As you prepare to join us at King's, you’ll need to think about purchasing essential equipment to help you excel in your studies, including details on how you can access financial support if you need help purchasing equipment.
What equipment do I need to buy?
Before starting at King's, you should create a personalised checklist of all the equipment you’ll need for university. Remember to set yourself (and stick to!) a budget when buying your equipment.
Some of the items you might need may include:
Pens and pencils
A4 lined notepad(s)
Highlighters
Notepad
Post-it notes
Paper clips
Stapler
Sticky tape
Take a look at some useful resources to help you to plan what stationery to bring to university:
Getting equipment for your programme of study
Depending on your chosen programme of study, you may need to purchase specific equipment. You can find out more information about the equipment you will need within your department/faculty handbook.
A copy of your faculty/department handbook will be sent to your King’s email address. If you are yet to receive a copy of this, please get in touch with your department/faculty in the first instance.
Purchasing a laptop
Getting the right laptop that is suitable for all your study needs will be an important decision you’ll need to make prior to starting your studies.
Before making a purchase, make sure that you consider the following:
Battery life: Does this laptop have a long battery life? Will this laptop give you the flexibility and freedom to work for long periods of time without needing to frequently recharge it?
Weight: If you’re commuting into London, or working across our campuses, you may want to consider getting a laptop that will not be too heavy to carry.
Wifi performance: If you’ve decided on what laptop you’d like to buy, try to read some independent reviews about it’s WiFi performance to check if it may have any connectivity issues.
Screen size: if you’re planning to use your laptop to edit or stream videos or solely for essay writing, it’s important to ensure the size of the screen is adequate for all your needs.
Take a look at some further top tips to consider when buying a laptop or desktop. We’ve included a list of popular blogs and webpages and links to useful information:
Laptop loans at King's
If you need to borrow a laptop you can borrow this from King's. Laptop loan cabinets can be found across all our campus libraries. Find out more information on borrowing a laptop at our libraries on our LibAnswers webpage.
Getting your textbooks
What textbooks will I need?
To find out what textbooks you'll need to get for your course, you'll need to access your reading list. You can see the full reading list for a course or module on the King's Library webpages, where you can find out if any of your textbooks are available for you to borrow.
Buying your textbooks
Some of the retailers you can buy textbooks from include:
Buying ‘Pre-loved’ textbooks
Buying second-hand books directly from previous students, or leading suppliers that specialise in discounted/ used books, can help you to save money throughout your studies.
Below are some suggestions of suppliers who specialise in second-hand non/fiction books & textbooks:
Accessing financial support at King's
If you need to access financial support when buying your equipment for University, take a look at:
You can find out more about the range of scholarships and bursaries available at King’s in our Fees, Funding and Money advice category.
Equipment for disabled students
We provide a range of specialist equipment and additional support to best support you throughout your studies.
Throughout your studies you’ll be able to:
- Access our Assistive Technology Rooms (ATR’s)
- Request for a Personalised Assessment Arrangement (PAA) which provides you with additional support when sitting exams or completing an assessment
- Get a King’s Inclusion Plan, that provides your academic department with guidance on best to support your learning at King’s.
Important to know: Before you can access any of these services, you’ll need to be registered with Disability Support. Take a look at How can Disability Support assist me with my studies, for more information on how to register.