How Many Hours of Study Should A Uni Student Do (Effective Studying)

If you're wondering how many hours of study should a uni student do...you're not alone. Whether you're a full-time student or a part-time student, when it comes to your studies- time management is everything!

Every student knows that university involves a lot of work, but how many hours should a U.K uni student study each week? The answer may surprise you!

As a former student I remember how stressful and annoying it was overthinking the amount of time I would spend studying and worrying it was either too much or not enough.

Before we head into details, here's a quick answer so you can get started right away levelling up your study game!

Depending on the person and the course they are doing. A general guideline is that for every hour spent in class, a student should spend two to three hours outside of class preparing for assignments and exams. This number can increase or decrease depending on how difficult the subject matter is and how well the student learns. 20 to 30 hours is a good figure to aim for.

Ok so now we've got the mini brief, let's expand a little more and take a look at some background on studying and some interesting facts!

This post is all about how many hours of Study should a Uni Student do.

HOW MANY HOURS OF STUDY SHOULD A UNI STUDENT DO (UK)

When I was a student my study schedule was a lot more ambitious than the average student's and I believed it was the best way to achieve my short term and long term academic goals.

I graduated with a First Class Law Degree, so it worked for me.

So, if you are serious about achieving the overall grade that you want, then don't leave it last minute to put together your study plan/ schedule.

 Here is an example of what it could look like:

Base on this study schedule, you would spend 6 hours a day studying. If we do the maths: 6hrs x 5 days a week. Thats 30 hours a week on study.

Remember plans change, so your study plan/ schedule should be used only as a guide. Use your free time to chill, hang with friends, go see your family. Binge-watch that netflix show you put on your watch list for when you have time, do anything but more studying.

Treat your studying like a 9-5pm job, when that click hits 5pm, you're off the clock and can do whatever you want.

Hours of study by UK students

According to a recent study by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), the average university student in the UK spends just 27 hours a week on studying and other academic activities. 

This figure includes time spent in lectures, seminars, taking notes and other contact time with teaching staff, as well as time spent on private study.

By the way, for some great advice on how to smash your note-taking, take a look at my other helpful articles!

Top Tips On How To Take Notes At University and Ace Your Final Exams

And

Note-Taking Shortcuts – The Easy Way

The study also discovered that the average student also spends roughly 13 hours on private study.

This is pretty cool when we discover due to other research by the HEPI that university/ college students learn more when they independently study, rather than through contact hours alone!

So, how does this compare to the workload of students in other countries?

Well, the HEPI study found that UK students have the lowest average workload of any country in the developed world.

Students in the UK spend less time on academic activities/ extracurricular activities on a regular basis than their counterparts in every other country except for Germany.

UK students have less study hours on average

So, why is it that UK students have such a light workload? There are a number of possible explanations.

One is that the teaching methods used at UK universities are more efficient than those used elsewhere.

However, taking a common sense approach for comparison. I once had a uni friend who studied in both the U.S and the UK so she had experienced both countries' education systems.

She once told me that the UK's academic performance was not as challenging as in the U.S. because we are being 'spoon-fed' the course material depending on the nature of the course.

Compared to the U.S. where they have to work much hard to obtain better course grades during the academic year.

This was because we only had 2 hours of lectures, 1-hour seminar and a lot of open-book final exams in the school year.

Another possibility is that UK students are simply better at managing their time than students from other countries.

So compared with other countries, here in the UK students do seem to have it a little easier than others!

But of course, it doesn't feel like that when you are snowed under with studying and wondering how you're ever going to get everything done!

University life for students today is even busier with full-time study, not getting enough sleep and homework assignments. Some even study part-time and work a full time job on the side.

Also, the rise of social media has made a big difference in the way we spend our time. Smart students are the ones that don't let it have a negative effect on the hours of work they spend building good study habits.

If you are struggling to keep up with your workload, it is important to seek help from your tutor or the student support services at your university.

They will be able to give you advice on how to manage your time more effectively and make sure that you are on track with your studies. Use your professors' office hours, that's why they have them.

How many hours of study do universities recommend?

The amount of time you'll need to spend studying at Uni will depend on a number of factors.

Including your course, your learning style, and how well you want to do as I mentioned in the takeaway at the top of the article.

That being said, there are some general guidelines you can follow.

Most UK universities recommend that students spend around 20-30 hours per week studying.

This includes time spent in lectures, seminars, and tutorials, as well as time spent on independent study.

The Open University recommends around 16 - 18 hours a week, while studies done by Researchgate uncovered that Full-time Healthcare and Pharmacy students spend more than 40 hours on their workload per week!

Whereas Law, Economics, other Humanities, and Social Sciences students spend less than 14.5 hours during the workweek.

So when we read the above, it becomes evident that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how many hours of study a university student should do! 

You need to find what works best for you and your learning style.

So although we can see that the type, of course, you are doing makes a real difference to the amount of time you will need to study, you might be wondering if there is an average amount of time.

Read on to find out more!

Average time spent studying at Uni

As a general rule of thumb, you should aim to spend around 2-3 hours studying for each hour you spend in class as I mentioned in the brief at the top of the article.

So, if you have a 3-hour lecture course, you should be spending around 9 hours per week on that course.

Of course, this is just a guideline and you may find that you need to adjust the amount of time you're spending based on your individual needs.

If you're finding the workload difficult, try studying for a bit longer each day.

Alternatively, if you're finding it difficult to focus for long periods of time, try breaking up your study into shorter, more frequent study sessions.

So is there a set amount of time you should be focusing on each unit in your private study? Let's find out!

How much time should I spend studying for each unit at Uni?

Figuring out how you study best is different for everyone.

Some people can study for 3 hours a day and smash out a unit in a couple of weeks, others take a more leisurely approach spending 6 or more hours a day over a period of months.

It will depend on how they learn best and how much free time they have outside of class and other responsibilities.

It will also depend on the type, of course, on the subject you're studying as we have discovered in our article earlier. 

For example, if you're studying for a science-based degree, you may need to spend more time in the lab than someone doing a humanities degree!

Or if your course is particularly challenging, you'll need to study more to keep up!

A good rule of thumb is to budget for about 20 to 30 hours of study a week for each unit you are taking.

If you can commit to this, you should be able to stay on top of the workload and get good grades!

Of course, this is just a guideline. Some weeks you may need to study more, some less.

The important thing is to be flexible and adjust your schedule as needed.

Here are some general guidelines that you can follow but you may find that you need to adjust the amount of time you're spending based on your individual needs.

A good rule of thumb is to budget for about 20 to 30 hours of study a week for each unit you are taking.

If you can commit to this, you should be able to stay on top of the workload and get good grades!

Of course, this is just a guideline. Some weeks you may need to study more, some less.

The important thing is to be flexible and adjust your schedule as needed.

Here are some general guidelines that you can follow but you may find that you need to adjust the amount of time you're spending based on your individual needs.

If you're taking a full-time course (120 credits), that would come to an average of 24 hours of study per week. 

This fits well within the University recommended study time of 20 to 30 hours a week.

Ok so let's dig in and find out if it's okay to work the clock around each day or if it's better to pace yourself!

What are the maximum hours you should study in a day at Uni?

There isn't really a maximum number of hours that you should study in a day, as this will vary depending on the person.

However, it is generally recommended that you take breaks every couple of hours, as studying for long periods of time can be quite tiring and draining.

Watch this video from my favourite YouTuber Ali Abdaal, on How To Manage Your Time As A Student.

How many hours per week should I study at Uni?

Again, there is no definitive answer to this question – it will depend on your workload, how well you cope with work under pressure, and how much free time you have outside of Uni.

However, a good amount to aim for is around 20-30 hours per week as I’ve mentioned earlier, which fits well with most Universities' guidelines.

This should give you enough time to complete all your assignments and revision, without feeling too overwhelmed.

Of course, there will be times when you need to put in some extra hours – for example, if you have an important exam coming up.

But generally speaking, 20-30 hours per week is a good amount of time to aim for.

Final thoughts on how many Hours of Study should a Uni Student do...

One final word of advice: make sure to factor in some time for relaxation and having a social life! It's important to maintain a healthy balance between work and play.

Too much of either can lead to burnout.

My student support blog area is full of great articles that can help busy, time-stretched students with lots of cool and useful advice on how to keep well-being high on your list of priorities!

Find out more about getting your friendship game on at:

Why Connecting With Others Is Important At Uni: 11 Best Tips For Making Friends at Uni

Another thing to have high on your goal-busting agenda is to make sure you take enough time out for eating as healthy as possible.

The odd takeout such as pizza is fine but try to make sure you get a good mix of nutrients to help your concentration levels whilst studying.

Head over to find out more foodie-wise and check out another of my really useful articles!

10 Good Eating Habits For Students: Why are Meals Important at Uni?

There's no question that sleep is crucial if you are going to be firing on all cylinders and boss-ing your study.

Pulling all-nighters, although sometimes useful, can develop into bad habits and which can also hit you health-wise!

Discover more below!

Why Is Sleep Important At Uni? 7+ Benefits For Student's Academic Success

This post is all about how many hours of Study should a Uni Student do.

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