance.