Are any grants available if parents can't help?

[Yourownpersonaljesus]

My DD is of to uni in September. Her maintainance loan will pay for her accomodation and she will have a very small amount left over for living expenses. She does plan on getting a job too. She is really worried that she still won't have enough to live on. I am unable to help her out financially. I know it's expected that parents make up the shortfall but I really can't afford to as I struggle to get by as it is. My pay is okay but my rent takes up a huge chunk of it. I was wondering if universities gave out grants if students are struggling.

True catLady.
Crafty We've already paid a deposit. Not sure the the first payment is due yet. Will they email DD with that info?

I imagine so. It should be a list of dates and the amount of the instalment. The info should be on the accommodation pages of the university website.

Just looked on the uni website. It says the payment dates are on the accommodation email. Dd is at work at the moment so will tell her to look later.

That should say accommodation offer email.

I would not buy new stuff if you have used at home. A lot gets borrowed and broken. If new pans are needed you might have them and let her have the old. Crockery might as well come from the charity shop. Everyone else seems to have white John Lewis/IKEA etc plates so old ones are recognisable. Ditto mugs and glasses just disappear. I am also sure that old duvet covers with dinasaurs or zoo animals are cool. dd says they are not, but what does she know

A good pt job for your dd to try is agency care work - a good agency will train her a bit too although most of it is common sense.

Once she has care assistant experience she could work on the bank for a big nursing home or a hospital- I did this during uni & earned lots of money especially if I did night shifts.

It's not right for everyone though.

Unbelievable replies on here from people obviously very well off and have no idea how hard it is to struggle financially.

This is a corker

both my girls got the minimum loan and we pay for their accomodation.
that leaves them with aprox £73 week (worked out over 52 weeks).
On that they both live well, have social lives and eat well - and neither spent the full amount.

If your girls get the 'minimum loan' then YOU are wealthy parents. You are paying their accommodation and they live on their loan. If you don't have the money to pay their accommodation then that comes out of THEIR loan. ! What do they live on ?

There is a huge difference in mind set between keeping to a budget but with the knowledge that if there is a crisis/emergency or unforeseen expense - your wealthy parents can step in. (And do)
The system is not fundamentally fine .. it is fundamentally bollocks.
And based upon the concept that children live with both naturals parents who can and WILL pay a top up for a LOAN !! Yes a LOAN this is not free money is all repayable . Why should ADULTS (they are over 18) be expected to have their parents top up.

My friends son didn't go to uni because her son was assessed as being entitled to the minimum loan because she had a new relationship and boyfriend had moved in the year before. Therefore assessing him as coming from a wealthy household. The boy barely new the man and yet he was expected to pay for this child's university education! (Although he was already topping up his own daughters because HER mother had a new relationship.
My friends husband was dead.

The entire thing is a shambles. If it's a loan then make it a bloody loan. Without qualifying it with household income. If the cost of uni is £15k a year then give the ADULT STUDENT the choice regardless of parents and household income.
If wealthy parents want to give their kids money so they don't want to borrow them fine. But don't make poor students so poor that they have to work to earn money whilst rich ones can concentrate on study.
That's just morally wrong in every way.

Sorry OP forgot to say . If your Dd is the first in the family to go to Uni the Uni normally gives them a £1k Grant (not loan) .ill try and dig out details and come back to you.

Thanks for the latest replies. font you make a lot of very good points. Everyone should be entitled to a good education regardless of how much their parent/parent earn but this is simply not the case. With regards to your second post, DD is an only child. I went to university though (as a mature student).

That second parent should be parents. I'm sure I typed that!

Some people are so rude! Not everyone has the finances to save for university. The whole system is shocking and is putting lots of young people off going because they don't want their families to suffer hardship.

As other sensible posters have said, she needs to speak to someone asap. What are options for jobs? Get in quick before September!

So unfair. Good luck to you both.

If your Dd is the first in the family to go to Uni the Uni normally gives them a £1k Grant (not loan) .ill try and dig out details and come back to you
Many unis offer a £3,000 bursary over 3 years to students who are on the maximum loan.

I don't think that you get it for being the first in your family to go to uni even though that is a measure that the unis use for their statistics.

I would be extremely happy to be proved wrong on this point though.

OP - Are you arguing with your DD about the money for uni?

Don't answer if you don't want to talk about it.

font, it was the same when I went to university in 79 too - only 15% of us could go them too and if your parents ddn't make up the money to the "full grant" (we got the minimum something like £50 instead of £900) you were not able to go uniless you could get a job (very hard after the 1970s strikes, power cuts, situation). At least now there is some kind of student loan available for rent - there was none back then.

It sounds as if you and your DD can not afford to live apart. Can you not move to her student town with her. WTF?!

Update:
Called the university and spoke to a really helpful woman. She said that once DD is there if she gets into financially difficulty there is a hardship fund that she may be able to access. She also said they have a drop in centre for financial advice so that sounds good. We also chatted about jobs and I came off the phone feeling a lot more positive. She suggested DD contact the school for her subject to ask about bursaries. DD emailed them and got an automated reply saying they were on holiday but would be back at the end of July.
CatLady it's one of the many things we argue about!

CatLady it's one of the many things we argue about!
What is her issue though?

Is it that she has friends who have wealthy families and they are going to get everything given to them on a plate?

Is she getting at you because you can't afford to be as generous as "all of her mates"?

I know she is your DD but if this is the case then don't stand for her shit.

She could have saved up last year and she chose not to.

Also, she doesn't have to go to uni, if she doesn't like the idea of having to be like 99% of other students then she could always get a job and work like other people have to.

CatLady have PMed you.
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been helpful and supportive. It really is appreciated.