Top Tips

Working Part-Time to Support Your Budget

Working part-time as a student can be a great way to supplement your income and help manage your expenses. However, it's essential to strike the right balance between work, studies, and personal time. Experts recommend limiting part-time work to a maximum of 15 hours per week to ensure you have enough time for rest, study, and recreation.

Things to Keep in Mind

• SUSI Grant: Be mindful that working significant hours might impact your household income, which could affect your eligibility for a SUSI grant. To learn more about how summer earnings affect your SUSI grant, visit this page on Summer Earnings.
• Support Available: Our Careers Development Centre can assist with your CV and prepare you for part-time or summer work opportunities.

Further Reading
For more advice on balancing work and study, check out these useful articles:

Harvard Business School: How to Balance Work and School: 7 Strategies
Times Higher Education: How to Juggle University with Part-Time Work
Bright Network: How to Balance University with Working Part-Time

Top Tips for Smart Student Budgeting

• Apply for all the financial support you are eligible for
• Being organised will save money
  • Cook meals and prepare lunch at home to bring to college, there are microwaves on campus to heat up meals. Explore affordable, healthy meal ideas with the TU Dublin TU Dublin Healthy Campus Cookbook and Healthy Campus Cookbook 2025 Vol 2 , packed with sustainable recipes to help you eat well on a student budget
  • Use reusable water bottle, topping up throughout the day
  • If you like a sweet treat or packet of crisps, buy a multi pack in the supermarket, bringing one into college each day
• Use second hand and vintage shops. Using online platforms like Vinted and Depop to buy, sell and swap clothes
• Use public transport, walk or cycle
  • Use the gym equipment in your local park - its free all year round!
• Know your discounts, use your student card, and leap card for money off purchases.
  • Sign up for the membership cards in the grocery shops to avail of discounted prices
• Join clubs and societies for free and discounted events and trips. 
• Attending university and Student Union events which are free, often these events have free food!
• Download Borrowbox with your local authority library card ID to access free audiobooks and ebooks

Tips submitted by students: 

• Take shorter showers 
• Remember to knock off the lights to keep the bills low
• Put the heat on only if necessary, grab a blanket!
• Split costs on membership with friends - Spotify, Netflix etc
• Fill in the college quizzes, chance to win free stuff.
• Attend the college events - usually free food!
• Join TU Dublin societies... Diceys on Mondays!
• Save the coin, use Uniday, Tesco clubcard, food banks, student card, vinted, depop, charity shops.
• Meal prep / cook at home, use the microwaves on campus to heat food. 
• Know your fixed costs and budget accordingly
• The SVP society run a food pantry on campus, its free food every week!