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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Reasonable weekly allowance for a 3rd Year University Student?

44 replies

OpenAmyrillis · 24/01/2011 20:31

How much would you consider a reasonable amount to give DD in her third year of university as a weekly allowance for food, toiletries, bus fare etc. We pay her bills and rent, but she does study hard and is doing well, she also has 2 part time jobs that she puts towards 'treats' etc.

My DS and friends give their children upwards of £100 a week, I give DD £50. AIBU?

Would love to know your thoughts and opinions on this!

OP posts:

Original poster

OpenAmyrillis · 24/01/2011 20:32

Her earnings total about £100 pounds a month I think

OP posts:

Original poster

OpenAmyrillis · 24/01/2011 20:33

hm...£ sign there, didn't really need to put pounds.

OP posts:

Bearcat · 24/01/2011 20:41

I'll be giving my son the equivalent of the student loan next year when he moves into a house (just about £3000 pa I think). Out of that he will have to pay for his food and bills as he also does some work during the holidays maybe making £2500 - £3000 pa.
This year whilst he is in catered halls I give him £50 for each week he is away at university.
Also pay his rent and tuition fees.

Original poster

OpenAmyrillis · 24/01/2011 20:45

Thats interesting, I haven't changed her allowance, she was in halls in her first year catered also.

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mumeeee · 25/01/2011 20:50

DD2 is in 2nd year uni. We pay most of her rent and I sometimes send her some bits and pieces, But she pays for everything else out of her student loan. She has just got a part time job with Chessinton world of Adventures which she will be starting ar the end of March when they open for the season.

BlackandGold · 26/01/2011 22:59

DS was at uni in London and we gave him a little more than this - probably about £60pw but he didn't have a job during term time.

He used his student Oyster card a lot for travel and found that buses were cheaper than trains!

WaywardGirl · 30/01/2011 01:47

I'm a second year student.

From my student finance, I get about £60 a week after rent has been taken out (which I pay for myself). From that I pay bills, food, toiletries and 'treats', as well as travel and things like stationery.

I don't get an allowance from my parents, but I do have a sporadic part time job. I manage absolutely fine. Oh, and I study hard and do well. Whatever difference that may make.

twopeople · 03/02/2011 17:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

TinyDiamond · 07/02/2011 20:42

When I was at university 5 years ago my housemate's parents never gave her cash but ordered a tesco delivery every two weeks to our house and she really appreciated it. As sensible as we'd like to think we were back then, if it were 50 pounds cash this would've been spent over a weekend easily.

The deliveries included loads of cupboard staples, frozen veg, cheap toiletries, loo roll, cereal, biscuits etc. This basic shop probably cost less than what you are suggesting overall but meant that if there was food in the house she was much less likely to go out having to shop every day and eat out.

Easy to do aswell, I would've loved my parents to do the same for me.

just an idea for you

mumeeee · 07/02/2011 21:42

I would like to know why a parent gives a 3rd year uni student an allowence? Are the students expected to pay thier rent out of the allowence or do patents pay that as well.

mumoverseas · 09/02/2011 08:11

OMG 100 pw? DC1 off to Uni this September and I'd originally said I can't afford to finance him then as have 3 other kids to think about. This however was at the time he was planning a gap year and was going to get a job and save most of his income to assist him through Uni.
This plan went out of the window due to change in funding so no gap year and starting to wonder/worry how much he is going to need. I suppose I can't realistically expect him to get a job straight away when he starts.

Tescos delivery sounds sensible though as at least you know they are getting fed

thekidsmom · 09/02/2011 09:59

OpenAmyrillis, am I right in assuming she doesnt have a student loan?

For our DS who is in the second year in a big city but not London, we pay his rent at £350 per month then he has his loan on top of that and it is enough for him to live on. Given that the sutdent loan is £4k ish over 9 months thats about £100 a week all in inlcuding food, bills travel etc.

We do also expect him to work in the summer and he earned £1500 last summer which helps him through.

Helch · 03/09/2012 18:00

Hi my son is going to Uni this month and I am not sure how much to pay him per week. He is living on the campus so all bills etc will be paid he just needs money for day-to-day expenses, food, toiletries, bus fares etc - any ideas?

Pagwatch · 03/09/2012 18:07

Ds is about to start his second year. We pay his rent.
Everything else he pays for out of his loan and any money he can earn.
We could easily pay him a massive allowance. He woudn't take it.

LeeCoakley · 03/09/2012 18:15

I'm gobsmacked at the parental support on here! Dd1 has to support herself. Her loan covers the rent and she has a part-time job at Sainsbury's during term time for food and entertaining etc approx £250 - £300 a month. She uses her overdraft if stuck.

OLimpPickMeddles · 03/09/2012 18:19

My DS starts uni this year. He's taking out a loan for tuition fees, and we are giving him an allowance of £7k, for which £3860 will go on rent (self catered halls) leaving around £95 per week for everything else (food / study stuff / going out / travel). I think we've been pretty generous actually, and may have to review this if it starts to get a bit tight!

creamteas · 03/09/2012 18:52

My DC do not get the full loan because of my income. I pay the rent, they have to fund everything else via the bit of loan they get and PT work.

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 03/09/2012 18:57

We pay the tuition fees in full, rent on daughters house and £300 a month. She has a part time job too. Yes, she is well subsidised, but hey ho we can afford it and I think it is money well spent. I was virtually fullyl funded by the state when I went to University.

goldengrace · 03/09/2012 20:18

We are the same as Pagwatch. DD is about to enter her third year. We pay her rent and she uses the student loan to pay for everything else - books, food, travel, social life.

Due to our income she only gets the non-means tested part of the loan, but she manages fine and has had some money left over at the end of each of the first two years. She has worked both summers to pay for holidays.

We have offered to contribute towards bills this year as the loan for the final year is lower, but DD has refused. I am astonished at how much some of you are giving your DC to live on.

goinggetstough · 04/09/2012 07:22

Lee you may be gobsmacked but your DD's loan covers her rent, for many DCs this is not the case. Certain universities do not allow their students to work in term time and many have full timetables that would mean finding a job hard. My DCs after rent have £50 a week from all sources and they too are just fine and have jobs in the summer. This is probably on the low side. I only say this as looking at a university like Warwick who if you are from a low income family(under £25,000) you would get a full loan, full grant (£7125), then a massive Warwick bursary £2500 plus a fee waiver of £2000 per year (this tapers as parental income rises). So the Government think that students from poor families require this amount of money, so one could argue is not unreasonable for parents to make up the difference if they can.
Congratulations to your DD for supporting herself, but remember it is not a level playing field when it comes to finance.

WofflingOn · 04/09/2012 07:56

DD has her student loans plus £3,000 a year from us that we saved up and banked.
She uses that at about £1,000 a term. Plus if there is any sudden unexpected expense, she knows she can ring up and we'll work it out by money juggling.
In some areas, pt student-type jobs are non-existent.

If I paid her rent and quarter bills instead, it would work out at around £350 a month.

Pagwatch · 04/09/2012 08:11

But goinggetstough that is not what Lee is gobsmacked about.
She is talking about the people on this thread who pay rent and other things and then give an allowance on top.
It's nothing to do with the unfairness of the loan system -albeit that is a valid point. It is the parents adding money on top of rent and loan that I find surprising.
Ds1 tells me about the people at uni who are still completely living off their parents. He is a bit and I am not sure how it helps independence tbh.

Titiwangsa · 04/09/2012 08:18

I'm surprised too. We pay the DCs their rent, then they use the tuition loan and maintenance loan for the rest.

outtolunchagain · 04/09/2012 08:24

Ds goes this year and we are planning on paying his accommodation and he will have to live off his loan and part time holiday jobs . He is in a northern city and after paying his accomodation ( one of the cheapest options) there would be about £100 a year change from the amount of loan he is entitled to.
And that's self catering!

senua · 04/09/2012 08:30

I'm with you, Pag. We could afford to give DD more than we do, but we don't. Half the point of going away to University is to learn how to be a grown-up: how to do a budegt, how to cut your coat according to the cloth, how to find a cheaper/better way to things, how to manage.

We should be saying to the DC "it's your life. Go and work out a budget. Calculate what the shortfall is. Find yourself a summer job and then maybe we will talk about parental contribution."

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