Bristol university Parents- living costs?

[ItsTheKissing]

Hello. Just looking for some advice regarding living costs after accommodation. Hopefully DSS will get self catered accommodation and then we will need to send him money to live on. I've looked at WHICH and the university recommendations for this but just wanted a reality check about what the average costs are to survive . He will be doing medicine at Bristol.

Recent Bristol mum here. I gave my daughter an allowance of £300 a month plus pay for any unexpected large items. When she was in self catered halls, she clubbed together with a few others and had regular asda deliveries which helped with the budget. She had a part time job as well though as a medic, his study schedule might make additional work impossible for your DSS.

I don’t think there is an average cost. It really depends on if your DC is ultra frugal or if they socialise and join sports clubs. As my DD was at Bristol university a few years ago, my actual payments are a bit out of date but what we did to arrive at them was a zero based budget. We worked it up from zero £. It is best to be totally honest and realistic. What will you continue to pay for and what do you expect DS to pay for from his budget? Everything or not much more then food?

We considered some food expenditure at lunchtime in the university and in coffee shops for a social activity as DD was fully catered, socialising costs (this might be next to nothing or £££) university club memberships, clothes, fares home, fares to see friends elsewhere, phone, daily living costs such as any bus fares, body wash, shampoo, makeup etc, books, stationery, printing costs, something over and above for a rainy day! The list isn’t exhaustive - it’s just a start. If he wants sports clubs, these can be expensive so work out which ones first. Hope that helps.

Thanks both.
Working up from Zero is a good idea.

It promotes a healthy discussion about how much DC really cost!!! Also helps with managing money. Don’t underestimate how much some DC are prepared to live on poor quality food to save a few £££ so they can go out more! Even medics and vets find a surprising amount of time for this!

Don't be put off by anyone's answers as families and their incomes differ. I pay my twins' fees, (both currently at Bristol) university rents and £150 each twin per week for 52 weeks a year. Loads of people have much much less and plenty also have more.

I based it on paying my oldest 3 £100 a week about 13 years ago when my first daughter and I worked out what she might need (based also on our pretty good standard of living here, private schools etc) and one of my sons and I did an inflation calculation before he started and negotiated a bit. They also share a car down there which I pay for and I do seem to pay for extra stuff too that arises - I bought them both a dinner jacket last year for example which was not cheap even though in theory the £150 covers clothes.

They have loads of friends with much less money and some with more and they all seem to get along fine and are conscious that some have more and some have less.

One of my sons said in year 1 he went out much more so that was expensive. This year although the allowance is the same despite not being in catered halls any more (I do pay the rent and the bills on top for them both this year) he spends less in year 2 because of going out less. They wanted last year catered halls in Stoke Bishop and had a very good time there (in different halls - they are not sharing a room weirdo identical twins or anything like that).

I started paying the allowance at start of summer holidays after A levels so they could save a lot up from it ready for the very expensive first few weeks when you join clubs, buy books and that kind of thing.

Hi - have a similar question so I hope OP doesn’t mind me piggybacking

First son starting autumn and he will only get the basic maintenance loan. We’re trying to work out what an ‘average’ amount is - do we top up to the full maintenance amount (do students manage on that?) or additional?

He’s a sensible lad but never been exposed much to the convenience of debit cards etc or structuring a budget. So we want to try and help as much as possible but also have boundaries so it isn’t too easy (and might encourage working in the holidays to top things up if he wants any niceties)

All universities post accurate calculations for living costs on their website as they are required to do this as foreign students have to prove that they can afford to support themselves. We use these as the basis for working out support for our DC.

Quite honestly it’s not rocket science! The full loan is what the government thinks a student needs. Some halls of residence cost this amount so clearly if this type of accommodation is chosen, you will need to top up. If you have cheaper accommodation, surely you and DS have some idea what his costs might be by looking at costs at the university which are published. You should have some idea what a healthy diet costs. Then add in everything else you and him will expect him to purchase. The bigger costs are phones, clothes and going out plus books. Everyday costs add up too if transport and coffees are taken into account.

Lastly - get him organised with finance now. Why has he been sheltered? It doesn’t help to have avoided managing money so work out what he needs to pay up front, how you will do that if the loan is late and work put a zero based budget: from the £0 to what is needed.

Any links to examples of these living costs? I’ve been searching for similar since we started going to open days but never found anything - agree it would be much easier to figure out numbers with such information but I’ve just never been able to find it

Thanks for the info btw (shame you can’t edit posts)

I don’t consider him sheltered - he is fairly independent in most things - cooking, cleaning etc which will help him look after himself. Money is the one gap as he doesn’t go out much so always just saved most of his pocket money

Will definitely work up a budget with him though - but some of the unknowns can be tricky (going out is probably more than £1 a pint these days) and he’s mostly sensible enough not to blow it all on Starbucks

I paid the rent up front for the first year and then they lived on their student finance money and saved up the rent for the 2nd year from the student finance. Some of the halls can be expensive if you get an en-suite room (about 6k-7k I think) and things like petrol are more expensive than other cities but most students don't have or need a car. Food shopping is more expensive because the only supermarket near where they live is a Waitrose so they might want to be careful when choosing a house for the 2nd year.

MrKlaw link to the Bristol page here bristol living expenses Don't have a heart attack- the high estimates do seem rather high, but they are allowing for 51 week tenancies.

DS - at another southern university - is just finishing his first year, in halls. We did a spreadsheet of guestimates of what he might spend and aimed for his income to be 4k for the first year after accommodation (self catering) so about £110 per week. That seems to be working out well with some spare for emergencies.

I am relying on my dd to get a job once she goes to uni

So yes, the maximum maintenance loan (£8.7k this year or £8.9k next year) seems manageable. Many receive far less and work part time to support themselves.

Please be aware with medics they do need a car if possible from y3 onwards. It's very difficult for them without one and it's a really good idea to make sure they have passed their test before uni.

I have several friends who had quite serious accidents having rushed to pass in the summer before third year and a bit more time and practice would have definitely helped.

Also after y5 the NHS bursary kicks in which means you will get a reduced maintenance loan from student finance and a lot less money overall. They pay your tuition fees but it's important to be aware that the terms are longer and he will have a much smaller maintenance loan to cover rent and living costs.

Good luck to him! It's a fab uni and a great profession

We have worked out that in total it costs about £19k to send her to Bristol. Fees £9k. Accommodation about £8k (catered) and the rest in extra food, going out and sundries. My DD doesn’t have or need a car. I have suggested that a summer job would be good to help cover some of these costs!

MrKlaw: you really are sheltered if you don’t know the cost of a pint of beer!!! Come on. Is this for real? If he doesn’t go out then he won’t need much money! Does he have a phone and who’s paying for that? Trips home? Books? Toiletries? Socialising - it’s not that difficult to work out the cost of coffees and pints! Does he ever have new clothes? If so, who is paying? Allow for bedding costs, a printer, ink, laptop, loo cleaner etc. Sport club membership? This can be £ hundreds. Sports kit? Fares within university city? How often? Taxis?

It’s good to hear he can clean and cook. However money management is also important! Having said that, he’ll be fine! He does not sound as if he’s going to go mad!

No first year stays for 51 weeks and the university halls are not offered on that basis. 2nd year onwards is different. It’s not always easy to get jobs that allow time for university work.

@Notverygrownup - thanks, so basic maintenance (£4168 this year) is a reasonable start point for living expenses so if we cover rent for year one that helps us plan

I don’t want him necessarily getting a job in term time (maths seems a heavy course), but would expect him to work in the holidays so that can go towards year 2 rent for instance

• @bubblesbuddy I hope he isn’t paying London prices in the SU for beer otherwise he better be bloody teetotal!

I would not worry too much about a car. We bought DD one at the start of her second year, but I assume she is a bit of a rarity. Those on the same placement will form a group chat and DD regularly gives lifts to three others, with the University paying the petrol cost. Oddly third year is easier as they can expect to spend half the year in Bristol and half the year somewhere else, with accommodation provided. Her friend uses her car more as she uses it for visits home as well. (London parking/congestion charge is too much of a pain for DD to do the same.)

For first year it helps to be in a Clifton/City Centre Hall as you are often expected to make your way to placements by public transport, and to be there for 9.00am.

In terms of money, a lot depends on lifestyle. A student who is happy cooking and prepared to make packed lunches, and whose social life is hanging out with friends or playing sport with them. rather than clubbing or coffee shops, wont spend much at all. Take aways, Ubers, etc push up the cost quickly. We give DD £100pw (none in vacations) to cover food, bills, petrol etc and she will fine with money left over. But she does not eat out much and the car means she can shop in Lidl.

Well our experience is that basic maintenance has covered it. DS was sceptical in advance, thinking that clubbing/beer money would eat into it, but he was delighted to discover SU discounted alcohol, and as the pp said, has discovered other things to do (eg work!) and other ways of socialising that are cheaper than clubbing.

No first year stays for 51 weeks

Bubbles is obviously the expert, however we were surprised how little time DD had off last summer. DDs exams were after everyone else's so they carried on right to the end of the summer term, then she had some placements to make up, though luckily did not have to do resits - quite a lot do. Then they had a three week placement before term proper started.

One or two of her non medic friends also came back early to prepare for the up-coming term. I think, judging from DS, it is quite common with maths based subjects to need to go through previous material before embarking on new.

So time off, but not really like school and long school holidays. And many need to plan for the possibility of resits - these are unfamiliar exams and it is easy to misjudge what is required.

We cover the rent (self catered) and the DCs live on the minimum loan (we also pay for Giffgaff phone contracts - cheap they don't have expensive phones, and their cars which they don't take in the first year). This has worked in Bristol & other cities, in fact DD had enough left over to go on a cheap holiday. Our next DC will be in catered next year so will be expected to contribute towards his rent but in subsequent years he will get the same deal as the others.

When in second year, some do come back a bit early but you have moved to a 52 or 51 week contract by then. That’s the difference. The halls operated by the university are not 51 weeks. You don’t have a full year of accommodation from them. If you need resits, placements etc or even work, students come back to their 2nd year accommodation which usually will have started on 1 July.

DD came back for open days and to be a rep for freshers week and do the Clubs and Societies fair. Also for choir performances. None were during her freshers year. Medics are a breed apart (as are vets) and are plainly not the norm. Most students stick to the terms and the accommodation contracts.

MrKlaw: Bristol Students Union wasn’t the focus of student life in Bristol for many. It’s been updated so might be more attractive now. DD hardly set foot in there. No doubt it’s cheap but his friends might or might not socialise there. It tended to be the more student political types, DD thought. Depends if you fit in or not.

When DD was there, the end of university ball was cancelled by the union when they had not sold enough tickets. DD was on the Committee, but they didn’t listen to any advice. She had already organised a successful ball but they “ballsed it up” and lost support as they would not listen to any advice. Hence it bombed. Not sure if they tried again!

@mustbetimeforachange if my son has money left over for a holiday I’ll have him fill in an HMRC self assessment (His Mums Revenue Checker) and it May impact his future contributions

(We’d probably do something like that but then out the money aside for him after uni)

This is great advice everyone. That Beistol cost of living page was great. Way better than the equivalent from Warwick. Southampton estimates £312 per year for a phone which is very high. £5-10pm sim only should be plenty. We’d probably continue to pay that for him (£5pm at the mo)