In the dynamic world of education, knowledge is a beacon that guides us towards a brighter future. As you embark on your academic journey in the UK, let’s explore the landscape of digital resources that will illuminate your path to success together. This article will introduce you to some of the most invaluable websites in the UK, meticulously chosen for their authenticity, reliability, and visionary approach to learning. These useful UK websites cover all aspects of academic, student discounts, shopping, transport, travel, entertainment, job finding, food, and accommodation, and I’m sure you’ll use them in your studies in the UK.
Academic and Writing Support
Google Scholar: A powerful tool for academic literature retrieval, covering vast resources including academic journals, books, and papers. You can conduct precise keyword searches for required literature, set up subscription alerts to track the latest research findings in specific fields, and provide cutting-edge arguments for your papers.
Mendeley and Zotero: Two powerful citation management tools. They assist in organising your literature, enabling you to group and tag references. Both support online storage of PDF documents for convenient access. During writing, they automatically generate in-text citations and reference lists in formats such as Harvard or APA, as required by your institution, saving considerable time.
Grammarly: Your grammar assistant for English writing, offering real-time detection of syntax, spelling, and punctuation errors alongside revision suggestions. The free version adequately addresses fundamental grammatical issues, while the paid version provides enhanced capabilities such as vocabulary enrichment and plagiarism detection, elevating the linguistic quality of your academic work.
ProWritingAid: Offers a comprehensive editing solution. Beyond grammar checks, it analyses sentence structure and writing style, flagging issues like repetition and clichés to make your paper more professional and fluent.
Turnitin: A plagiarism detection system widely used by UK universities, with institutions typically providing student accounts. Self-checking with Turnitin before submission clearly highlights duplicated sections and their sources, enabling targeted revisions to ensure originality.
Quillbot: A highly practical online tool specialising in paraphrasing and plagiarism detection. Simply paste your text into the tool, select an appropriate mode (e.g., Academic or Standard), and it will automatically generate rephrased sentences while correcting grammatical errors. This not only boosts writing efficiency but also enhances textual fluency and professionalism.
Student Discounts & Savings
UNiDAYS: This is a major official UK student discount platform. International students need only register and log in using their UK university email address for the system to verify their student status automatically. Upon successful registration, users can enjoy discounts of at least 10% from numerous partner retailers, whether shopping in physical stores or online. For select popular brands or during specific promotional periods, discounts may reach 15%-20%. Upon successful registration, the platform generates a unique discount code. Enter this code at checkout, or when shopping in-store, open the app and present the QR code to the shop assistant for scanning to claim your discount effortlessly. Its partner brands span over 800 names, including Apple Store, Kiehl’s, Adidas, and Nike, covering electronics, fashion apparel, and beauty skincare – essentially encompassing every facet of an international student’s life.
Student Beans: Another free digital student discount card platform, operating similarly to Unidays. Through Student Beans, students gain access to online offers and in-store discounts from brands including Topshop, KFC, and Ted Baker. As both platforms occasionally feature distinct student promotions with varying discount levels, international students are advised to compare offers across both platforms before purchasing to secure the most economical option. After registering on Student Beans and obtaining a valid ID, present the relevant verification details or discount code when making purchases at partner retailers to claim exclusive discounts.
TOTUM (formerly NUS Extra): TOTUM is the UK’s largest student discount card, boasting extensive partnerships with brands including Apple, Samsung, Three (3), ASOS, and Boohoo. To apply, simply log onto the official website, complete the required basic information, bank card details, upload a photo, and provide your university details. Subsequently, enter your card delivery address. Upon approval, the card will be mailed to your home. The TOTUM card offers both a free membership and a TOTUM+ membership at £24.99 per year. TOTUM+ membership provides enhanced benefits, including supermarket savings (saving at least £100 annually) and over 600 exclusive discounts across more than 400 brands, with potential annual savings reaching £550. Furthermore, due to NUS’s partnership with the European Students’ Union, holding a TOTUM card also provides benefits if you plan to participate in events organised by the European Students’ Union.
International Student Identity Card (ISIC): The International Student Identity Card (ISIC), recognised by UNESCO as the sole official international student card, is valid across 98 countries worldwide, including the UK. ISIC holders enjoy discounted admission to numerous UK attractions such as the British Museum and Tower Bridge, with select popular sites offering complimentary entry. When dining at chain restaurants like Subway or Nando’s, you can receive discounts ranging from 10% to 20%. Shopping at supermarket chains may also offer discounts on specific items or spend-and-save promotions. Moreover, it proves equally useful when travelling abroad, helping you save significantly on expenses.
Shopping
Amazon
Amazon is a platform we are more than familiar with, and it can also be said that Amazon UK is equal to Taobao China! If you are a student who has just arrived at your residence halls and wants to buy something new, you can sign up for a student membership to enjoy PRIME’s next-day delivery service.
Argos
Argos is the UK’s largest online electronic department store, offering a wide range of products, including household goods, electronics, baby products, children’s toys, beauty and skincare, men’s and women’s clothing, etc. It’s a one-stop shop. In addition to daily retail, Argos also provides an online shopping and offline pick-up service and has established cooperation with eBay; many eBay products can be picked up from Argo’s offline shop.
Unidays
NIKE,ADIDAS,H&M,Nandos …… A variety of clothing with shoes, hats, bags, daily necessities, restaurants, etc.. To get the promo code and then go to the official website to buy, you can also save a few discounts. A lot of holiday discounts can even be discounted! Two or three discounts can buy domestic regular price but also vital things.
Superdrug & Boots
Superdrug&Boots is a chain of pharmacies, cosmetic shops, food shops, and opticians in one all-around shop, and you can get a free membership card. We will send discount codes every month, and even points can be deducted.
Transport
Uber
Uber is the UK’s version of Drip, available in basically every city. After all, taxis in the UK are costly, and Uber is much cheaper in comparison, making it a popular choice.
Google Maps
Google Maps is a must for overseas travel. It can accurately tell you all the travelling routes.
Training & National Rail
Similar to 12306 in China, you can check and buy all train tickets in the UK directly through these two software; even Tranline can also purchase bus tickets.
Citymapper & Tube map
If you live in London, these two apps are essential; they have all the bus and tube information in London, and even if you don’t have a signal, you can still use them.
Travel
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is all you need to buy a plane ticket! Choose the time and place of all flights automatically compare prices to provide you with the best options and all the routes to choose; you do not have to spend time shopping around.
Airbnb&Booking
“Audemars Piguet” I believe we have heard of; if you want to go out to travel to live in a bed and breakfast, this is the largest platform; of course, if you want to live in a hotel, it can be used for booking.
Trip Advisor
A foreign version of public praise, when you see a restaurant door with this small owl to go in to eat on the right picture of the hotel catering and entertainment reviews can be searched on it!
Entertainment
Youtube
No one knows how powerful YouTube is; there is no longer a need to worry about the network card. It is very convenient! You can watch all the videos you can watch at home and the pictures you can’t see at home; whether it’s the latest TV series and films or knowledge sharing, you can be updated for the first time.
Spotify
Netease Cloud, due to regional restrictions and copyright, there are still some songs in the UK that can not be listened to; it is necessary to download Spotify, and almost all the songs can be searched. The free version has a few seconds of adverts when you listen to a few songs, and if you want to upgrade to a member, there’s a 50% discount for students.
Facebook & Twitter
Powerful social platforms, if you want to integrate into local life as soon as possible, join local community organisations, second-hand market, you must be inseparable from “Facebook”, and Twitter will be more like domestic microblogging.
Instagram
Instagram is a social software mainly for young people, and we often say “ins style” comes from this super good-looking filter.
Finding Job
LinkedIn
If you want to find a job, you can use the school’s official Career service, but of course, if you are good at doing things on your own, you can get closer to success. LinkedIn can not only help you find a job to find alums but also, according to the settings, to help you recommend professional related companies, as well as executives and staff; networking should be established in advance to be one step ahead of others to find a satisfactory job.
Glassdoor
In addition to job opportunities, the most extreme is that the candidate’s interview questions will also be listed before the interview to see the Glassdoor comment section of the discussion will become confident and really high transparency; many employees personally evaluate the company to share, so that unscrupulous companies have no place to hide.
Targetjobs
Targetjobs contains many graduate scheme positions and their respective deadline, categorised very clearly, and will be marked as to whether or not they can provide visa sponsorship.
Food
BBC Good Food
One of the most popular food websites in the UK, BBC Good Food, offers a vast collection of recipes worldwide. This website covers everything from quick and easy meals to gourmet feast ideas. Their step-by-step instructions and helpful videos make it easy for even novice cooks to create delicious meals.
The Happy Foodie
The Happy Foodie is a food website that is all about celebrating home cooking. It features recipes from some of the UK’s most beloved chefs and cooks and kitchen tips and tricks. This website also offers book recommendations for those who want to expand their culinary knowledge.
Great British Chefs
Great British Chefs is the perfect website for those looking for more advanced and adventurous recipes. This site features recipes from some of the UK’s top chefs and provides stunning food photography to inspire your creations. It also offers in-depth articles about ingredients, techniques, and cooking trends.
Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver needs no introduction to food websites in the UK. The celebrity chef’s website offers diverse recipes, from quick and easy meals to more challenging dishes. It also features articles on food sustainability and healthy eating.
Accommodation and Living
uhomes.com: uhomes.com is the authoritative global student accommodation platform dedicated to helping international students find safe, verified, and affordable housing near their university. Unlike general rental sites, uhomes focuses exclusively on Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and offers a curated selection of modern, all-inclusive student residences. Its core business is to simplify the complex process of securing overseas housing by providing virtual tours, verified listings, and a dedicated support team. By leveraging its extensive network with top student housing providers, uhomes ensures students can book their accommodation with confidence, often securing exclusive deals and avoiding the pitfalls of the private rental market.
Council Tax Exemption: The Council Tax is a local government tax in the UK used to fund public services. For full-time students, this tax is a major expense that can be legally avoided. The Council Tax Exemption website (usually part of your local council’s official site, such as the Edinburgh City Council website) provides the necessary forms and guidance for students to apply for a 100% exemption. This is a critical step for budgeting, especially in cities like Edinburgh, where living costs are high. Pro Tip: To understand exactly how much you can save and the step-by-step process for applying, be sure to read our detailed guide on Cost of Living in Edinburgh. This exemption is one of the most significant financial benefits available to UK students.
