AIBU ,dd of to uni we are skint...AIBU to think the student lone will cover her for everything???

[Petal40]

Just that really...she's not saved.we are struggling .she chose to save to travel.not save for uni.she thinks it's all going to be ok because she will get a student lone....but will that lone cover everything?? And when she finishes she will be £60 grand approx in debt ...well our first house where she was born cost less than the debt she will be in after 3 years..I hope to god she changes her mind and decides not to go

Maintenence grants were scrapped by Gideon in 2015, they won't be available from next year.

www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/01/maintenance-grants-scrapped-for-poorest-students

Because unfortunately, out in the real world, where adults live, we can't have everything we want.

I put myself through uni at 17 (Scotland). I knew my mother couldn't support me (and even if she could have, I would never have just expected it)

University (nor travelling, for that matter) is not a right and no parent should have to out themselves in debt or live on the breadline just to fund their child's choice, when they could fund themselves through university but choose not to

While it's interesting free while studying the amount of student last I've then seen end up in financial difficulties 12/18 months later due to the interest that they forget has started to accrue is heartbreaking
Mum I have already explained several times that I am sorry about that but at least I have paid it off now.

Well when the government see it like that and parental income is not taken into consideration then yes I'll accept that.

Like I said, choose not to fund, but if you have a high enough income so that the loans aren't going to cover the cost, and haven't made this clear to the child explicitly and repeatedly during the application process then you are at fault not the child.

smallfox I'm genuinely shocked to read that!
Looks like what would have been available as a grant is now available as a loan though so the amount of income would be the same

True, but there should always have been some free support for students from the poorest backgrounds. They are the most likely to choose not to study because of debt issues.

OP you can be supportive without having to give her money if you really are that hard up.
She's managed to save to go travelling so she's not that bad with finances. Maybe her year away will do you both good. Be supportive.

I survived uni on a combination of student loan and 3 jobs (factory cleaner every morning, Saturday office job, and tutoring in holidays)

And a very, very strict budget!

Students not getting grants isn't that awful if you read Martil Lewis explanation. Basically imagine the loan that used to be a grant as the very last bit of the total loan that you will pay back. The vast majority or students will never pay all they loan back so it's irrelevant whether that last bit was a loan or a grant it will be written off.
Those that do pay it all off will be very high earners and really will not miss the money used for repayments.

A friend of mine had to survive on £10 a week, as her parents earnt so much she only just qualified for the minimum. But they had other commitments and couldn't afford to contribute anything more than her rent (in a very expensive city)

Both DD and DS got maximum student loan - they were also entitled to hardship bursaries from own university due to my low income as a lone parent
Use the free student account overdrafts but spend wisely
DD managed quite well as she had a part time job for all of her course
DS only managed to find work in year 2 and 3 so struggled more but lived very economically and did a few other things like selling stuff on eBay. One of his other good earners was cooking big communal meals for the others he shared with in halls and charging them!
I helped out a little when I could by buying a bit of food shopping or phone top ups

It's not a new thing that parents are expected to contribute, and has nothing to do with fees or student loans: as titchy pointed out, under the grant system, parents were still expected to contribute - not every university student was eligible for a grant, as it was worked out on (wait for it, wait for it, wait for it) parental income for all under 25s.

You might not think it's fair - but it has been that way for at least 50 years.

One of the things that has changed is very many students' expectations: they "can't possibly" share a bathroom with other people, so choose one of those new, independent, student living places, with ensuite and Sky included (in my city, it is cheaper by about half to share a house in the traditional student area ten minutes from the city centre by bus: few do any more); they buy new clothes frequently (and not only from Primark); they wouldn't be caught dead coming to lectures without being glammed up (including fake eyelashes and tan, and from their conversations, seem to buy their make up from various concessions at department stores); they have smart 'phones with contracts; they expect to be able to have takeaways several nights a week; they go out to wine bars and non-student nights, three or four hours a week; they run a car.

Obviously, not every student is like this - but more and more of them expect a standard of living commensurate with a salary of being in employment a good few years. That's fine - they are adults, and can make the choice of fitting a full-time job around a full-time degree after all. But to suggest it's a sudden and new outrage that parental income is taken into account is ridiculous, and to suggest that there aren't ways that students can economise (although, of course, in expensive cities, this is harder: the upside is that there are also more jobs available in eg London) is also ridiculous. There are people with no parental contribution up and down the country who manage, despite not being eligible for any extras - and generally, they become incredibly good time managers: the squeezed middle is the hardest hit, of course, and it was ever thus - but they can choose, as I did as a student, and as many other students do today, to cut their cloth accordingly and do the best they can.

Like I said, being frugal is fine, giving what you can is fine, but if the child ( and she is a dependant child in the government's eyes) has got this far without being told: "We won't be able to help you out." Then there is going to be an issue.

I do know of a student whose parents "couldn't help out" but still had a fairly nice lifestyle themselves but who wouldn't think of curtailing anything to help out. It did put a strain on their relationship.

OP: your reaction to this thread has been childish in the extreme. Only thanking those who post what you want to hear. Chucking your toys out of the pram and stropping off. It's ludicrous.

The sad truth is that you haven't done your homework and looked into the cost and benefits of Higher Education for you kids and now it's coming back to bite you. My 2 are 5 and 7 and we've been mindful of these costs since the start, savings have beenmade accordingly despite the fact that we have bugger all money and I budget fiercely in a hundred different ways (hell, I can Mumsnet the living shit out of a chicken! ) in order to be able to save for the kids.

if you just go ahead and had copious amounts of kids without contemplating how you'll support them above and beyond the early years, how you'll help them complete their education, then you've been very shortsighted.

but as I and many, many other posters have said, there ARE things you can do. So stop stropping. Stop blaming "the government" and whining about "people on benefits". Look at what You can do for YOUR daughter. overhaul your family finances - a previous poster gave you a good checklist of things to do. Even a small amount saved monthly will help towards the halls fees deposit. Work with your daughter to budget and see what she'll need. help her be realistic about how much she can afford to travel. Do all this now and there'll be less pain next year when she wants to go and you pipe up that you "can't help"

Or, you can continue to blame other people, hide away from reality and whine like my 5 year old, and have it all hit the fan spectacularly next August.

Hefzi, I do agree, but I think these are not a representative of students, these are the ones that you notice because they are doing so well.

In fact I think student life for some gives unrealistic expectations of what life is like. I've worked with new graduates and those ony 2 years or so into their careers who are desperately disappointed with what they can afford, once all the expenses are paid.

She could defer for a year, work full time and save as much as possible.

Hefzi do you really believe it was/ is harder for the " squeezed middle" than people on very low incomes?

I went to university over 30 years ago and whilst we didn't have to pay fees and got grants it only allowed for a poor standard of living
I had to work part time in year 1 and 2 and worked full time on shifts in my final year
The grant didn't even cover my rent on a single room in s shared house (1 bathroom n kitchen between 8)
No way could I run a car, afford a tv, phone or many luxuries
Students in the 70s and 80s really did live on mince lentils and home brew!!!

My partner is starting Uni this year and will be getting grants too
I don't want to scare you but the Maintenance Grant has been scrapped for new students from this September.

There are some other more specific grants available but the main one has definitely gone.

This is the first year, in fact only a few weeks ago, that I realised there is a very real chance that I cannot put DDs now aged 13 and 15, through university. We live near London so there is a lot of choice, they could stay at home, get part time jobs etc., but its the debt - the fact that we always thought the interest on the fees was so low as to be negligible. The thought of the costs and debt confuses and confounds them - maybe they don't want to go now.

Our joint income is roughly £20k and we have a (mortgaged) house so I don't think they would qualify for any support.

Basically imagine the loan that used to be a grant as the very last bit of the total loan that you will pay back. The vast majority or students will never pay all they loan back so it's irrelevant whether that last bit was a loan or a grant it will be written off
That is actually a really interesting concept and I quite like it.

So basically it is a grant unless you do really well in life and can afford to pay it back. Actually I really like that idea.

Burning on £20k they would get full loans. As for the debt it's more of a graduate tax. Please don't lefty our dd's think of it as debt.

Honestly, if finances are that much of a concern she shouldn't be wasting what she has on travelling. It's not a 'right', she's not entitled to travelling + paid-for uni. Prioritise and go from there. I'm also incredulous that you and your daughter haven't got costings for accommodation etc, you need to get onto this pronto. I stayed at home for my degree, worked about 15 hours a week until my final year to pay board to my (single) mum and in the final year I lived on what I saved in my sandwich year, which I also lived at home for to save. My degree had 25ish hours a week of lectures and labs, and we were expected to do that many hours outside, too. Can your daughter not study nearer to home to save money?

Now - I'm having a google maybe I haven't go my facts straight. Carry on without me.

Burning the cut off is £25k taxable income.