Hey I'm a freshman at one of the "tier 2" NLUs, and would be glad if some of you guys could give a broad idea of the average monthly expenditure of students (exclusive of the annual fee) on campus. I know it's something very subjective but a general ballpark figure or personal experience would be really helpful in planing my finances.

Used to make do with 4K in 2K15. Was a smoker and used to owe to the cigarette person all the time. Knew my batchmates who found it hard to survive on 20K. So it all depends on you and what you intend to do. Had some nice friends who helped me have fun without worrying about the money. Will always be grateful to them. Threw a fancy party for them last week with my tier I money.

Attended one of the "tier I" colleges.
First 2 years, spent INR 3-4k per month by living frugally, eating only at the college mess and rarely at eateries, and limiting outings to pubs/restaurants/movies to once a month. Spent as little as INR 1.5K some months as there was no additional expenditure apart from meals.

Final 2 years, went on some trips, regular outings 2-3 times per week which increased monthly expenditure to INR 10-12k per month assuming ~1 drink every outing.

Broadly, apart from annual fee you will have the following expenses:
- Facilities - extra for college canteen/mess, additional utilities like laundry, cleaning etc
- Books and reference material for courses and exams
- Outings - apart from hanging out with friends, there are committee dinners, etc which may be obligatory to an extent. Generally towards the final year of law school you end up treating juniors/mentees to meals. The cost of these outings varies on the kind of place and drinks (eg. you could pay 300 + metro fare or 3000 + cab fare)
- Trips, if any
- Cost of participating in events like moots and debates nationally and internationally, which may or may not be reimbursed at a later time
- Visiting home on long weekends which is quite common especially for those who use semester breaks to intern in different cities

Used to get 5-6k a month. Rarely required more. Never had liquor in a restaurant/bar. Never ate at super fancy restaurants. Lived a reasonably comfortable life, mostly eating in mess, sometimes in canteen and rarely in restaurants. Used cabs/autos most of the time. Usually ended up saving 1-2k on most months.

Spent 5 years at NUJS. Didn't use to get any pocket money because my family could barely afford any. I had taken a loan to fund my studies. Did some additional freelancing work throughout 5 years to get around 10k per month. My expenses came to 1.5-2k per month, other than book expenses. I mostly used to photocopy expensive books and use library databases and the Internet for online commentaries. Never felt any discomfort throughout the 5 years, nor lost touch with friends and batchmates from affluent background. Managed to use the remaining money to fund internship expenses, clothes etc. Enjoyed my undergrad education quite a bit, frankly. No complaints.

Minimum 5k per month for me. Costs accumulate quickly and without warning. You need to replace your soap, then your conditioner runs out, then your handkerchiefs go missing, then your phone guard cracks, then someone takes your plate, then you need to buy paracetamol because you fell ill...