Can’t afford uni

[Floodedflats]

I’ve got a friend who has 5 children her eldest wants to go to uni next year but because of there income he will only get minimum allowance. He’s considering a job part time but it’s a course that he can’t really work along side due to the hours and extra work it’s a very intense course. She can’t support him as they are stretched financially as a family. He can’t afford to go as the money will leave him short after accommodation costs. The uni course isn’t covered at his local uni otherwise he would stay home. What do people do in these situations.

I'm really sorry for him. Others have some really good suggestions. He could also contact the university to find out what they have in the way of hardship funds and bursaries. Sometimes the more well known unis have decent ones so it's worth checking.

Yeah I would also advocate looking at degree apprenticeships. It's what I would do if I was 18 now. We have quite a few at work and they are all very professional and impressive already. A paid job, a degree and a head start on your CV is great.

He would only get fees. Bank of Mum and Dad expected to give him all his other money. Decisions made by people who went to Uni on grants
Only the poorer or richer can go now.

Enough for all living costs for 3 years?! Rent, Food, transport, utilities? Save about 30k in a year?! I'd like a job like that!

Could you fund your child at £10k a year? You're lucky if you can!

Unless student loans have changed, he should be able to get a tuition loan to cover the actual fees (this didn't used to be means tested, don't know if that has changed).

Then he can get a maintenance loan (means tested) which used to be around £1k/term for those from higher income families.

Lower income families could apply for that and also a maintenance GRANT which didn't need to be paid back.

So he should be able to afford the fees and a nominal amount towards accommodation. Beyond that he would need to supplement but could possibly get a part time job now and save up?

Failing that, places like sainsburys etc in Uni towns are usually very accommodating towards weird schedules etc

If the DC is only entitled to the minimum loan his parents must be earning a lot. It's strange to have 5 DC if by having so many children it restricts the support you can offer each one. He could get a job for a few years carry on living at home and save as much as he can. Then when he reaches the age he apply as a mature student who is financially independent from his parents.

It seems incredibly unfair that children are held back due to their parents bad financial planning.

One solution that I haven't seen mentioned is getting sponsored or trained through the forces. My husband is army and now has a degree which was partially funded. And we have friends who were sponsored through the air force. This is the RAF link https://recruitment.raf.mod.uk/sponsorship

@lizzy8230 not all students that receive full student loans have parents sat on their arses doing nothing. I work full time but in a low paying job so I can look after a disabled child. My other son was fortunate enough to receive full loans and obviously ‘lucky’ enough to come out of uni with £60,000 debt which he is now paying back.

Sorry op, no words of wisdom.

You have to be poor or rich for uni now. Unfortunately we have had to tell DS he can only do degree apprenticeship or go to local uni and live at home

He needs to top up his minimum loan by a minimum of around £4k per year.

There are many ways to top up & many do a combination of:

• parental contribution (can his parents commit to any input at all?)
• contribution from other relatives
• CTF / other savings
• working during holidays - holidays are long (except for a few rare courses). You can earn several thousand during the holidays.
• working during term time - ok for some courses
• take a year out and work and save enough to cover the 3 years

Lastly, apply to Unis wisely so don't choose ones with high accommodation costs.

It's not ideal but perfectly doable if it's what the young person really wants.

What is the uni course he wants to do? They may be other routes in or work experience people can suggest that will help him get a step up. Going straight from school to uni with zero work experience doesn't always pay off. He could be found over qualified for basic jobs but then the lack of work experience could knock him off the jobs he is qualified for. It might be a blessing in disguise

Which is ok as long as parents can afford and are willing for them to stay at home, and if they’re in a location with a decent uni offering a relevant course, isn’t it! Or even if they’re in an area with apprenticeships in good supply.

It’s damned ridiculous and a total rip-off now, but where are the real options? Student loans are due to change too - the debt will be there forever. Retraining numbers have dropped through the floor. House prices in areas with jobs - or apprenticeships- make the jobs unaffordable. Very very few are doing well in this country now.

It's shit but there are things to do:

1. Teenager needs to work while doing A levels to save up. Weekends/holiday work. Needs to work at uni anyway.
2. Loan will not cover accommodation in London etc. Will in other places where accommodation is cheaper. Uni halls are very expensive, private lets can be much much cheaper. Basic uni halls average £160 a week now. You can get private lets for more like £100 in some places.
3. Contact the uni to see if they have hardship loans available for students in this situation.
4. Could take a year or two out to work full time to save, look at what needs to happen for parental contribution to be discounted.

The parents should be able to give something, food and bills should be lower with them out the house. Not enough for the full shortfall but if they can give £20 a week for food it would help enormously.

Needs to take a year out and work full time and save.

Is it a course with placements, is that why he can't work during term time? Then he needs to work lots of hours in summer holidays to earn money for the following year.

Yes decisions made by people, some of whom got free university. Years ago, a much smaller percentage of people went to uni. In the 1970s and 1980s between 8% and 19% went to Uni. Even then the ones with better off parents had to pay for their living costs.

I work in a uni. Many of our students work nights/evenings/weekends to fund their studies. This is a full time course where they are expected to be in 8.30-5.30 so it’s full on for them but that’s what they do

it really depends what the course is

@Anewuser I didn't say all parents of kids who get the full maintenance loan sit on their arses and do nothing. Obviously some of them are working. I was just pointing out one possible scenario which makes the loans system deeply unfair. Another deeply unfair scenario would have been if I'd swanned around coffee shops being a SAHM to an 18 yr old and a 16 yr old... because then, our ds would have received a bigger loan because our household income would be lower. It's a shit system which disincentivises parents from working in decent jobs. You don't have to be earning a fortune for your kids to only get minimum loan. Dh and

Posted too soon.
Dh and I earn professional but really quite ordinary incomes.

I know you said the local uni doesn't do it but is there a uni that does the course that is within commuting distance, up to 1.5 hrs away would be doable?
Railcard and buying tickets in advance could still be cheaper than rent

Student loans, full rate in Scotland is £900pm, Halls £700+, fortunately we don't pay fees

Our income was too high for DS to get more than a minimum loan, but he took time out before starting his course and then he was regarded as an independent student as he'd supported himself for 3 years before starting the course. That meant our income wasn't taken into account for his loan calculation and he got the maximum loans. He was on benefits during that time but he was still accepted as being independent.

They get a job and work. My ds is 16 and is already working to build up a savings pot for uni by working in the holidays. And we've told him we'll help him but he's just motivated.

Defer for one year, work and save up then work in holidays- dd worked at McDonald's and they let you transfer to your university address and back