To think £60 a week to live on will be a struggle for DD at uni?

[Lex345]

Just that, essentially. DD is looking at moving into halls next September and when we looked at the cost of halls, based on her budget, this is how much she will have left to cover course materials, food, clothes, travel, socialising etc.

All bills would be covered, but I think this will be a very, very tight budget even just on food. She is planning on moving away from our home area and will be looking for a job as well, but I know that isn't a guarantee, especially not immediately in a new city.

AIBU to think this will be really hard to live on, or am I being completely ridiculous and DD will be absolutely fine, £60/week is plenty?

£2,000 bursaries are rare. My daughter's university gives £500 and my son's gives between £400-800.

The parents who are low earners do get the bursaries for dc. It pays to be a low earner. All these dc limiting expenditure don’t ever buy clothes, go out for a meal or have much of a social life. It’s impossible.

Yes I do know the cheapest halls are not always allocated but many dc don’t even look at them. This is why DC have no money left. There’s nearly always a mid point between £5000 (obviously not London or expensive cities!) snd £10,000.

However if everyone thinks there’s a right to go to university, who’s paying? It never was a right.

DD certainly doesn’t think she has a right to go to uni and is very grateful for our planned help. We’re budgeting for up to £8K for halls which is mid range so just hoping she gets something that costs less than that.

My nephew gets a 5k a year bursary from his college at Cambridge. Some colleges are quite affluent and help students, it's been a massive help for him.

@CornedBeef451 That’s perfectly reasonable. However some budgeting isn’t reasonable! Many unis have halls for circa £8000. This gives £2,500 for 3 terms or 2 semesters. So a bit in excess of £60 a week depending on time spent at university.

Obviously most don’t qualify for bursaries and no doubt there’s a sliding scale. However £10,500 plus £5,000 makes a student at Cambridge better off than people earning low wages. Quite a deal!

DS said earlier that he's spent £60 in the first 2 weeks which I think is very low. But he did have a full fridge, freezer and pantry when we left 😆

His train ticket at Christmas is going to be £50+ each way which is a big chunk. We'll pay that if needed.

Dc has been back a week. I left them with a full shop too. Apparently they’ve spent £4. I’m sure that frugality won’t last.

Baked beans are not 4p a tin anymore !!!

@OhDear111I think perhaps you’re basing that calculation on the maximum maintenance allowance? DD will get the minimum amount so anything above the very cheapest halls, plus any food, will have to be paid for by us. I’m really hoping she can get a cheaper hall place so that we just have to pay for food!