When university students aren't busy studying hard or enjoying some social time, they might relax and watch TV.

Nowadays you can choose from thousands of channels, endless streaming services, YouTube content and more, long gone are the days of only live TV.

While many often now watch streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus or Amazon Prime Video, for the times you watch live TV, you must pay for it.

In the same way, you pay for streaming, you also have to pay for a TV licence, but does that apply to university students?

Do students need to pay for a TV licence? 

According to TV Licensing, all university students need a licence in order to watch live TV.

This includes if you are living in:

  • Student halls
  • House or flat share with separate tenancy agreement
  • Property with joint tenancy 

However, you may not need to pay for a licence if you are all already covered at another address and only watch on devices that aren’t plugged into the mains (like a laptop or phone) and you have a licence at your out-of-term address.

What can you watch with a TV licence?

If you have a TV licence you can watch the following:

  • National and regional TV channels like BBC One and other BBC channels
  • BBC iPlayer - all content on the streaming service
  • Radio and BBC Sounds 
  • BBC News and BBC Sports

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What happens if I watch TV without a licence?

If you choose to watch BBC channels, such as BBC iPlayer, without a TV licence, you could risk a fine of up to £1,000 plus costs.

It could also lead to criminal convictions.

How much is a TV licence?

A TV license will cost you £169.50 a year, with the choice to pay monthly for £14.12 or quarterly for £43.62.