how do i afford university for dc? I have nothign spare? can they support themselves?

[slartybartfast]

that's it really.
if we get help for being low earners , that is to cover their living expenses? do they work?

it can't be that only those that can afford it have children who go to university?

[LineRunner]

My DD will get a loan for fees, a loan for halls, then a grant plus bursary towards living expenses.

She will also try to get a Wetherspoons shift or equivalent.

And live on smart price noodles.

[NickyEds]

If you're household is on less than £25K pa your dd will be entitled to a non-repayable maintenance grant of £3387 and a repayable one of £3862 so would have £7249 to live on. That probably won't be enough. Bank loans and a job should cover the rest. It's cheaper in the North but don't let dd base her degree choice purely on finance. My OH is a researcher and lecturer and says some students really struggle with working alongside study, some degrees more than others. Most find it much easier in years 1 &2 to work but struggle later on. If a student is working it is really important to tell supervisors etc-deadlines can't be extended but some things can be rearranged to accommodate them.
TBH at his Uni most students don't work term time but do in the holidays.

[sashh]

Just an anecdote, nothing to take as gospel but I worked with a girl who went to Durham where many many students have parents who don't pay rent they buy a flat for their dc.

She did not pay for a drink for 3 years because all the rich kids new she was poor and wouldn't let her buy a round.

[slartybartfast]

well, great as it sounds, i dont think she is on track for oxford/cambridge sadly.
but some positive information so far, feel a whole lot better.

[PiratePanda]

CharlesRyder - not true. You have to ask the Senior Tutor and s/he may say no, but there are exceptions. I personally know two who have explicitly been granted permission for term-time working; that means there are probably more.

[CharlesRyder]

x post

DH and I went to Christ Church. They were very helpful with money including sub-ing the beer and indeed found some people work in college in the holidays. Term time work was an absolute no though.

[Doilooklikeatourist]

DS went off to Uni in September
The loan pays the fees
The other ( maintenance ) loan pays his rent for Halls
He has a mini grant ( about £700 a year ) which is his to spend as he wishes
We gave him , by bank standing order £20 a week for food ( this went up to £35 , but our food bill at home went down a lot more ! )
He managed to book himself on a ski trip and have a fun time living the good life working hard

[CharlesRyder]

seriously - if your DCs are predicted A*AA Oxbridge. College rents are really cheap in comparison with most universities, and there is loads of bursary money sloshing around. It's probably cheaper to go to Oxford or Cambridge as a low income student than virtually anywhere else in the country.

However, at Oxbridge you are not allowed to have a term time job an can be sent down if you are found to be working.

[PiratePanda]

You're right Poofus that term-time working is generally considered a no-no at Oxford and Cambridge, but I am friends with two people whose (old, rich) colleges allowed them to work during term because they were poor and needed the money. One worked as a barman, the other as a college cleaner. So it's not an outright ban by any means. The colleges will always try to help students make ends meet and if that means a bit of term-time working, it's frequently allowed.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

Terms are noticeably shorter though poofus.

[Poofus]

Oxford and Cambridge are great, obviously, but they are pretty strict about not permitting students to work during term time. The idea is that students need to devote their time to study, not a part time job. On the bright side, though, they have quite a lot of hardship grants and loans for students who are struggling.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

That does sound tough slarty, but take heart, read the Martin Lewis link and listen carefully to Pirate's advice about researching and picking universities with decent public transport (or walkability), lower rents and a chance of part time employment - that's still going to leave them lots of choice. Make the DCs avoid anywhere with no jobs, high rents and geography that means you need a car. They should be fine using the funds available to them without you needing to top up anything more than the occasional tenner.

[noddyholder]

If you earn under a certain amount there is extra help and it is possible to manage with good budgeting and maybe a pt job if the course allows. I notice most of ds mates just work in the holidays when home. Banks give interest free overdraft and also a friend of my ds who is staying with us ATM gets vouchers from local authority for the canteen and he eats a really good meal there daily. My ds was terrible with money last year and has been working out how to shop cheaper and I have introduced him to the delights of aldi

[slartybartfast]

well i struggle currently to support her as I said, nothign spare, she works, I do pay for her gym and swimming but she pays for everythign else. top of that - DS who has been retaking ad infinitum may well go to university at the same time, so it will be like having twins.

[Redhead11]

I forgot to say that because we are in Scotland, the fees are paid for us. DD gets a bursary and takes out the maximum student loan. Between that and her wages, she has basically supported herself over the last year. I have helped out with shopping and extra cash where possible. XH doesn't contribute a penny and lives abroad, so chasing him for it is beyond my means.

[melissa83]

Yeah thats it so I owe something like 9k fees and 10.5k living loan for the 3 years but you dont pay it back until your on a very high wage. It used to be 17k but now its 21k so if you if you are on that kind of wage you will hardly notice it going out.

[PiratePanda]

If your family income is less than £25K your DC should be eligible for a decent maintenance grant. There are also lots of bursaries for students from low income families as well as hardship grants. And IME (I'm a lecturer) most students also work PT (summer, term-time or both) and live in shared housing to keep costs low. It's actually worse for parents who earn just over £40K whose DC are not eligible for any maintenance but they still can't afford to cover their uni costs.

My suggestion would be to choose a university in a city with cheaper rents and lots of PT work (e.g. Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham) or - seriously - if your DCs are predicted A*AA Oxbridge. College rents are really cheap in comparison with most universities, and there is loads of bursary money sloshing around. It's probably cheaper to go to Oxford or Cambridge as a low income student than virtually anywhere else in the country.

[merlehaggard]

melissa83 so will the maintenance grant very low earners DCs will get £7000 but pay back only £3.5 as a loan and v high earners DCs will get £3.5k loan and their parents will have to pay the extra? My daughter is at uni but we are middle earners and top up £4.5k approx loan with £70 pw.

[melissa83]

A few years ago when I went I got 1k of the loan and 1k grant per term and then worked. I had enough money for everything as thats like a whole 6k I got and my wages. I know a lot of my friends work full time around degrees like teaching if you just do night, evening or unsociable hours shifts.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

As of today OP, (assuming your DC don't have a job at the moment) all their food, clothes, entertainment, travel etc is paid by you. Is the problem that this is money from child benefit and WTC which will be gone when they turn 18?

Just trying to clarify, because sometimes people say they don't have any free money to support their DC at university (assuming maintenance loan/grant goes on rent) when they've been happily supporting them at home on the same budget - but obviously if that money came from benefits which will now disappear then you really don't have it to spare.

But yes, read the Martin Lewis link and it will all become clear. Children of genuinely broke parents often find it easier in practice than those with slightly richer ones - this is a deliberate aim of the system for understandable reasons.

[melissa83]

Merle - Low earners children have to pay back the tuition fees and 3.5k but get to keep an extra 3.5k. Who cares though you dont pay it back until your loaded andon 21k a year.

[slartybartfast]

so if by some chance we earn as her parents, less than £25,000 which we do, they get help, if we earn up to £40,000 they still get help,

[unrealhousewife]

They can always study abroad where it's free, I think in Sweden it's free for British students. They teach in English.

[littlesupersparks]

My parents were/are quite well off but when I went to uni I just had the student loan - it was means tested and I got less because my parents had money but they never topped it up! I lived off that and part time jobs. Yes, I had friends whose parents paid rent, phone bills and a big grocery shop once a term but they were clueless with money.
Part of uni is learning to budget/live frugally I think. Deffo talk to them about budgets etc. I had a part time job in sixth form and saved a lot of that. Some of my friends from school worked full time for a year before going to uni to save xx

[unrealhousewife]

You would get a grant of between 5 an 7000 depending on your income. There are a lot of charities that might help and unihomeswap is a way to do an exchange with another student to save on accommodation.