Studying in the UK: what to do in your first month

Before you land: what to carry in your hand luggage

Your first day goes much more smoothly when the papers that matter are in your cabin bag, not in a suitcase that might arrive late. Keep your passport, your visa or entry permission, the university offer or enrolment confirmation, your accommodation booking and contact details, and proof of how you are paying for the course. Ask your university which of these an officer might ask to see at the border, because each school and each course can differ.

Also save offline copies. Photograph every page, keep a PDF in cloud storage and send one copy to a family member in Thailand. If a bag is lost or a phone dies, you can still prove who you are and where you are going.

The first 48 hours: arrive, get online, sleep

Jet lag and a new city make simple tasks feel heavy, so keep the first two days short. Your goals are modest: get from the airport to your accommodation, collect keys, tell your family you arrived and eat something familiar. Decide the route before you fly, whether that is a train, coach or pre-booked car, and screenshot the address and directions so they open without a signal.

1. 1Switch on data you set up in advanceInstall your travel eSIM before departure, and switch it on after landing. Check that data roaming for that line is on and your Thai SIM keeps receiving SMS.
2. 2Tell someone you landedSend a short message with your address. It takes a minute and saves a lot of worry at home.
3. 3Check in with your accommodationTake photos of the room and the inventory on the first day, because these protect your deposit later.
4. 4Buy only essentialsBedding, a plug adapter, basic food and a UK-compatible phone charger are enough for now.

Immigration papers, enrolment and the student office

Universities usually run an arrival or welcome period with set dates for identity checks, enrolment and collecting a student card. Treat those dates as fixed. Read every email from the international student office and put each deadline in your calendar. If the process asks you to show your immigration status or collect a document, follow the instructions in that email rather than what a friend did a few years ago, because the procedure has changed over time.

• Student ID or card, often needed for transport discounts, library and building access
• A university email account, which most services use to verify you are a student
• An enrolment or student status letter, which banks and landlords often ask for
• Any rules on work hours attached to your permission, which you should read before applying for a job

Phone and data: UK number, travel eSIM or Thai number

You will eventually want a UK number for your bank, your landlord, deliveries and a doctor's surgery. For the first days, though, a short-term travel eSIM is a reasonable bridge: you can get data on arrival for maps, tickets and messages without hunting for a shop while tired. Your Thai number can stay as a second line so one-time passcodes from Thai banks still reach you, as long as your Thai plan supports roaming or you can receive SMS by another route. Check this with your Thai operator before you leave, as arrangements vary.

Wi-Fi in halls, libraries and cafes is common, but sign-in or limits often apply, so do not rely on it for banking or anything private.

Opening a UK bank account

Many banks offer student accounts, and most ask for proof of identity, proof of student status and often a UK address. Timing is the usual obstacle: you need an address for the account, and some landlords and services want an account in return. Start by asking your university whether it provides a bank letter, and book an appointment if the bank requires one. Compare conditions yourself rather than picking whoever has a stall at the welcome fair.

Until the account is live, keep your Thai debit or credit card as the main payment method, and tell your Thai bank you are abroad so the card is not blocked. Look at the foreign transaction fee and the exchange-rate method on each card before relying on it, and see our guide on how card exchange rates work.

Health: registering with a GP and knowing who to call

Do not wait until you are ill. Registering with a local doctor's surgery, known as a GP, is usually done in the first weeks, and your university will normally explain how. Many students also register with the campus health service if there is one. Whether a health charge was included in your visa application and what it covers depends on your situation, so confirm with your university and the official source. Dental and eye care are often handled differently from general medicine.

Medicines from Thailand may be restricted or need paperwork, so ask your doctor and the relevant authority before you pack them. In an emergency the long-standing UK number is 999, but confirm before you travel. For urgent but not life-threatening advice, your university or surgery will tell you which line to use.

Getting around: trains, buses and contactless

Local transport differs sharply between cities. London has its own system and many cities have their own bus operators and apps, so check what your city uses before buying a pass. Contactless bank cards are accepted on a lot of local transport, but confirm the fare rules for the city you live in. Rail operators and the national rail system offer young-person or student discounts through cards you must apply for, and the details change, so read the operator's own page.

Save offline maps of your campus area. Your phone is then useful even in a basement lecture hall or on a rural train line with weak coverage.

Housing, deposits and household basics

If you rent privately, read the tenancy agreement slowly and ask the university accommodation service to check it if they offer this. Ask what the deposit is, where it will be held and how it is returned. Never send money for a room you have not verified through a trusted route, since rental scams aimed at new arrivals are a known risk. Photograph meter readings, check how bills are split and note when rent is due.

Budgeting in baht and avoiding money surprises

Track spending in pounds but also convert weekly to baht so that your family and you see the same picture. Exchange rates move, and card networks and banks apply their own rate and fees, which can differ from what you see on a search engine. Keep a small buffer for the first month, because deposits, bedding, books and travel all arrive at once. Set up alerts in your banking apps, and keep a second payment method in a different place in case a card is lost.

Safety, scams and settling your routine

New students are targeted by messages claiming to be from a tax office, a bank or an immigration service demanding urgent payment. Official bodies do not normally ask you to pay by gift card or transfer to a personal account. If something feels rushed, stop and call your university. Do the same with job offers that ask for a fee upfront.

By the end of week four, you should have a routine: a commute you know, a bank, a doctor registered, a phone plan, and one or two people you can call. Join one club or society, since friendships make the practical problems feel smaller.

See eSIM options for the United Kingdom