Supporting your DC through Uni

[JugglingFromHereTothere]

DD is currently Y11 - just done GCSE's - and we're just beginning to think a few steps ahead to Uni possibilities. We visited one Uni open day recently - for a course she liked the look of in Wildlife Biology at Uni of Salford. But sensibly says she'd like to see other places to compare, so we've just started to look really.
We also had a look at a typical student room and started to think about accommodation and generally the costs of going to Uni.

So I just wanted to ask any of you with DC at Uni how much financial (or other) support are you able to give your DC? How much do you feel is needed? Am feeling if we could afford it it would be good to be able to pay her accommodation costs for her? (as my DP's did for me back in the good old days) Do many of you do this for your DC?
I gather that a loan for living costs is also an option? And/or DC could work whilst at Uni? Do your DC do this?

Would be very helpful to know how much support you give your DC through Uni and/or to what extent they're able to be independent?
Thanks!

You may laugh but I actually took DS round a supermarket a week before he went to show him all the supermarket con tricks. He is another who now calculates the price per kilo (not relying on the shop's own figures), takes the freshest from the back of the shelf and so on. He went off equipped with half a dozen practised recipes but has also learned a lot from his flatmates who (unusually) could all cook. He can make 400g of mince go a very long way. must try him on a MN chicken

It's nice to find they might occasionally have listened to something you've tried to help them with, isn't it?

toilet paper became a hot commodity in my DS3 dorm, so much so it was hidden. two out of three became very good with their money and shopping. dd would forgo food for a new pair of shoes....

That's a good idea to encourage dd to do more cooking over the next couple of years. She's quite keen to do some cooking and baking and once did a "Come dine with me" thing with her friends which was sweet. I remember I'd only done a few things when I went to Uni and it's one extra quite steep learning curve that you don't really need at that point isn't it? Probably can try to make it just a bit smoother for them? To be fair DM did teach me to make a cheese sauce and a few other bits and pieces. And sent me off with a nice box of old pots and pans. Getting together with others and cooking on a rota is always good if you can find a willing group of friends.
Thanks too for the interesting links - I'll have a read on the student room I think and see what I find there

Helpfully I think we've pretty much ruled out London. The DGP's live near London so we're able to go to things there quite often. But as a Uni city it doesn't really appeal to either me or DD. Very busy, very expensive, and too big to have a sense of being a Uni city. No room really for any sense of a Uni campus? As you say BackForGood the costs of accommodation in London are very high. And even on our day trip to Manchester I noticed the general difference in prices too, eg. some of the art in the gallery we visited seemed vaguely affordable for a change! Also prices in the nice museum cafe
That's how we're feeling about it anyway, though I expect there are some exceptions. And DD is very focused ATM on where might be offering the right course for her. Which I guess is as good a place to start with it all as any?

We've said we will cover accommodation. This is only possible due to the fact that in the past I have been a sahm/very part time worker, am now a student nurse, and next autumn when we will (hopefully) have two at uni, I will finally (hopefully again!) have a full time job! So basically I will be working in order to pay DCs' rents

I have already posted this info on another MN thread but in the budget the chancellor announced that the £9,000 ceiling on tuition fees is going to be removed and that from 2017 (might be earlier cant find the exact link) the ceiling would be scrapped and that Unis could increase their course fee by the rate of inflation. we have been looking at unis. the accom. varies greatly with some coming in around £5-6K and others more. we reckon on a masters course my DC will be looking at around £100K worth of debt by the end of it. makes my heart sink tbh.

Masters course mm?
Sounds like your DC is doing well?
Chin up, graduate tax not debt is how I'm spinning it to myself!

Thinking things over I think some of the main things I've picked up are choose a good Uni town with affordable and available accommodation and some student employment possibilities

juggling my DC has a health problem so cant work and study. so its not an option for her to earn anything unfortunately. I would advise getting out in the summer of year 12 to start looking around. it has helped DC to work out what she is really looking for in both a uni, the accom and the course so having looked at 6 or so she now knows which ones she wants to see in Sept and which ones wont suit her. it has also started the dialogue with her siblings which is really useful as well.

Thanks to all for your many excellent tips and suggestions - just as well to start thinking about it all now I think!

I agree mummymeister - visiting unis on open days helped my dd with understanding what she should take into account whilst choosing her course and the actual University.

I don't thin you can generalise as depends on the parents' income. I paid their fees, plus their accommodation bill plus a weekly sum by standing order. That is unusual. Our older 3 therefore had no student debt and I hope to do the same for the younger 3. That comes out as the same as their school fees so it is just a continuation of the pain for 3 more years if you are already paying school fees.

I didn't go to any open days but some of my children went. Some open days were more helpful than others. Some went to none but still had a great time at university!

Our DS1 has just finished his 2nd year at Uni and we support him financially but in practical and it has to be said quite indulgent ways rather than giving him a lump sum each year or regular funds to just spend as he pleases.

He chose a university over 200 miles from home but near to where my family live and he rents a room with a relative at a peppercorn rent of £30 a week in return for helping out around the house and doing odd jobs.
We pay his rent; monthly travel card; his mobile phone bill and his annual season ticket to a premiership football club which is paid for on the proviso he passes his exams each year.

DS pays for his own food; books; gym membership; socialising; any extra equipment and extra curricular courses he needs to do out of his student loans and earnings from holiday work.

He is employed throughout his holiday periods by a family friend who owns their own business and can accomodate him as extra staff at times when their regular staff are looking to take holidays.
This means there is no pressure on him to work during his Uni semesters so he can concentrate on his academic work.

We also bought an additional runaround car which he has access to when he's home which we insure tax and maintain. We do live quite rurally with limited public transport so this is essential for him to be able to get to work when he comes home. He does pay his own petrol costs though.

To be honest I don't think he realises quite how lucky he is sometimes and so far he has been able to easily afford everything he needs and save some funds too, but mainly that has been because he doesn't have the accomodation costs most students have to cope with which can be very expensive.

It's worked for us and means we can spread out the costs of supporting him all year round but really much of that is due to circumstances and luck rather than good judgement. Despite this though he will still leave university with around £40,000 worth of debt to pay back in loans and tuition fees.