Saving Money as a College Student

Using on-campus resources to save money

1. Ride the Street Car

Did you know that students can use the street car for free? All you need is your student ID as your fare.  This is ideal if you already live downtown. See all of PSU's transportation options here. 

2. Rent & ride a bike 

Students can rent bikes from the PSU Bike Hub or from Biketown.

3. Use the student recreation gym

All students have access to the campus gym in the ASRC building. Per term students pay a mandatory fee of $44 (as of 2022) which is $14.66 per month. Save money on gym memberships and just use the campus gym!

4. Need legal help? Visit the SLS

Hiring a private lawyer or seeking legal advice can be costly, however, PSU has a Student Legal Center and it is worth checking in with them to see if they can assist you. 

5. Use the free tutoring services on campus

Rather than paying for a tutor, PSU has free tutoring services available to you! Learn more about that here. 

6. Apply for scholarships & grants each year

Our center compiled a whole step by step guide on applying for scholarships. Scholarships & grants are an excellent way to help pay for school. 

• Scholarship Resource Guide

7. Consider visiting SHAC for dental services

SHAC's Dental Services are 30 - 50% lower cost than other community dentists. 

8. Visit the PSU Food Pantry 

The Food Pantry offers free food to currently enrolled students. 

Saving money on college expenses

1. Do lots of research on your major before committing to one 

This may help reduce the likelihood of changing a major and needing to take all sorts of new classes. There is nothing wrong with changing a major, there are just costs associated with it that must be considered. 

2. Take classes that are related to your major and degree

Each major requires you to take major specific classes, and even some prerequisites. To make sure you are taking the right classes, be sure to meet with an  academic advisor each term. 

3. Pay your bill on time to avoid late fees

If a payment is made after the deadline, a $100 fee will be applied to your account. First be familiar with the deadlines and always try to pay on time. Second, if you ever get a late fee, you can petition against it. 

4. Wait to buy your textbooks or rent instead

The reason to wait to buy a textbook is to first see if your professor will provide one in the class (for some online classes). If they do not, then opt for renting the textbook from the bookstore over buying it. 

5. Print on campus

Rather than paying money at Fedex for printing, print for free on campus! Each student, staff, and faculty has 500 free page credits per term. You can upload your print jobs from home and print them on campus and check your remaining print balance at https://labs.print.pdx.edu. 

6. Rent items from the library 

Did you know that you can rent out laptops, webcams, headsets, calculators & more? Save money by renting instead and learn more here. 

7. Apply for the Health Insurance Waiver each year

If you have comparable health insurance, you can waive out of the PSU health insurance. Make sure to submit the health insurance waiver before the deadline. If you miss the deadline you can submit a missed deadline appeal. 

Save money in general

1. Pack food from home

Eating out every meal can add up. Consider packing homemade meals from home instead! 

2. Use student discounts when shopping

Did you know that students can qualify for discounts? This blog post compiled a whole list of discounts that students are eligible for. Here is another list of discounts that are available to students & alumni. 

3. Choose housing wisely

Housing is arguably one of the largest expenses that people have. When deciding on your living situation, be sure to consider how it fits into your budget before signing any leases. Portland State made a webpage on housing in Portland to help you with your search. 

4. Make a budget

If you are not familiar with budgeting, it is simply the process of tracking your income & spending. See this presentation on Building a Budget with the FWC for more context. If you need help with setting up a budget, consider meeting with an FWC Financial Coach to help you.