Cost of Uni accommodation

[Woffa]

Ds1 will be applying for Uni in September and we've realised that the "anyone can afford to go to Uni" is quite misleading.
We know that we will have to top up his loan as he won't get enough to live on (our income is too high to get any extra help but too low for it not to be an issue, especially with a Yr11 also wanting to go a year later).
Is there a trustworthy website or report which shows the cheapest places to go, especially for accommodation? I'm a bit sceptical that the prospectuses give a true picture given their marketing spin these days ;)

don't live in halls
Hmm that's all very well for the mature adult student or the exceptionally independent, but most 18 year olds are going away from home for the first time. However well house trained they are for the first time in their lives entirely responsible for themselves, for shopping, laundry, cooking probably not cleaning. So many worries from meeting new people to studying that negotiating a rental away from all the other freshers would be a step too far for most.
My DS has grown up immeasurably since he started last October but he really needed the cushion of halls.

We subsidise to the value of £5k for rent. We don't earn a fortune. I don't believe govt when they say no one should not go to uni because of costs.every parent I know is paying approx 5k

Please do not put your child in private accommodation.it is a great experience to move into halls and they can make friends easier. It's also safer, much safer, everything is checked and secure, and the accom dept will look after your child, it will probably be nearer to the uni so less transport costs.
My dc accommodation is. Fantastic , he has made some geat friends in the halls. It's worth the extra

In my earlier post, when I mentioned Northern cities or one in the Midlands, it was based on their house rental prices from 2nd year onwards. They have cheaper rentals than some other university cities and students spend at least two years in private rented unless they are Oxbridge. Definitely go into university run halls for the first year. Easily the best way to make friends. My DD1 the loan met the university halls cost but not anything else, so we had to top up.

My DHs parents were a toolmaker and accountancy assistant (part time). This was in the 1970s and they had to pay a contribution. A single parent accountant no doubt did some accounting to reduce income in the year in question!!! Many people receive the benefit called " income support"; this is what I meant by benefits. In some universities, high A levels and low income could trigger a bursary but they are typically pretty low.

No-one in our families had been to university before my DH and DSis but that does not mean that all the talk about fees and expenses passes you by! Especially if you know your child is doing well at school.

boys3 makes a valid point upthread. Oxbridge terms are shorter & the students only pay for the term times, so overall the hall fees are often less than at other universities.

Dd did halls for first year and a private flat for second. The flat is much cheaper but remember it has to be paid for all year round and SAAS money is only paid September to May so you have to find the rent to keep the flat over the summer. That is a real killer for us. If dd doesnt manage to get a summer job we will be screwed as we can't afford our mortgage plus her rent.

My parent did no fancy accounting to reduce their income declaration but did have a high mortgage (due to divorce late in life) which was (I believe) taken into account. Nowadays other outgoings such as mortgages are not taken into account.

Be very careful not to rely on uni accommodation - if a uni is over-subscribed, as many are these days, there are far more first years than uni flats / halls. Dd didn't get any accommodation in her first year via the uni and ended up paying £50 a week more than the highest the uni offered.

Most universities say if they guarantee halls to all first years. Mostly, but not exclusively, they stick to it by recruiting the correct numbers of students. I don't think not getting a hall place is a universal problem and is mostly one encountered by insurance choice students who come late to the accommodation merrygoround.

I agree with secretsquirrels - halls are an important bridge between living at home with Mum and Dad, and living independently. Think very, very long and hard about choosing to opt out of halls.

A lot of unis only guarantee accommodation to 1st years who firm their place. Only a few guarantee those who insure or go through clearing.

Hi. I would advise living in halls. I work in a university and although halls are not cheap, there are sub wardens and wardens about which is an important support network. In addition to that it really helps them to settle in and make friends.

Although catered halls are more expensive, the living costs they will need are much lower and you know that there will always be food available. When I went to uni I ran out of money half way through each term and had to ask parents to help out as I dramatically under estimated the amount I would spend in self catered accommodation. It also will encourage them to meet more people and it is amazing to see how the dining hall staff get to know the students and look out for the students too.

Is there a trustworthy website or report which shows the cheapest places to go, especially for accommodation?

Good to read that you've come back to say that cost of accommodation is not your main/only criterion. It's a very bad way to make an important decision/

The value for money of a university degree is a mix of the reputational status of the university, the specific degree programme (plenty of very highly thought of degree programmes at post-92 universities), the student's achievement in that degree, and the employment-specific experiences/work/placements undertaken during undergraduate years.

A "cheap" degree will be very expensive if there's not a good trajectory of professional employment over the ensuing 20 years or so.

I agree with what others say about the importance of being in halls in first year. But there's no harm in taking living costs into account and avoiding the expensive areas like London.

Whilst it doesn't sound like your ds would be eligible for bursaries, it might be worth exploring those universities which offer financial incentives to see if any of them also offer the right course. Sussex for example has an unconditional offer scheme - in January they convert a certain number of the offers they have made into unconditional and will give a scholarship worth £3k in the first year if the student achieves AAA or equivalent.

As previously stated, most universities have a range of accommodation and priced accordingly. It is important to remember that the price is fully inclusive of bills and contracts are usually for around 40 weeks to cover the academic year. Private accommodation is usually offered for contracts of 52 weeks and bills are extra. At least, this is our experience.

Ds was in halls for his first year - fees were £118 per week for 40 weeks. This year he has been in a private rental at £84 per week plus bills. Sounds a lot cheaper until you work out the annual costs....

Glasgow is reasonable about £400 a month, Edinburgh more pricey.

I agree that halls including bills and no costs in holidays is a big advantage.

Luckily our DDs University town seem to have managed to get their head around private accommodation including bills and also on separate contracts - so parents aren't underwriting friends. They are still for 50-52 weeks though and, in the end, are about 10-20% cheaper than halls.

To spend the extra in year one is so worth it. The security and warden help. The meeting of friends in year one and in different flats. The possibility of moving (not an easy thing to arrange but its been done by some where real major issues). Close by important facilities in some cases - the union bar, library, laundry, reception, some elements of cleaning, student help-zone.

Do double check when it is rent with bills included... usually they are included up to a certain amount. In my DS's case this seems to be a reasonable amount, but only time will tell. Otherwise students would keep the heating on 24/7.

Dd2 was choosing accommodation online today - around 130 pw which works out around 5k per year, self catering with en suite. Dd1 is in her 3rd year, studying a subject that doesn't leave time for a term-time job, though obviously she has done lots of holiday work. It's ridiculous. Luckily, dds 1 and 2 won't overlap. Dd1 was in a catered hall in 1st year - about 130 per week I think. No en suite which was fine except when someone had been sick in the showers! I know, I saw it. Think about travel - both my dds have been/will be (hopefully) within walking distance of university, shopping and fun.

I think halls are hugely important for most people. Even in these austere years, there's more to university than getting a degree.

Remember when you share a private house bills aren't including and the student will have to sort their own internet/ Wi-Fi out. DD3 is in halls which include all bills and the university provide free Wi-Fi to each room.

Interesting thread. DS accomendation is going to be 6k. He will take the maintenance loan of 3.5k.

We were thinking of topping it up by 6k per year to cover the shortfall, food, going out etc. Is that reasonable? He is likely to go to a northern university as he says its cheaper up North!

He would plan to work during the university holidays to top up himself but realistically would earn in a year 1,800.

He has been at boarding school so is more than capable of managing himself and has a bank account which he uses carefully. He had a summer job last year that has said they will take him back this year (and hopefully for the rest of his time at uni!). Zero hours of course but that suits him just fine!