Apps you didn’t know you needed as an international student in the UK

As one of the world’s most popular educational destinations, the UK is the perfect place to study and pursue your dreams. It’s home to some of the world’s top universities, has an accessible transport system and plenty of exciting opportunities and experiences for the adventurous soul. 

Still, living abroad for the first time can be exciting but difficult for any student. Aside from managing your studies, you’ll have to juggle your finances, making new friends, and fending for yourself. 

The best apps are developed to help you with everything, from your studies to travelling — and luckily, the UK has an abundance of this. Many have been designed to ease your transition into your new life, helping you lead a happier, healthier student experience.

Here are five of the best apps you probably didn’t know you needed as an international student in the UK.

5 best apps for international students in the UK

1. Student Beans 

Who doesn’t love a good discount? With Student Beans, you’ll be able to receive all the student discounts available — and all for free!

Launched in 2005, Student Beans was created by brothers James and Michael Eder. Their aim was to provide goods and services at a discounted price for students. To do this, the brothers created a platform that gives students an affordable way of purchasing from the brands that they love. 

Today, Student Beans is one of the best apps for students in the UK. It has partnerships with over 750 major brands, from fashion and books to electronics, entertainment and even restaurants. You can expect exclusive student deals, including 20% off Gymshark, 15% off Pandora, 35% off Domino’s Pizza and many more. 

Student Beans is available on iOS and Android. Download and register the app to get a free digital student ID card, which can be used to get discounted prices online and in stores. 

Too Good to Go stops restaurants from wasting food while allowing you to get your hands on delicious food. Source: Boris Cambreleng/AFP

2. Too Good to Go 

Every day, many restaurants have to resort to throwing away their unsold food once their doors close. Much of this food is still perfectly fine and is still edible — leading to a large amount of unnecessary waste.

Enter Too Good To Go. This app was invented to connect restaurants with people that are looking for free food or willing to buy it at a discounted price. 

For international students that are on a budget and looking for ways to save money, this app is the answer to your prayers. Now you can enjoy delicious meals without having to spend a lot of money — all whilst ensuring no food goes to waste.

Download Too Good To Go from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to get your hands on some good food today. 

3. Stint

Living abroad comes with many expenses, such as rent, transportation and food. As a result, many international students take up part-time jobs to ease the burden.

Thankfully with Stint, international students in the UK can now easily find part-time jobs. As the name says, the app allows students to find shifts or ‘stints’ that are available for up to three hours in local businesses. The best part? You don’t need to have any prior work experience to sign up.

Stint offers jobs across many fields, including consulting, babysitting, waitressing and many more. More than that, you can narrow your search to find part-time jobs based on your schedule and free time. 

All you have to do is first download the app, log in and update your availability. When a local business such as a restaurant or clothes shop needs extra help, you will be notified if your details match. 

Stint is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 

Splitting bills is always a difficult task, but with Splitwise you don’t have to worry. Source: Scott Heins/AFP

4. Splitwise

As an international student in a foreign country, there are many activities that you may end up doing as a group. This includes sharing an apartment, planning a trip with your friends and sharing meals. 

With all these expenses comes splitting the bill. You may find it hard to keep track of the money that you owe your friends, or that has been borrowed from you. 

Splitwise was designed to overcome this problem. The app allows you to precisely calculate the money owed by each person when a bill is split. You can now easily split your apartment rent, grocery, utility bills and meals with your friends without the hassle of any complicated calculations. 

What’s even better is that the app will send them a reminder via email and text so you will not have to have that awkward conversation that we all dread when we have to chase someone up for money.

Splitwise is available for download on IOS and Android.

5. Eventbrite 

If you are the kind of person that enjoys events and are constantly looking for new adventures, Eventbrite is the app you need. It’s an independent platform allowing you to create or attend local events, and it’s all just one click away. 

If you are an international student in the UK, attending events are a great way to entertain yourself. From music concerts to interesting festivals, everything is on offer on Eventbrite, making it one of the best apps for cultural and artistic experiences. On top of that, Eventbrite has plenty of free events, as well, so you don’t have to worry about spending too much money.

What are you waiting for? Download Eventbrite from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store today.