Page 19 | to think that £500 a month is enough for a child at uni

FunnysInLaJardin · 2024-02-04T20:39:16+00:00

we will pay his accommodation and his tuition fees will be paid, so this will just be for food and travel etc

DaffodilsAlready · 04/02/2024 23:13

*I mean, I knew I had to pay some of her costs as we are in Scotland and she gets the minimum loan (which was £4700 when she started - half of the halls of residence), but even the maximum loan was not enough for halls. Never mind anything else.

Spirallingdownwards · 04/02/2024 23:13

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 23:10

The OP has updated and there are links to the accommodation.

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Yes crossposted. Yes Brighton is one of the expensive cities too.

Students should be alerted to the factvwhen deciding which unis likely costs of not just halls but subsequent years' accommodation too

DaffodilsAlready · 04/02/2024 23:12

It was a bit of an eye-opener to me that the maintenance loan did not even cover the halls of residence where DD is. It seems to me to price low income students out of some places. I naively assumed that the full maintenance loan would be enough for somewhere to live.

Spirallingdownwards · 04/02/2024 23:11

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 23:05

How do people who just get maintenance loans manage as the accommodation costs seem to massively outweigh the maximum loan cost?

Brighton Accommodation - BIMM Music Institute

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They have a gap year and work to save, parents are expected to top up, they have jobs whilst at uni.

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 23:10

Spirallingdownwards · 04/02/2024 23:09

I very much suspect he is studying in London. Even in places like Bristol accommodation is £9-10k a year

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The OP has updated and there are links to the accommodation.

Spirallingdownwards · 04/02/2024 23:09

cloudtree · 04/02/2024 21:08

If accommodation is £17k then he’s clearly not studying in England so these responses probably aren’t the most relevant.

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I very much suspect he is studying in London. Even in places like Bristol accommodation is £9-10k a year

Original poster

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 23:09

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 23:05

How do people who just get maintenance loans manage as the accommodation costs seem to massively outweigh the maximum loan cost?

Brighton Accommodation - BIMM Music Institute

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I have no idea! even for 41 weeks the costs are huge. Since we are not in the UK it makes sense to do 51 weeks and not have to move him over the summer.

Massive faff!

OP posts:

oefawefhoiEHF · 04/02/2024 23:07

@cakeorwine @WhyIOughtTo

Yes was reading other posters. I got minimum maintenance loan so about 3k. I guess that was equivalent to about 500pm now.

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 23:05

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 23:02

that isn't BIMM?

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How do people who just get maintenance loans manage as the accommodation costs seem to massively outweigh the maximum loan cost?

Brighton Accommodation - BIMM Music Institute

Read our Brighton Accommodation guide for everything from dealing with estate agents and landlords, viewing properties, public transport and much more!

https://www.bimm.ac.uk/brighton/accommodation/

DaffodilsAlready · 04/02/2024 23:04

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 22:55

Abacus House

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So the cheapest room there is 281 a week, which for 33 weeks (what my DD’s halls were if I recall) is 9273 which is not out of line with other halls. If you go for one of the private studio ones, which would raise the cost a lot, then your DS does risk being isolated, I think.

Original poster

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 23:03

WhyIOughtTo · 04/02/2024 23:00

But he's not getting a maintenance loan, that's why she's asking.

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yes, no maintenance loan

OP posts:

Original poster

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 23:02

SecondUsername4me · 04/02/2024 22:45

None of the Brighton Halls of Residence are over £9k pa. Which ones are you considering for your ds, OP?

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that isn't BIMM?

OP posts:

MCOut · 04/02/2024 23:02

CousinGreg55 · 04/02/2024 22:36

Just because the accommodation is expensive (and £17k is crazy expensive) doesn't mean he will be any happier or have a better experience. The university owned halls normally have freshers week events and regular events. They would also be largely first years. Private halls seem to more mixed ages.

I don’t think it’s necessary to spend this as long as there is clean, fairly new ensuite accommodation, but I agree with the above.

No matter where your son lives, he should make friends on his course, and they will invite him to pre drinks and events etc so he will still have a social life. Also some comments mentioned overseas students. Everybody will have different experiences, but I found that they were more than willing to make friends with locals and even the most wealthy tempered their spending on nights out so everybody could participate. I wouldn’t worry about that.

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 23:02

WhyIOughtTo · 04/02/2024 23:00

But he's not getting a maintenance loan, that's why she's asking.

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And maintenance loans vary - depending on parental income - so a lower loan is expected to be topped up by the parents.

Original poster

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 23:01

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 22:14

£17,000 not catered?

Are you sure?

Our halls (brighton.ac.uk)

Most seem to be £10,000 LESS than that

that is Brighton Uni?

OP posts:

WhyIOughtTo · 04/02/2024 23:00

oefawefhoiEHF · 04/02/2024 22:57

Find it interesting people are doing allowances...my parents paid for my 30 week accommodation in termly instalments. I paid for everything else with my maintenance loan. From what i can remember my friends had the same.

But he's not getting a maintenance loan, that's why she's asking.

AliMonkey · 04/02/2024 22:59

DD gets £500 per month from us. We pay her tuition fees and accommodation (part-catered), she hasn't taken out loans (our choice). It is more than enough, ie I think we've been a bit too generous (it was a compromise between me and DH, I'd have given her less to encourage her to get a job, he'd have given her more), though she doesn't drink or go clubbing so that keeps the costs down, and she can walk most places she wants to go so transport costs low.

Many students have a lot less and survive, they just have to be more careful with their money and get a job, none of which are bad lessons for a young adult.

Original poster

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 22:59

CousinGreg55 · 04/02/2024 22:36

Just because the accommodation is expensive (and £17k is crazy expensive) doesn't mean he will be any happier or have a better experience. The university owned halls normally have freshers week events and regular events. They would also be largely first years. Private halls seem to more mixed ages.

BIMM, which is where he is going, dont have their own halls

OP posts:

oefawefhoiEHF · 04/02/2024 22:57

Find it interesting people are doing allowances...my parents paid for my 30 week accommodation in termly instalments. I paid for everything else with my maintenance loan. From what i can remember my friends had the same.

weegiemum · 04/02/2024 22:55

My ds gets fees paid (Scotland) and a £10000 bursary (he's a student nurse, this covers rent bills etc). We take him shopping sometimes (he's local but living away from home) and he has a 2-evenings a week bar job to pay for socialising, rugby kit, transport). He has a car at home but can't park without a permit where he lives so comes home to get it for rugby trips and shopping. We pay insurance, he pays his own petrol.

Original poster

FunnysInLaJardin · 04/02/2024 22:55

SecondUsername4me · 04/02/2024 22:45

None of the Brighton Halls of Residence are over £9k pa. Which ones are you considering for your ds, OP?

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Abacus House

OP posts:

CousinGreg55 · 04/02/2024 22:50

SecondUsername4me · 04/02/2024 22:45

None of the Brighton Halls of Residence are over £9k pa. Which ones are you considering for your ds, OP?

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They look really nice halls. Why would you want to pay 17k for private halls OP?

SaveUsernameHistory · 04/02/2024 22:45

TheChosenTwo · 04/02/2024 21:04

That’s what we send for dd. She’s in Bristol which is revoltingly expensive and she only gets the minimum maintenance loan which isn’t anywhere near enough to cover her accommodation so we pay towards that and send her £500 a month to live on. We pay for her phone and travel home when she comes back. Her car stays here as she doesn’t have any parking at her house but she doesn’t need transport to her uni and she’s only a 10 minute walk away. She’s in her second year and has a job when she comes home in the holidays which pays so well she could afford to go to Australia for 6 weeks last year and has already had a holiday this year - we could give her less but would rather she had enough to join in with stuff, she’s not got a massive group of friends and has had a bit of difficulty settling both years so don’t want her to miss out on potential outings because she doesn’t have enough money. She does go out a bit but not anywhere near as much as she does when she’s home!

Same, except my child has really struggled to find a job. They have applied everywhere and can’t seem to find anything due to not having previous hospitality experience. There were hundreds going for the same job including stuff like glasswasher.

SecondUsername4me · 04/02/2024 22:45

cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 22:15

It doesn't seem to be

Our halls (brighton.ac.uk)

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None of the Brighton Halls of Residence are over £9k pa. Which ones are you considering for your ds, OP?

cloudtree · 04/02/2024 22:40

multivac · 04/02/2024 22:35

I really am not. I have twins at university now. And I don't have a spare grand a month to give them. So they manage, well, on much less. In pricey cities.

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Presumably they don’t only get minimum loan though.

£500 a month for us means we are roughly topping ds up to the equivalent of the full loan. That’s all.