Ten useful apps for postgraduate students

Smartphones are one of the most useful tools for postgraduate students to have. Over the years, clever app developers have found countless ways to save time using a piece of technology that can be carried around in your pocket. There are a host of apps for students to use to make their educational lives much easier.

From budgeting to notetaking, planning your studying schedule to even simply waking up at the right time on a reliable basis, there are lots of great apps for students. We’ve compiled a list of our top ten best apps for university students right here – so pick up your phone and start downloading!

1. Google Drive 

Great for projects and group work, Google Drive allows you to create, edit and store documents on your ‘drive’ which you can be accessed by numerous people at the same time (if you give them permission, of course).

The app lets you edit your documents from your phone, so even if you don’t have your laptop with you, you’ll still be able to get some work done. The updates you make in the app will also automatically sync in the cloud, so they’ll be waiting for you when you do get back to your study desk. 

2. Evernote 

Evernote is an app that looks to help you ‘remember everything’. Similar to Google Drive, you can sync files and notes across your devices, as well as images and even useful favourite webpages and store them within the app – making it easy to access all your stuff.  

3. Trello 

Sometimes it can be hard keeping track of where you’re at with the various projects going on during your postgraduate course, which is where project management apps like Trello are extremely handy.

You can create boards to plan your project, with checklists, labels and notifications for when things need to be updated or completed. You can even use it to collaborate with other students on group projects and the like. It’s simple to use, and perfect for those of you who feel they would benefit from more organisation in their university life. 

4. Student Beans 

With the cost of living on everybody’s mind, the Student Beans app can help students save money on all sorts of things, including food, travel, clothes and more. The app can point you in the direction of deals, and all you need to do is show your student ID in the app to take advantage of the offers. You can also use it online too, opening up more opportunities to save. 

5. Spendee 

Speaking of money, if you need a little help keeping track of it, a budgeting app like Spendee is invaluable. It allows you to see where your money is coming and going, set yourself budgets and help you stick to them, and it can even analyse your spending habits if you’re curious about what you could change to save a little more.

The app is packed full of helpful features, but it’s presented simply and easy to understand, which is perfect for a topic as confusing as budgeting can be. 

6. Otter 

While it has been created more with businesses in mind, Otter is a handy tool that can record and transcribe meeting notes. In an academic setting, this is excellent for using to keep more extensive notes in lectures on your phone.

It can also be used for recording notes in online lectures on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. All the notes are stored in a single, convenient location, so you can search and edit them with ease. 

7. Microsoft Lens 

Microsoft Lens (previously known as Office Lens) is great for scanning documents and turning them into PDFs. Say you’ve written lots of notes for a lecture but want to be able to access them on your computer – this app lets you do that quickly and easily. After setting them up as PDFs, you can then annotate and edit your notes swiftly too. 

8. LinkedIn 

As a postgraduate student your career and professional network are important. LinkedIn is available for Android and iPhone so you can check your views and connections on the go. It’s a good idea to join or follow groups that are concerned with your desired career path as well as the alumni group for your undergraduate university. 

9. Alarmy 

If you use it properly, Alarmy could be perfect for those days when you know you must get up at a certain time – for lectures or the like. You can set it to ask you to solve math questions or take a picture of an object or area (the bathroom sink for example) to turn the alarm off.

It does require a certain level of discipline as you could easily set the picture as your bedside table, but this would defeat the whole point of the app, so it’s best to choose something that you need to exit your bedroom to photo. 

10. Timetable 

A simple but always handy thing to have on your phone is your schedule, and Timetable works excellently for figuring out where you need to be and when. A good tip is to fill out your schedule and look where you have regular gaps, then use these to plan time where you’ll turn off your phone’s notifications and try to study or write without distractions.

Next: Read more postgraduate life advice