London Unis - accommodation costs putting of some students?

[loooopo]

Wondering if since the intro of fees the social structure of London unis has changed? Do only wealthy students go now?

I don't know, but it's on my mind - DS has an offer for a London Uni college and the course looks great. And he knows London well, has family there, would cope really well there. But the cost of accommodation - it's eye-watering. I just don't see how it's doable, not without him leaving with even more debt than he'll already have.

I think it's the same as before really. The fees are the same extra as any other

I know a few students who have free accommodation as they work as a type of live in nanny ontop ie they have kids in the morning and take to school before uni and a few evening babysits and some full day cover in the holidays in exchange for room and board

Don't you think it's always been the case? I put a London uni on my UCAS list in 1988, but even then I was pretty dubious about doing so (and very happy to get an offer from a uni higher up my list and cheaper for living!).

Neither of my DC even looked at a London uni, partly because of the extra cost of living and partly because they didn't fancy living there. I don't know of anyone from DS1's cohort who went to London and none of DS2's friends has applied there.
This may be a North / South thing or their perception of cost may be wrong.
Hassled I have a friend who's DC has to pay £9k just in rent in his first year accommodation. Eye watering indeed.

My DS was at UCL and he was able to live quite cheaply. His first year uni accommodation was £83 per week, which is hard to beat.

In London, they can get everywhere by walking, and the cost of supermarket food is no different from anywhere else.

The student maintenance loan is £5000 rather than £3500 elsewhere.

The maintenance loan is higher than £5K in London as ds gets a fair bit more than that - perhaps £5K is the minimum before household income is factored in?

You can get places for £100pw in the private sector albeit only a very few but ds has found most student places are 120-150pw. It may be slightly more than other places but I don't think its hugely at odds with anywhere else if you stick to student areas.

His uni accommodation was £131 for the first year, second year living out was £150 so he moved home after a month and commuted. This year he is back in London paying around £130

Yes, £5k/3.5k without disclosing parental income.

The London Unis do seem to have a disproportionate number of foreign students, presumably paying higher foreign student fees. This does seem to affect the feel of them.

eatyourveg - where are the student areas in London?

I can imagine that the unis themselves must be under enormous pressure to provide halls - I do know of one friend whos daughter lived in halls for the whole 3 years.

I think the doing the whole au pair type experience whilst a student sounds really tough and lonely - a big sacrifice just to be in London.

But it would be a great part time live out job for a student and would also work for central London families who did not have a spare room.

Although I do know of someone who did this - but she was an international student from Nigeria who lived with friends of family in return for childcare.

I would imagine that the cost of renting and commuting in London has always been a deterrent ..... but once fees are on this - it would the final nail in the coffin for most/many?

There's no evidence whatsoever that the increase in fees has affected London institutions more than the those outside London. The fees are the same wherever you go more or less, so the only extra is housing really, and there's always been that differential.

Plenty of halls in London by the way, although a lot are privately provided.

My DS never paid a penny in commuting costs for his whole four years in London. He walked everywhere.

He lived in Bloomsbury in his first year, and Camden after that.

My DD1's halls will be in ravenscourt park. Her college is in south ken. It's a walk I'd do, probably, I lived in that area when I was young free and single, and my sister was in halls there while she was at SEES so I know the area really well and while it's changed a lot the actual road topography is the same - but I can't see her doing it regularly carrying multiple musical instruments. certainly not in the winter. The halls are not cheap. But they are designed for music students which will make practicing easier.

Winter? Like now? Winter just needs appropriate clothing. There is no need to change behaviour. No need for cotton wool.

For people in general I agree. Not so sure about valuable and cumbersome instruments, when the person carrying them is dyspraxic.

Not sure why dyspraxia should rule out walking, especially as the student has already overcome it enough to undertake degree level instrumental music. That is a very impressive achievement.

Dyspraxia doesn't rule out walking. But it does rule in tripping, and more importantly DROPPING. And general difficulties with carrying multiple things.

You do realize that Bloomsbury to UCL is about a 2 minute walk, right? And ravenscourt park to south ken...isn't???

I don't think it's the fees, but the cost of living in London that means the vast majority of my dcs' friends won't even consider looking at London.

loooopo there aren't specific areas for London as a whole but you will find with each institution that students tend to live in certain areas and not in others.