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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:
WorriedSENMum · 03/09/2019 13:54

Luckily our local FE college, where DD has been for the last 2 years, does HE courses too. She is simply continuing on in the same place doing a foundation degree. She will only have to do 1 year at uni to top it up unless she finds a job or higher level apprenticeship to allow her to finish it off.

HostessTrolley · 05/09/2019 00:30

Dd finally got her accommodation allocation today. Imperial, s/c en-suite single room - they all have 4’ beds. £5350 for 39 weeks which I think could be a lot worse for London, but it’s far enough out that there’ll be £30/week travelcard on top

MarchingFrogs · 05/09/2019 01:47

My daughter picked her hall based on which has reputation for most parties.

Surely those are the self catered halls, because they have kitchens. The catered ones are safe from bouts of wild socialising, because there's nowhere for more than two and a half people to congregate. That's what is usually said on MN about Bristol accommodation, anywayHmm.

olliepolly · 05/09/2019 06:32

My dd also Bristol , applied for self catering but got catered . We knew it was 50:50 re first choice and she was disappointed, but got the west village location she wanted.

MrKlaw · 05/09/2019 08:29

@HostessTrolley for ensuite thats a great price for anywhere let alone London!

ProfessorLayton1 · 05/09/2019 09:02

Dd went to the closest available option as she likes to sleep!

She is happy with her choice though... single room with en-suite and less than 5 minutes walk to the university.

I can't believe the difference in accommodation prices quoted here!

ProfessorLayton1 · 05/09/2019 09:03

Sorry no en-suite

hammeringinmyhead · 07/09/2019 17:26

I can't believe how much Durham charge now. In the mid 2000s I paid £1100 a term for catered, shared bathroom - the room was newly refurbed and they haven't been done up since (a friend stayed recently for a reunion). I guess my loan was only 3k...

Benjispruce · 07/09/2019 18:08

That doesn’t help hammerWink

BringOnTheScience · 07/09/2019 18:17

Manchester Met - self catered ensuite, with just 4 sharing, £6200. We're paying it, and DC1 will have their maintenance loan for their other living expenses. Luckily the halls are v close to the Uni buildings so no transport costs.

icanbewhatiwant · 07/09/2019 19:10

Those of you giving your dc's the maintenance loan...don't you think that is too much? It seems most people are giving £60-£100 per week for spending. Even if they have £100 week (which is quite a lot) they are only there around 30 weeks. So that's £3,000 some uni's maybe a longer term which would mean a bit more. 30 week term with the maintenance loan is £140 week. I don't spend a lot more than that for a family of 5 (I mean food wise) I know they will drink alcohol and buy books.
Or maybe I'm just stingy...but I think £100 week to spend is enough.

MarchingFrogs · 07/09/2019 20:38

Sorry, @fedup21, meant to reply earlier...

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?

The cheapest on the Vale seems to be Maple Bank self catered, but there are also self catered halls at Pritchatts Park under £100 pw. DD got Battery Park, which is brand new, on Bristol Road near Selly Oak station, self catered and her fifth preference of 6.

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

Yes, essentially, at least at this point in the proceedings, it would seem.

www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/accommodation/UG-accommodation/index.aspx

BringOnTheScience · 07/09/2019 22:35

@icanbewhatiwant they don't all get the same amount for their maintenance. Parental income is a factor. The more the parents earn, the less the student gets and the more the parents are expected to contribute. How we choose to balance that is up to each family. My DC1 won't have anything remotely like £140 per week!

icanbewhatiwant · 08/09/2019 07:51

@BringOnTheScience yes I know but £4000 or just over is the minimum loan. My ds is there 30 weeks altogether. I figured that is too much as I'm working on £100 a week. Which is £3000 just wondered if I'm being stingy. But I think that is plenty.

Purplepooch · 08/09/2019 08:37

It's not just the 30 weeks though is it? The weeks at home, money for Christmas presents etc. They don't all work every holiday even if they want to due to availability of work.

I wanted mine to be as independent as possible and not to leave with a huge overdraft. Also where they go means costs vary.

Of course it's individual but their loan and their debt. I have always taken the view I will support them the very best I can, and I really feel they have benefitted from that approach and not taken it for granted.

icanbewhatiwant · 08/09/2019 09:08

I was just thinking of spending while he is away. He doesn't spend when he's home. My lot have never bought Christmas presents with their own money. UEA suggest £350 month spending money. I was thinking more like £100 week. Ds will have earned about £2000 over the summer. So I am trying to work out how much he needs.

AtiaoftheJulii · 08/09/2019 12:22

He doesn't spend when he's home.

He won't go out, visit friends, etc?

My lot have never bought Christmas presents with their own money.

!!! Mine have been buying birthday and Christmas presents for each other and us (and Christmas presents for grandparents) since they started getting proper pocket money aged 11.

If you're subsidising all these type of things (and paying for their phone?), maybe you're actually paying out more than someone like me who is paying rent and letting them have the (minimum) maintenance loan but expecting them to pay for everything out of that. I've taken my kids on holiday since they've been at uni, and I feed them when they're here, and that's that.

Ds (about to go off for his first year next weekend) and I were discussing food and shopping, and he was saying that he'd have to be thinking about things like herbs and spices and oil and so on. I said, well maybe at some time during the weekend (we're starting over for non-child-related purposes!) we could take him to the supermarket and do a basic shop for stuff like that. (Have not done that with either of his older sisters.) But he said no, he'd be happy to do it himself, saying he's got to think about it by himself at some point, he might as well start now. I'm very happy with that level of independence, and think the way we have arranged things financially has been beautifully hassle-free for both parties.

icanbewhatiwant · 08/09/2019 13:07

@AtiaoftheJulii I have always asked mine what they want to get their dad for Christmas or taken them out shopping. They don't buy for anyone else. So no I am not thinking of stuff like that. He does occasionally go out with friends and I'll give him money. Only been out maybe 5 times this year. And yes I pay £8 month for his phone. So I'm only thinking of what he needs when he's actually at uni.
I just wondered if £100 is enough. I'm sure it is. So I'll top up maintenance loan to pay for accommodation. Then we will see how much is left. We don't know exactly how much maintenance loan he will get. Possibly minimum. He will have earned £2000 over the summer.
I've just been reading back the several university threads on here and people are giving anything from £50 week upwards, so hopefully £100 is all good.

Definitelyrandom · 09/09/2019 15:38

DS going into 2nd year is paying £170 pw (incl bills) in south London. Sharing with a couple of others, so shared bathroom, living room (!) and kitchen. £205 pw for self catering halls last year - had to pay over Christmas and Easter but not July/August.

cookiemon666 · 09/09/2019 15:54

Oldest daughter is off to Plymouth on Friday. Self catering ensuite is £122 per week. She has full maintenance loan as I am a single parent. She also has a part time job. Financially she will be fine

BunchMunch · 09/09/2019 16:06

Dd will be staying in Beit Hall (imperial)
Think it works out about 9k for 39 weeks. That's for a s/c ensuite room. It's close to everything though as I was wary about her mooching around London. That was the one she wanted so she's delighted.
We're paying for accom and her living costs, although we expect her to get a part time job for extra pocket money.

clary · 09/09/2019 16:19

Dd going to Leicester, clearing place so no choice of accommodation, only shared bathroom left, just as well. It does have a washbasin tho.

The rent is lower than some but covers 39 weeks so totals £5.2k. She's paying it out of her £6.9k loan.

Aurea · 09/09/2019 20:53

Oxford
£4100 p.a for duration of course (although need to vacate room in holidays). Shared bathroom for first year then en-suite for subsequent years.
Meals not included in rental but college dinners are heavily subsidised at £3-4 for three courses.

zxcv123 · 09/09/2019 21:51

Oxford - just been informed it's £24.37 a day, with no indication of how many days you have to pay for. Confused

Just as well it wasn't me taking the entrance test!

GinandManic · 10/09/2019 00:15

We are paying for 2 lots of halls this year.
NTU self catered ensuite £6100
Manchester self catered shared bathroom £4600
Both will live off thier maintenance loan.

I'm not intending to do any hand outs. They have been told to budget for initial outlays such as clubs and societies sign up and membership fees, books etc Also, any course trips and transport home, phone etc.

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