DD's uni costs

[WarriorWalrus]

DD1 is 17, 18 at the start of August. DH and I can't agree on what costs we should be covering while she is at uni and what she should budget for herself.
Due to our income DD only qualifies for the most basic maintenance loan. We have savings for her, so it won't be out of our monthly income (though I intend to keep putting money into her savings while she is at uni). Her grandparents have offered to pay for her accommodation (£350 a week).
So far we haven't figure out how much her monthly allowance from us will be, but we disagree on what this should cover. DH thinks the amount we set should cover everything, food, clothes, socialising, club fees, holidays etc.
I think food, socialising and day to day clothes sure, but she plans to join one of the sports teams so I think we should pay for the initial registration cost and kit costs, allow her to use money from the savings for travel, she currently gets private coaching in her sport, I think we should pay for this to continue at uni (I know she wants it to) and step in with extra money for more expensive clothes for events or such.
We don't want her to and she doesn't intend to get a job (Uni, Socialising, Sport and extra work to help future career should take up most of her time). But we do want to teach her to budget.
AIBU to think the additional things should be covered by us, anyone with Uni aged kids got a rough idea of how much she will need monthly?

@Blossomtoes
@WomblingTree86
If they do get the bursary that works out at less than £40pw, giving about £65pw to live on, again hardly on a par with the spoiled students on this thread.
Why on MN where everyone seems financially well off, do ppl have the attitude that anyone entitled to support be it benefits or student loans should be eternally grateful to have a pittance to live on.
To be nasty about this but not bay an eyelid about incredibly spoiled and indulged DC really is pathetic.

@Blossomtoes
This side of the border has the sense not to continuously vote in Tories who only care about the rich and their pals.

Thinking that a full loan is enough to live off in Birmingham and many other parts of the country is not nasty. My children and many of their friends were fine with that amount. Also, what have I said that you think suggests I do not "bay an eyelid about incredibly spoiled and indulged DC" ?

Very true.

There’s a huge downside to free tuition. Large numbers of international students and Scottish students not getting into competitive courses at all unless they are contextual applicants.

It’s easy enough to live off the maximum lien and bursary in most uk cities. Birmingham has accommodation for £126 a week for the academic year. So just over £5000. A student should be able to live adequately off the difference between the full loan (£10,000) plus bursary. My DN saves her bursary for a foreign holiday. The big saving is those living at home who can get £8400. Many parents don’t charge rent do these students save a lot. Often towards a house deposit.

The facts are the facts - the full out of London student maintenance loan the children of less well off parents get is £9978 if you don't live at home. The lowest is 4651. Most parents make the minimum to the full (if they can afford it) or pay the rent and let the child live off the 4651. So in the case of making it up to the full 9978 no one can dispute the fact that the child of the benefits parents gets the 9978,. Now you may think the 9978 or the 4651 should be more but 9978 is more than 4651.

On the point of if my £150 a week spoilt my twins. I doubt it. We are fairly well off so it was just a continuation of a norm and they have always worked hard for exams. Having the money has not stopped them doing so, not led to them lying around all day not working.

Why be critical of those getting the full grant - they are entitled and deserve it (it should be more imo). Are poster’s saying that children of those on benefits or very low income shouldn’t go to Uni?

I totally agree that those who are entitled to the full loan deserve it
And parents should make up the balance to the full loan for students who get less

Looks that way. Or mature students.

@Blossomtoes
No, people are just pointing out the arithmetic facts. Having the full loan means you have more than those who don't, but also don't get parental top-ups.

Also there are people on 'high' incomes who might not be able to top up. If you have multiple children in uni at the same time for example. If you achieved that income in the last few years of your life, having had adverse circumstances before.

I personally know quite a few. Lean years due to cancer, job losses etc. A high salary just before kids go to uni used to clear the financial burdens accrued... Not much spare. And no chance if there are multiple kids in uni at the same time!

Whi is being critical?

This.

Some students are incredibly advantaged. They and their parents don't always acknowledge that though. Some are born with incredible advantage and it goes through life with them. The people from disadvantaged backgrounds get a little bit of financial help. Woopey do. Lots of hidden advantages are often overlooked by the privileged in society eg networking and contacts, attend private school interact with lawyers, doctors, business owners etc, mix in circles and when offspring leave Uni they have people able to give them a leg up, get into a particular practice, internship etc etc. That helping hand through life, the house deposit, the money through Uni so don't need to work to pay the bills, the help getting a job, etc etc. Then moan that a poor student gets a grant ....🤔

Nobody has "moaned" about poor students getting a grant. Unless you can give a quote where someone is? It seems some posters are making things up now.

Indeed. I was just point out that £9978 is heaps more than £4651. If the 4k parent makes it up to 10k great. If they don't then the suposedly better off pupil is worse off than the almost 10k one.

The 10k a year (plus almost 10k fees ) is a gift from tax payers so about £60k gift for 3 year course to the student if the student never does a day's work in their life once they graduate too and there is no legal obligation on them ever to work for the £60k they were given.

On the point of if my £150 a week spoilt my twins. I doubt it. We are fairly well off so it was just a continuation of a norm

This is so blinkered it’s almost funny.

No student loan is designed to allow a student to send money home to a parent! There are hardship funds for students but the loan is for them, not to help out a parent. Plus there are also bursaries. Often articles are only half the truth and do not explore the exact situation. A sensational headline does not explain the exact position.

This is the kind of response we get from government ministers. Discredit one case on spurious grounds and refuse to look at structural problems in the system that create poverty and hardship.

Why am I not surprised that it’s the posters who give their offspring £££££s who are keen to deny the problems faced by working class kids …

Erm… sorry to point this out but, it is not unusual for students in under privileged families to use part of their loan to keep supporting their siblings.
They shouldn’t, but sometimes they need to.

I don't know if the poster you are quoting gave their children alot of money but I certainly didn't. I'm not denying that it isn't difficult for students even on full loans in some parts of the country but that doesn't include those in Birmingham which is why I was suspicious of the story you linked to. Students on full loans are also not the worst off unfortunately. It doesn't matter how high your parents income is if they don't give you any money and you only receive a minimum loan as a result of their income.

Well maybe they should feature people using the student loan as it was designed, not to fund their entire family?

There are significant barriers to lower income (I'm not going to use class) students attending university. Equally, the entire system is broken. Literally everything has been turned into a 'university degree' when there is absolutely no need. People are getting into university with C's and D's at A-Levels.

Other countries with cheap or free tertiary education have extremely difficult exams that weed a large proportion of students out by second year. There are great alternatives such as quality work apprenticeships and technical qualifications.

University is a scam and anecdotally, as a hiring manager for early careers more and more of our apprentices at various levels are people who could very well gone to university but chosen not to. Students are just cash cows and squeezed for money.

I thought you could apply to be financially estranged?

That is very difficult to prove. They need to show that they are not in contact with parents now and are unlikely to be in the future and need evidence from third parties (teachers, social workers etc) to back this up.

Which bit is funny? The fact I don't think £150 would spoil someone and would stop them pursuing a higher paid job? (Continuation of norm meant our norm at home as a fairly well off single parent family)
"notwavingbutdrowning1 · Today 13:34
On the point of if my £150 a week spoilt my twins. I doubt it. We are fairly well off so it was just a continuation of a norm

This is so blinkered it’s almost funny."

Well maybe they should feature people using the student loan as it was designed, not to fund their entire family?

Well. perhaps he would prefer to go hungry himself rather then see his parents go hungry. The point is that EVEN THOUGH the entire loan isn’t enough to live on, he is choosing to help his family at great personal cost. You can’t divorce student hardship from family hardship. No one should be facing these choices.

It’s a great strength that Dc with low paid parents on benefits can get to university and have a full maintenance award. They are not stopped by anyone else. I don’t see why a student loan, which taxpayers pay for up front, should be used for other purposes. If it is, that’s wrong. It just is and it’s also a choice. It feels fraudulent.

I tend to agree that we need to redefine higher education. Not everyone is near an apprentice provider at degree level. Only a few thousand 18 year old DCs get them. Rural Dc have very limited options unless they move from home. Most degree apprenticeships go to mature employees. Not school leavers. Career changers or those now needing formal qualifications to gain promotion or professional status vastly outnumber 18 year olds. For every 100 doing a degree, 1 is doing a degree apprenticeship. They are frequently not at the best universities either. Plus Dc must know what career they want. At 18. Thousands don’t, eg those doing history, Philosophy, psychology, anthropology , sociology etc.

However there needs to be less opportunities for CCC type degrees. All these young people should do a HE diploma. Then move to a degree after if necessary. Those that don’t know what they want to do will have to think earlier!

But PP have pointed out that it IS enough to live on.

The max maintenance loan is £9760.

You don't HAVE to stay in halls, you can rent a room for up to £500, bills included, in Birmingham.That leaves £500 a month for everything else.
Food £150 a month, transport at most £20 a week for a buss pass so £120 a month. That leaves £230 for everything else.

It's tight, but not impossible, especially if you have a job, adding money on top.