Best Free Apps for International Students in UK – In the past, as much as moving abroad was exciting, it also seemed like a nightmare to be lost in a foreign land due to a lack of knowledge of the lifestyle, networks, accessibility, and places in the city.

However, with the advent of technology, most information is now available with a few taps. Making new friends, finding accommodation, ordering from your favourite restaurant, buying new goodies, watching movies, and so much more just with your smartphone.

Here are a few mobile applications that you must have to stay hassle-free as an international student in the UK. 

1. University App

University apps will guide your academic life at university, at least during the first few weeks of your studies. They will have information about your courses, attendance, notices, and announcements. 

You might learn about the clubs and communities in the university that you can join based on your interests, book combined study sessions at libraries, check your class and exam schedules, and submit your assignments.

Some interactive apps provide university campus maps, helping users locate the right blocks and halls. Basically, it is the go-to place to get academic information about your college. 

2. Too good to go 

This app allows you to get bags of food cheaply, but the catch is that you don’t get to choose the food items. 

Too Good to Go, also called TGTG, has partnered with restaurants, cafes and bakeries in eight cities in the UK- New York City, San Francisco, Miami, Austin, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and Boston, to sell the excess food produced on that day for a minimal price to solve the problem of food wastage.

This is a win-win situation for the consumers, restaurants, and the environment. The consumers get good food at a meagre price, and restaurants make a nominal amount on these sales. The food would otherwise be thrown in a dumpster, causing food wastage. 

So, at the end of each day, you can get a surprise bag of food for a nominal price, and the users have been loving it.

3. Xe money transfer

Money transactions from one country to another are expensive. Since it involves exchange rates and transfer charge cuts, a chunk of the money you transfer gets paid to the service provider, yet an app for money transfers from your home country to your host country is essential. 

Several apps in the market are at your disposal to transfer money, from which you can compare the available apps and choose the one for you. 

One such application is Xe money transfer, which helps you transfer money at a minimal cost of $3 for transactions under $500 and no charges for transactions above that limit. It offers multiple transfer modes, such as bank transfers, debit, and credit cards. It also allows cash pickup on the app, making your transfers to and from your home country easier.

4. Citimapper

This is the most convenient way to travel within the city. It is similar to Google Maps but better since real-time data power it. It gives you complete guidance on which mode of transport is the best to move from one place to another. 

Provides you with the best transit route with a combination of modes of transport. It even includes voice navigation for people on bikes, ranks routes by fare, provides data about the traffic congestion on the roads, and more such features are available. 

You can access more features by paying a small subscription fee of £1.49 / month. This is the best app for international students in the UK to explore the city conveniently and within a budget.

5. Spare room

This is a platform to find co-living spaces, typically used to find roommates. One way to stick within the budget is sharing a room or a house. You can share your rent/ lease cost and other bills and chores. 

Spareroom is a widely used application for finding roommates in the UK. It is a free tool, and 85% of the users don’t pay to use the site. However, some people pay to use the early bird privileges of being notified first when a listing is posted, and if they are the listers, they may pay a premium for their listings to appear bold on top of the search.

Though it has downsides, it remains the go-to app for international students to find shared stays in the UK.

5. Student beans

This is an excellent app for college students who want to get deals. You can Sign in using your college e-mail ID to get coupons and discount codes to shop on websites.

This can be a great opportunity to save money while shopping on a tight budget. You can shop from big brands in various industries, such as clothing, accessories, resorts, online music subscriptions, adventure trips, insurance, electronics, and more. 

This is a place where brands run student loyalty programs that students can make maximum use of. This is one of the must-have apps for international students in the UK.

6. Splitwise

Sharing is caring, but that doesn’t mean you bear all the costs. Being an international student means you share most of your resources with others, hang out with friends, and go on trips as a group. 

While enjoying your time together, you might need to catch up on keeping track of the expenditures, but you might also need to know who contributed how much to the expenditures. 

Instead of meticulously calculating the expenses manually, you can just post the payments you made on the app, and so can the other group members. Later, you can settle the balances you owe each other—no more awkward discussions of who owes whom after your trip. 

7. Whatsapp

This is the most used communication app, not just by students but also by everybody. It is an essential app for international students to communicate with their friends and family in their home country and the UK since it is free for audio and video calls. 

There are many communication apps, like Meta Messenger, Skype, Zoom, and even Instagram. However, WhatsApp has been the most preferred app and continues to be a staple for international students.

8. Trainline

Have you ever thought of going to a place by train/bus and you need to switch a few trains to get there? 

I don’t know about you, but it is pretty scary to me because I have a fear of boarding the wrong train and reaching a place different from what I intended. 

If you have that fear, too, then Trainline is the app for you. Through Trainline, you can find the right trains and buses at the cheapest ticket prices and live details about the train timings, platform numbers, etc. 

This is the best app for an international student in the UK if you want to travel across cities on a budget.

9. Eventbrite

As an international student, you will want to go to events to take a break from your studies, make new friends, and have fun. 

This app helps you do just that. It allows you to find local events like food festivals, yoga sessions, and charity events. 

The app brings people together for new experiences. It is your go-to app for exploring new experiences as an international student. 

While there are many such apps for different purposes, these are the primary apps for international students in the UK to have handy for essentials like food, travel, clothing, accommodation, and social gatherings. 

These apps for international students in UK will make your life easier. But to study abroad, you might not be able to complete the work in a few taps; instead, it requires more work. Expert assistance will come in handy during the entire process. 

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