How much money do you send DC at uni?

[Scribbydigs]

How much money do you send your kids at uni? If you send them any at all?

DD goes to uni later this year (UCL). She's currently doing a year out working to save, but we're all a bit worried about finances. She plans to get a part time job when she gets there too.

Both get the maximum loan. Both have part time jobs. Eldest is a very good cook and cooks from scratch which helps enormously with his budg

Thanks @londonmummy1966 a few of my mum friends have been saying oh it's fine it will all work out, but there will very definitely not be enough money for the accommodation. Some of them earn quite a bit more than us so their kids can't be getting any more loan money, so not sure how they seem to think the loan will cover it?

@Scribbydigs - they hay have put money aside or are able to fiddle their income to get the grant - one of the richest girls in my year at uni had a self employed father who did just that... They may also not have clocked how much student accomodation in London is. It makes far more sense to look at it now and try to work out how to pay for it.

Agreed, we have a family sim contract for about £5 a month each sim and buy a phone outright for £150 or so every few years when they break! But maybe some people mean a £40 a month contract including the latest upgrade when they say phones.

Nothing, I can't afford to. He gets the full loan and works to top up everything else. I will occasionally buy a supermarket card if I can afford to. to help out

You must know a huge amount of very wealthy people all of whom must have huge incomes or two v good incomes. I am far from a low earner but after £1000 of private rent, electric, oil, travel, food , car, a couple of hundred into emergency savings fund - I certainly can't pay for Uni accommodation !. Which is £500 per month plus bills.

DD works as an after school nanny. She does school pick up and stays home with 2 kids until parents home at 7. Monday-Friday. Without this income she could not afford to stay at Uni.

This is where the entire 'loan' system is unfair. The SLC complete inability to understand that there are other family units other than mum, dad and 2 kids.

A few years ago a work colleagues daughter had to drop out of Uni because she was assessed on Household Income. Her mother had met a new partner when the child was on a gap year. He moved in just as she was applying for Uni and his income was assessed in the calculation. The income of a man she had only lived with for 2 months. This added with her mothers low paying job took the girl into the lowest loan zone as mums new partner was a high earner. A completely ridiculous scenario where a man who has no relationship with his new partners child is expected to fund her university place.

Why on EARTH are ADULTS being assessed on what their PARENTS earn ? It's completely obscene. If it's a loan then it's a loan. Let everyone have the same if they want it, based on nothing but acceptance at University. But a a level that actually allows them to study full time .

A few years ago a work colleagues daughter had to drop out of Uni because she was assessed on Household Income. Her mother had met a new partner when the child was on a gap year. He moved in just as she was applying for Uni and his income was assessed in the calculation. The income of a man she had only lived with for 2 months. This added with her mothers low paying job took the girl into the lowest loan zone as mums new partner was a high earner. A completely ridiculous scenario where a man who has no relationship with his new partners child is expected to fund her university place.

This is almost the exact same situation that a young person we know will be in. They are hoping mum will delay moving in with the new partner for a few more months so they get one year of full loans.

Why on EARTH are ADULTS being assessed on what their PARENTS earn ? It's completely obscene. If it's a loan then it's a loan. Let everyone have the same if they want it, based on nothing but acceptance at University. But a a level that actually allows them to study full time .

Because it isn't just a loan, a significant chunk is never fully paid back and it, and all the related admin costs, do cost the tax payer.

It is not unreasonable to expect parents to be means tested to support their own children through their higher education choices.

Otherwise, if they want to be seen as independent ADULTS (which they are not, they are dependent on their parents), they can do the ADULT thing by making ADULT choices and compromises they can afford and work to subsidise their own living costs.

top up to full maintenance loan amount. (DC get minimum)

in practice with the one at Uni atm, we pay accommodation direct to the provider (which is is a bit over the amount we need to pay to top up) with a credit card so we get the avios. the accommodation includes bills.

DC then has c £4.5k maintenance loan for everything else. If it’s not enough, they need to get a part time job. The one at Uni atm seems to have plenty as decided not to take the loan this year as they have enough from summer job and last years loan! But this one quite low maintenance and also went to a cheap city. The next one will be a complete opposite!

DD only gets minimal maintenance loan. We pay for her accommodation which is roughly £6K per year. We also pay all her travel costs, mobile phone and gym membership. She lives off her loan and we top it up so she has roughly £110 per week for food, socialising, clothes, toiletries etc.

The system is based on parents making up the loans based on income
If you don’t agree with that campaign against it
Moving a partner in is a choice

It's a nightmare. Ds is due to start at uni in September, likely to only get minimum loan. We had no idea until fairly recently that the loans were means tested. 3 other dc, one with very complex needs, lots of debt already and only in last year have I been able to earn anything above minimum wage/very part time work, due to caring for disabled dc. So the only option we'll have is to use credit cards to pay for his accommodation and let him use the loan for everything else. Ds recently diagnosed with ASD & ADHD, has been trying since year 11 to find a p/t job but social skills/anxiety have scuppered him every time, so not holding out much hope of him having been able to save before he goes or earn whilst he's there. And in 2 years time, we'll potentially have dc2 going to uni too. Our plan was to pay off debts now that we're both earning more, but now looks like we'll be adding massively to our debts each year instead.

I agree with recent posters - it's totally bizarre. I personally think everyone should get the same loan regardless. I wasn't even living with my parents at all from the september of 1st year and had completely moved out lock stock and barrel! Therefore it seemed bizarre that I was being assessed on their income for my loans.
When I say most of my friends pay their children's accommodation, they aren't "wealthy" but had planned ahead - most had put money away when their children were first born into an ISA, which was then matured when they hit 18 and they could put it towards accommodation. Obviously they were able to make the best of the economy at that time - this cohort might not be so lucky!!

everyone should get the same loan regardless.

Outrageous that rich kids should get same grant & borrowing opportunity as poor kids.

It's not the kids who are rich though is it, its their parents who may or may not support them. Mine do well as we have been able to save since they were tiny as we knew ths would be an issue (and she gets a scholarship which covers the tuition fees and is based on ability not income).

In fact I sort of agree with both points of view but think it should be based on the child's wealth rather than the parents. So don't give a loan to a child with a multi million pound trust fund but do give it to the child who does not regardless of parental wealth. TBH I guess a lot of better off families would, like us, not bother with the loan but the "squeezed middle" struggling to pay for 2 dc would be able to turn to the maintenance loan instead.

I totally agree that it should not be based on parental income because it is not fair on the child who is at the whim of their parents regardless of their relationship.

But it's not as simple as 'rich or poor', is it?

DS loan doesn't cover all his rent, so i top that up (about £600 per term) and then give him £50pw. I see lots of students complaining about much more but he says it's plenty. He doesn't drink though..

We have 2 at uni, on just above minimum loan. We pay their accommodation as that leaves them the same amount to live on.

We pay for part housing. Not London. Works out at £4000/yr
We now have two more going this year, ( they’re on a year out so saving up )
We will be giving them the same each,( luckily the older one finishes this year) but it won’t cover all the rent. One decided against London as the rent is unmanageable once they’re out of halls.Given how much they’re allowed to get from Student finance.

We don’t subsidise living, money goes straight to landlord

More well off parents kids do not get the higher maintanence loan
So can’t borrow the same, even though they are adults, ie. What’s it all got to do with how much parents earn
So a lot of kids don’t get the higher loan and their parents can’t afford to give them any money so they are extremely hard up.

So actually, if your parents earn below the means tested amount, your kids will be a lot better off than more well off parents kids.

Of course they’ll be stung when they have to pay that larger sum back, which will take longer