Funding your cherubs through Uni how?

[Piffle]

Ok
Do how are your Uni starters being funded?
Specifically if they can only get the £3575 amount of maintenance loan?
We are really struggling to budget everything :(

Exeter Holland Hall - I found loads of storage space in the room when I stayed for an alumni weekend. Room not enormous (possibly because of double bed and ensuite) compared with halls rooms I've stayed/lived in (and DS's have lived in) and I doubt whether trunk rooms still exist anywhere, but definitely no lack of storage space. Hall fees at Exeter grossly high. "Ordinary" students are priced out of the market.

Thanks webwiz, I may well be messaging you soon :-)

DS1 is at Brunel university - 2nd year.

He has taken out maximum loans for tuition fees & maintenance. We don't send him regular money but top him up when his loan runs out and help out with train fares home etc. He manages okay but I don't think he has bought any new clothes since he first went to Uni

We prefer to do it this way as he would just get used to having the extra money if we sent it each month - and would have still run out of money by the end of term.

DS is taking maximum loans...
But he only gets £3575 and accomodation is £4800 odd....

So we have to support him

it does seem to cost more in measurable money when they first go off

but OTOH there are considerable savings in domestic bills, & catering costs, & petrol, to offset it (well there are at my house...) so it's really not as bad as it seems

don't tell him that though; make sure he appreciates your sacrifices

It is worth considering Uni accomodation vs renting a house/flat share. If they can move out of halls in the ong breaks & not pay rent then that helps.

I'm in South Lincs too Piffle & just starting the research with DD1 for all this Uni lark!

In the first year we pay all accommodation fees (halls). Then when they are in 2nd and 3rd years we pay most of the rent. All other costs are funded by them from their student loan and a part time job if they can get one.

I'm a bit old fashioned - think dcs should have the opportunities we had if we can possibly afford it. We are planning on paying catered hall fees (6K) if dd passes A levels to get into university of choice. She will then have the 3000 ish for living expenses. Yes it's loads but I really don't see why my dd who works much harder than I ever did at school should not have the opportunities I had. She deserves it.

We don't expect the children to work term time (she's doing a law degree and will eventually be working very hard. University's supposed to be fun), but holiday jobs are positively encouraged.

We give her £250 a month and she works at the weekend.

FWIW, I'm not convinced catered is worth the extra fixed amount, however good the food is (& it probably isn't

I thought the advantage of this system is that the student borrows the money, and only pays it back when they are able.

They are also incentivised to earn as much as they can, if they can, through p/t jobs.

I know it's not fair, because students with rich parents will just pay for it.

But my kids will at least be able to go to uni without me signing myself into debt.

Awww. I was at York 93-97 and it was one of the cheapest (and best unis back then. The halls cost me £25p/w in the first year and £27p/w in the last year, and my share house was £30 p/w.

And I got a grant in my first year!

I still didn't pay my student loands off until 2006 though. I feel so sorry for students these days.

DS2 at Sheffield is paying £107pw in halls in first year, but shared house will be £60pw next year

bit of an imbalance there

(I blame en suites)

I had a netty in my first shared house.

I think we must have been paid to live in it as some kind of Arts Council project.

DS1 is in his first year studying maths at York uni. He originally thought he wanted to go for catered accommodation but couldn't get it. He now says its much easier to self-cater although it took him a few weeks to get into the swing of organising himself, a steep learning curve.

Redspottedfrog, £25 per week!!! Think DS1 is paying around £115 per week uncatered!!!

But linerunner the point is that the OP's DC gets the minimum amount maintenance loan and this will not even cover the rent for Halls. The situation isn't that black and white. Yes, there are some parents who can afford to pay their DC's costs at university and there are others that get a maintenance loan, a maintenance grant and a university bursary. However, there are a number of us who fall in the middle and without a large parental contribution our DC would struggle even with a job. So although we hopefully won't be getting ourselves in to debt as a result we will have to budget accordingly and that IMO is the bit that is not fair.
Everyone should be able to get loans to cover fees and living costs.

DS1's loans do not cover his accommodation costs by approximately £500 per term. So therefore we give him a weekly allowance to cover food and everything else. He worked through the summer to put some money away. His course is pretty full on, and he hasn't managed to secure a part time job but plans to work through the summer instead.

Ponders that a great rent especially if it includes all bills.

going I am clearly trying to convince myself of something, and I'm not sure what it is any more.

My DD thinks she is going to live at home. I am saying, Go and spread your wings.

I am in denial.

for people thining ahead to secod ad thrid year where the DC aren't in halls - at Bath the "approved" accommodation contracts are all for 12 months from 1st August, so you're still paying out during holiday time. I assume most other places will be similar. DD1 is hoping that her house rent (£85 pw)+ bills next year will be broadly similar to her (non-ensuite self catering) halls (£97 pw I think) this year.

stupid keyboard - correct typing mistakes as you read it, sorry