Accommodation cost at uni

He's in year 13 and has already applied btw.

I don't think anyone is suggesting applying for uni based solely on accommodation and not at all on the course; but accommodation was certainly something we looked at for our DC, to make sure there were affordable options at their most likely favourites. It depends what you plan to study but for some subjects (Eng lit for example) there is not loads of difference between courses offered, so other things may come into play - including campus/city; distance from home; ease of access by train; size of city or town; sports facilities; and yes, accommodation offered. I'm a parent and I was a teacher as well, and speak here from my own experience - which is all most of us can do tbh.

Parent of three -oldest two finished uni and youngest about to go. Firstly - particularly in first year halls , London is not necessarily more expensive- my youngest is going to Birmingham and it’s the same as DS2’s first year in London was. The maintenance loan won’t cover rent and living costs. Oxford and Cambridge are v cheap because they own all their accommodation and terms are really short. We paid rent for DD1 and DS1 and will do the same for DS2 next year. As a teacher and parent- I really don’t recommend choosing a uni based on accommodation prices - false economy. He should apply to the best unis for his course.

Blimey @TheChosenTwo that's terrible! Also it's nearly twice what DS2 was paying last year at Lboro for a perfectly clean and non-mouldy room (small it's true, but fine) - £100 pw that was. Right in the middle of campus too. I would complain if I were your dd tbh.

@yoyo1234 don't tell your son to discount Bristol on this account tho - there will be other, better, options, and he can look at what they are, surely. I agree with @UsingChangeofName that many people will look at accommodation as part of their pre-application research, but if your son has sorted his own application maybe he has looked at this too.

Most universities have a variety of options price wise. Cheapest likely to have shared bathrooms. If the university asks to rank halls(flat blocks) don't include the more expensive options at all. For later years accommodation cheaper options in the midlands and north and Wales. Oxbridge often only the 2nd year in private renting first and 3rd in halls. Some universities aliow provisional hall choices pre results others ask post acceptance so need to look out for the emails

As an aside Bristol do tend to offer either very early or very late, so don't get disheartened if you don't hear for a while.

And there's not usually any advantage in deciding what to firm and insure well in advance of the UCAS deadline (unless any choice has some kind of first come first served accommodation application- most unis don't).

So take your time, maybe attend offer holders days.

Bristol is pricey, but it's a fantastic city and uni. DS was lucky to get one of the cheap halls (albeit small and basic 'University Hall' at Stoke Bishop). Now in a house in Cotham, paying about £135/week plus bills.

My Dd is at Bath. Agree with others it is not cheap. Dd spent first year in halls of residence at £560 a month. Her second year is in a 5 way shared house at £680 (+£60 utilities) each. Next year she and a friend are sharing a 2 bed apartment for £625 (+£60 utilities) each.

Yes, a fucking shit show!! The accommodation doesn’t really seem fit for purpose at all but we didn’t have any other options. Absolute joke, costs an arm and a leg and it’s just horrible.

Many (most?) families do this research a lot earlier and it can be one factor in deciding which Universities to apply for.

I know all of my dc chose not to apply to some of the most expensive places to live, as they would prefer more money in their pocket each week.
Others will decide to take a year out and build up a savings pot to help finance living in a more expensive place.

Whereas obviously the course content is key, it can make a BIG difference to the quality of your life, if you are comfortable where you are living.

I also found the Facebook group mentioned above useful, neither dh nor I went to university and we had no idea what we were doing. We still don’t to be honest, we just pay what we’re told when we’re told to!
dd1 gets the minimum maintenance loan, second terms money went in yesterday and her rent for the next term is due tomorrow, so we will transfer her the difference and she then pays the accommodation. It’s a hell of a lot of money, I think her room is £190 a week for a shitty box room which is mouldy and damp (bristol for anyone wondering! She didn’t get into halls on campus and so is now city centre), I can’t wait to get her out of there and into private to be honest.
Best of luck op, it’s a bit of a minefield and we basically leave dd to do the admin organisation.

You need to

• use the student finance calculator to get a ballpark of the money he’ll receive.
• go through each uni he’s applied to and see what their accommodation options are, prices and how likely you are to get the one you want (e.g. if it’s random allocation you may get the expensive one)
• go through each uni he’s applied for to check what bursaries and scholarships he might get
• see if his income from loan and bursary is enough to live on and meet accommodation/living costs in each city
• if it is, help him work his budget out in advance
• If it isn’t, have a discussion about how much you can top up

Imperial gives students money. Up to £5k/year depending on parental income.

DD in London. Accommodation costs similar to what PPs have mentioned in other locations.

@yoyo1234 Bath has a randomized accommodation allocation for the first year. If your son confirms it then university run accommodation is guaranteed, though there are some in town. The students are contacted and have to give (iirc) 7 choices in order of preference. They range from expensive en-suite with food "credits" as part of that (no catered halls, but some of the accommodations which are en-suite have smaller kitchen facilities so these vouchers are for use in the campus eateries) to shared non en-suite in town. Worth researching (both on the official website and reviews) all of these as well. My daughter got her 3rd choice (non en suite) There is also an accommodation bursary for first years and she got 500 pound off the second term payment.
As pp has said, Wiwikau is great for info, depending on time of year. Right now, it's mainly about offers/holder's days. Then it will be exams/results followed by moving in. Autumn term is when choices are discussed a lot, so worth searching for your son's choices.
Also as pp has said, you will also need to create a SF account, it isn't just a case of only your son applying. (as will anyone else "supporting" the applicant)

I think most unis (certainly the ones we've visited) have "offer holder days" so once your son has been offered a place, he can visit the unis before he has to decide where should be his "firm" choice (I.e. his 1st choice if he makes his grades) and which is his "insurance" (2nd choice which is usually slightly lower grades). You can only hold 2 offers which you have to confirm I think by June some time. Check the websites for the unis about when you can apply for accommodation - some are when you firm etc.

Apart from the advice you've been given above, get your DS to think about what he'd want / how he'd make friends etc. Have to say I was really underwhelmed with the halls at Bath (only one I can comment on) - the "communal space" for the shared flats was just the kitchen & a small table & chairs. There was no seating area, not really anywhere to hang out. Maybe we didn't see the best they had to offer but it was all a bit tired and expensive. It didn't put DS off but he did say he'd have to work harder to make friends than at other places where the shared flats / halls seemed better geared to socialising. So even within "standard room" or "ensuite" categories the halls / rooms will be different and he needs to do a bit of research.

clary · Today 22:39
MrsSkylerWhite · Today 22:36
We had to pay a term in advance, it was just shy of £2,000 for the academic year for a sitting room/kitchen, decent sized bedroom and bathroom, in the NW. Rooms in shared houses were less.

Have you looked into everything your son may be able to access with Student Finance?”

When was this @MrsSkylerWhite ? That’s a lot cheaper than anything I’ve seen in the last four years (dd went in 2019 so we were looking from 2018)”

You’re absolutely right, Clary! It was just shy of £6,000 for the academic year, just under £2,000 per term (last year).

too late, too tired. Ought to go to sleep now 😁

Many Cambridge colleges will also have bursaries. I frogmarched a mate of mine to the college bursar in second year…my college at the time gave cash grants to anyone who received a full maintenance loan (but that was 20 years ago).

some unis give bursaries if get full loan or high loan (based on family income) eg £1000 or £2000 pa. In essence bursaries allow unis to charge high rents as they wouldn’t be able to get away with taking such a high % of the max loan in rent otherwise.

Bills are usually included in halls for his first year accommodation. Often they are in 2nd and 3rd years too, but not always.

Most Universities have different accommodation at a range of prices.
Unfortunately Bristol is notoriously expensive but without the additional maintenance loan he would get if he went to a London University.

It is worth you going to a local University and sitting in on the finance talks they do for parents (though a little late if he is in Yr 13 and already applied - I'm surprised you haven't done any thinking about this before now.).

WIWIKAU is really helpful, but it has filled up with a lot of parents posting all sorts of things over the last few months so you do have to wade through a lot of posts that aren't anything to do with helping parents find out about University as well. Do use the search function as all your questions will have been asked / answered before.

What you need to do now, is go on to the websites of the 5 he has applied to, (well, Cambridge will be different as is all to do with colleges I understand) and look at the accommodation pages. That will tell you what is available at those particular Universities and how the system works for those places.

I have one currently in Bath and one in London (not Imperial though). Very different places!

In private accommodation, London rental was twice the price of Bath - but that was for a very central location, with minimal transport costs.

DC in Bath has really enjoyed it, a good size town and being on campus the first year was great. Privately renting in the town is mixed - cheaper the further away from campus obviously, but then you have to rely on not-so-reliable bus services apparently. This year DC is in a shared house of 4, paying around £500 pm, bills included. But it is 2 bus rides away from campus.

Do encourage him to think about imperial - it's a phenomenal university streets ahead of Bath. And Bath is pretty damn good!