In Ethiopia, There is a poor understanding of university expenses, regardless of the challenges that undergraduate students faced due to lack of pocket money and its tremendous impacts on learning activities. In addition, undergraduate health sciences students need additional money when they start clinical placement learning. Objectives: to explore the economic challenges that clinical year undergraduate health sciences students face with limited pocket money; and students' perceive of how

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... ed pocket money affects their learning activities and how they react to challenges. Methods: The descriptive qualitative study was conducted at Addis Ababa University (AAU) , College of Health Sciences(CHS) Medical Radiology Technology (MRT) department at Addis Ababa University. Ten participants recruited through purposive and snowball method; and the semi-structured interviews took place from January 28, 2019 to February 1, 2019. The Semi-structured questions explored participants' experiences and perceptions regarding challenges of lack of pocket money and its impacts on their learning activities, and their reaction to financial challenges. Results: Four themes emerged from the interviews based on the research objectives, and they are challenges of getting pocket money, difficulty of affording important needs, self-management; and social life. Conclusion: Based on the data, the underlying causes that lead students to face financial hardships can be solved by making public awareness regarding university expenses, clarifying the cost sharing system to the public, redesigning the cost sharing policy, improving university administration. In addition, giving short training to students on self-management and money management skills and, as well giving special attention to clinical practice facilities primarily concluded from the participants' descriptions. Abbreviations AAU-Addis Ababa University CHS-College of Health Sciences MRT-Medical Radiologic Technology SES-Socioeconomic status Keywords: Undergraduate, Student, Higher Education, Pocket money, Learning, Ethiopia, health science, undergraduate, socioeconomic status, clinical placement.