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

[DrMadelineMaxwell]

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.

Oh and we are paying for accommodation (split between me and her Dad). She will live on the maintenance loan - it's the minimum.

The university accommodation service sent us the schedule of payments - it's slightly higher in the first term and then two equal parts. It was confirmed when we booked it.

DS changing his mind after results means he gone from small double with en-suite, kitchen shared with 5, newish build with pool, gym and cinema included. To York Halifax, shared everything and looks very much cell block H. Applying late into clearing means he had little choice.But on the plus side his maintenance loan has gone down because he lost London allowance so he will owe less.

By the way the Money Saving Expert site - which is very helpful in student finance - says the average student lives on £80 per week of self catering.

£80 seems high to me. If dds maintenance didn't cover her rent and leave her spare funds I doubt we would have budgeted that much for her. Although we had always said we expected her to get some pt work to fund luxuries.

That is what my food shop is for a family of 4!

We finally got confirmation of ds's accommodation. We got the cheaper option (thank God!) so it'll be £111 per week . It's cheap as it's in a 'student village' 15 mins walk from the uni. I am greatly relieved.

@SistersOfMerci

Mines going in to 2nd year at Southampton but last year in halls was about £5200 for a sc, en-suite with a really crappy mattress and dire kitchen. Her maintenance loan didn't even cover that.

This year it's a shared house with the contract running from July-July, so I effect paying for the whole summer when she's been home and working. That's £4800 for the year plus bills on top.

That's us exactly! Maybe she's moving in with my DS

Dd is in one of university of London halls and we will be paying 220pounds per week!
It is a self catered room with no en-suite but close to the university so no travelling charge.

£220! For how many weeks of the year? I must admit I was quite glad that none of mine wanted to go to a London university.

Uni of Edinburgh, £5100. Catered, shared room as she wants to continue with expensive music lessons. She'll have some maintenance loan left over luckily.

38 weeks contract ...

Thinking about this further DD went to the same uni that DS1 is about to start, its 3 years since she was in halls (same ones he will be in) and I've just looked at her first year bill...£3,700.
So they have put the price up by £2,300 in 3 years. That's some level if inflation.
Hopefully the facilities will have improved somewhat? I think we will complain if it's the same crappy mattress and grotty carpets.

DD started university four years ago. Her (private, fairly last minute) halls were more than DS's are this year (I think they were a bit over £6000, his are £5800). It means we are primed not to think of it as too expensive! I've just checked & they are the same price 4 years later. Interesting!

DD and I went to get lots of stuff for her room on Saturday. We went to Wilko and got some real bargains. We were very pleased with it.

I have 4 dds all at university. Dd4 is off to Oxford in October and her room is priced at £6k, but she has to move out each term. Dds 2 and 3 will shortly start their second year at Bristol; and lived in the North Village in first year. Their catered accommodation was over £8k each and ridiculously expensive.

I am unsure what the situation is like in other cities, but in Bristol students start their search for second year accommodation from November onwards.

bev I am at you having 4 at university at once. I will count myself lucky. DD had an interview for Oxford and stayed in the halls 2 nights . She said the rooms and food were great.

@SoonerthanIthought, DDs city centre SC halls in Bristol was £6K. Big bedroom with small double bed, huge kitchen/sitting room and 2 bathrooms In their 7 person flat. In a fantastic location! She said the more expensive places were in Stoke Bishop and tended to be popular with ex public/private school pupils I think.

They found their 2nd year house just after Christmas last year and it was about 6K plus bills. The one they are moving to this year is a bit less plus bills.

Those with children going to Birmingham-which are the cheaper halls and did you get what you applied for? Is it a choice of 3 of something?

If you apply for ones costing £5000 but get ones that are £8000, do you just have to lump it?

DC1 is off to Cardiff and is paying a bargainous £4400 for a university shared house!

Daughter off to Bristol and it’s a painful £9k for catered en suite.
Bit annoyed, she swears
she applied for self catered but I’m suspicious. She’d better eat lots.

@GaribaldiGirl, £9k sounds like your dd will be living in Stoke Bishop, where my dds were last year. My dds were happy and made lots of new friends while there, but I don’t know how Bristol justify charging so much.

Bevelino - yes it’s Stoke Bishop - we never actually looked at the accommodation. My daughter picked her hall based on which has reputation for most parties.
For that price I’m expecting a Hotel Du Vin style suite 😂😂 but imagine we may be disappointed (and skint!)

As mentioned earlier, dc's accommodation is £275/wk, but as he didn't get any of his (cheaper) choices, he only has to pay for 40wk, rather than full year (usual for this hall)

Durham catered about £7640

£7672