Stepchildren and uni costs

And just to be clear, if he doesn’t qualify for the full living costs student loan, which is based on parental income, the government expectation is that the parents make up the shortfall. It’s not legally enforceable, but it is the government’s expectation that parents do fund that shortfall.

Student jobs are hard to come by. If DSS can swim I would recommend getting the lifeguard qualification- known as the NPLQ. It takes a week and costs £300ish. There is a national shortage of lifeguards so with the qualification it is easy to get a job.

DC2 is a 2nd year student in London and has been doing an 11-hour shifts on Sundays and earning £160 each time.

They also work as a lifeguard at home in the holidays. So DC2 has 2 jobs - one for term time and one for holidays.

If he is using his loan to pay for catered halls then £300 on top is a lot to play with. If the rent is for non catered halls then he might well need to get a part time job (things like student laundry are shockingly expensive). If he doesn't already have a job it might be worth suggesting he starts looking for one (now or after exams next term). Often if a student can get a job at home with a big retailer they will switch them between locations so they can work at uni in term time and at home in the holidays. If he can drive a summer holiday job as a delivery driver usually pays better.

Why would sitting down and doing a budget be unreasonable???

All incomings vs all outgoings. And where all incomings are coming from, eg, loan, £x/month parental contribution, £x/month part time job, etc. Seems reasonable to me, and a good way to avoid last-minute panic calls to the Bank of Mum & Dad.

He should stop panicking and start making a proper list of what student life will cost and how he’ll fund it.

The system of loans being based on parental income is beyond ridiculous, they’re adults embarking on adult life and this infantilising is daft.

If all the parental figures are going to be on the hook for support he needs to sit down with everyone separately or together.

Be extremely clear what your household can realistically do to help, knowing the other children also need equivalent support and get his mum and dad (depending on who you are) to make sure he’s being realistic and you’re not writing a blank cheque. He probably needs to work while studying, millions of students do.

My DS was concerned about costs so lives at home and works part time. He chose a local uni.
His friends all moved away, their loan doesn't cover rent and food. Some are supported by parents, some work. Work isn't always easy due to number of students and how many hours your courses is. For those supported by parents the support ranges from £500 a month, to a lump sum at the start of year 1, to someone's parents do a food shop delivery once a week.

does your maintenance plus the loan take him to the full loan amount? will you stop paying his mum and pay him direct - what about the holidays? it’s a while since mine were at uni but they only got the maintenance loan. we paid the rent ourselves (around 6k from what I remember ) and they could live off the maintenance loan or get a job to top up but my understanding is that rents/everything else have gone up a lot and the loan amounts have not kept pace. 150 month on top for food sounds like a more than generous amount to be honest for one person.

He needs to choose uni according to where he can afford. Rent in Bradford very different from costs in Edinburgh or Oxford.
OR get summer jobs or part time jobs to fund uni.
Being a manny - in the summer or after school pick ups - is a great way to make decent money.

It’s very standard for students to need to work these days. Or go to a local uni and live at home. He will manage.

How old is he?

So how much will he have to live on after the loan, the maintenance and your grocery contribution? Plus any contribution from his mum?

I think it's fine to tell him to budget within his means, as long as he has enough for the basics.