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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Where are your DC heading for uni and how much is their accommodation?

202 replies

DrMadelineMaxwell · 17/08/2019 14:05

And will you/they be paying it?

Dd is off to York. She opted for several options and got given an en suite non catered 38 week let at just under £6k

Luckily her maintenance loan will cover that and some spare. Hurrah for living in Wales as we would be paying a lot of it otherwise.

OP posts:
Ligresa · 18/08/2019 15:18

Some of these are Shock

I thought Swansea was expensive!

Mustbetimeforachange · 18/08/2019 15:37

There seems to be a huge variation. Someone's seen us coming!

boys3 · 18/08/2019 15:58

UEA £6,200 self catered. Seems to be the top end accommodation at UEA, but DS2 has had a largely working gap year and was / is happy to contribute to the differential between that and the more standard en-suite accommodation. The halls he will be in certainly do have very well appointed kitchens / group space. His culinary expertise including delicacies such as fromage sur pain avec une marinade de Branston should be well provided for. :)

Itscoldouthere · 18/08/2019 16:00

I think DS1 was allocated the most expensive of his choices (not his first choice) however I think the cheapest en-suite self catered was £6200 and most of the accommodation was en-suite as it’s all reasonably new, they had a lot of one person studios in the brand new accommodation, can’t imagine who would want that? Cooking in your own room?

VanCleefArpels · 18/08/2019 16:06

Kent. £7100 self catered en suite. This is not the most expensive category of room there 😳. I think all halls need to be capped at the rate of the standard maintenance loan so at the very least parents only need to find “pocket money” to top up their kids

SoonerthanIthought · 18/08/2019 17:18

I can see that universities may need to build lovely new accommodation with en suite bathrooms, to host conferences, for commercial reasons. As long as the students get a choice to have cheaper accommodation I think that's reasonable (though I know some have expressed concern that you then end up dividing the students residentially on socio-economic lines, which is not good. Would be better to have a mix.)

But if the student doesn't get a chance to go for cheaper (than £9000!!!) then that is a problem. (I realise things are different in London) Even on the full maintenance loan it would be tricky to survive on that wouldn't it?

GoldenRuby · 18/08/2019 17:59

@boys3 come and join us on the UEA Freshers thread, there is quite a few of us over there.

dancingdirty · 18/08/2019 18:51

Surrey uni for us £4020 38 weeks and self catered
Shared bathroom but was her choice as she would rather have more cash. Loan just covers halls

nokidshere · 19/08/2019 01:07

@icanbewhatiwant my DH retired last year so we had to fill out the forms for the year before that. However, ring student finance and ask for a Current Year Adjustment form and they will adjust it to what you have now.

icanbewhatiwant · 19/08/2019 07:25

@nokidshere thanks. Yes I will do. Though as the money has been re invested he will earn more this current year (nowhere near as much as 2017 but more than 2018 when earnings were very low) we are not sure we can "guesstimate" how much he will earn. But we will have a go.

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2019 09:35

The form will try your patience : it even asks about how much other dependents have in savings, if they live at home!

SeroxatBlonde · 19/08/2019 09:39

Piggywaspushed no way!!!!Shock

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2019 09:44

Way! It's bizarre. It did imply that this formed part of household income as if a younger DS would help to fund his brother's university.

LemonPrism · 19/08/2019 10:06

@scarecrowhead I lived in the townhouses in 2014!!! They're really good - I met my partner of 6 years there

Comefromaway · 19/08/2019 10:17

From reading this I’m in for a shock next year. Dd is about to start her 2nd year in a North West city and she’s actually lodging with a family (it’s a common thing at her college as they don’t have their own halls although some use a private halls.

We pay £4.680 per year for 36 weeks (although new students are being charged £5,400. That includes breakfast & evening meal. She’s going to have to move for her 3rd year so I’m bracing myself for an increase.

SeroxatBlonde · 19/08/2019 10:21

That's good if meals are included,ds's will be SC.

scarecrowhead · 19/08/2019 11:14

@LemonPrism - he's going to County, he's doing Law so the townhouses are very close

Happydaughterhappymum · 19/08/2019 11:24

Cambridge uni here- £3900 exc food for 30 weeks, though there are cheaper and more expensive room rates available and a longer lease for those who want to leave their things over Christmas and Easter vacations.
We will make up the shortfall between the maintenance loan they will be entitled to and the standard maximum of £8944. Everything will have to come out of this although they will have savings from their summer job if they decide they want a more lavish lifestyle.

VioletCharlotte · 19/08/2019 12:55

DS is going to Winchester. Accommodation is £5300. Maintenance loan covers it with a little bit over.

CointreauVersial · 19/08/2019 13:26

UAE - £5,200 p/a self-catered.

Not the most expensive; she chose rooms slightly off the main campus, thereby saving nearly £1,000 by walking a bit more.

I can't believe how much some are paying!

icanbewhatiwant · 19/08/2019 13:37

We just had the accommodation confirmed. DS not happy. The one he's got is only £10 less month but a massive down grade to the better accommodation. Reviews say the smallest kitchens on campus with not enough space for equipment and food. No social space.
I don't mind him having a smaller place it's the fact that the cost isn't much different for a big downgrade.
Never mind....it has an en suite.

Original poster
DrMadelineMaxwell · 19/08/2019 14:01

🚻🚽🚾

OP posts:
SeroxatBlonde · 19/08/2019 15:29

We've just had an email saying ds is guaranteed university accommodation, can drop him off on the 14 or 15th. Still waiting Hmm

hanahsaunt · 19/08/2019 15:49

Glasgow - en suite and catered - £180/week for I guess 38 weeks? So about £7k? Includes bills, contents insurance, and city-wide bus pass. It feels eye-watering.

hanahsaunt · 19/08/2019 15:50

So - given that he has bike and bus pass sorted; 2 meals per day sorted including at the weekend and no bills to budget for - what is a reasonable weekly allowance?