Can someone explain student accommodation to me please

[AdditionalCharacter]

DS is going to university in September.

Currently looking at student accommodation, and I have a few questions if someone would like to help me please

Does a student loan pay for the accommodation?
Is he able to get the same accommodation place as his friend?
How does he pay for food? A job I assume?
Is accommodation allocated by what course you're doing, so nearer to your course building?

Thanks

Some halls are catered or offer a dining scheme. Maintenance loan can cover accommodation, food, living expenses, books/materials or in most cases only in part which is then topped up by parents or working.

Student here! As a general rule, the better the uni the cheaper the accommodation, the ex polys are an absolute racket, so the fact he's going to Russel groups is good. The 7k number is a decent amount, 1stvyear accommodation is always more expensive, so if he gets a little job, he should be comfortable. Be aware that of your household income hoes ove r a given threshold, his loan will go down as the government (without properly telling anyone) expect you to top it up. They leave either catered or non catered- go for none catered as often those who aren't interested in socialising go to catered so it won't be as fun probably. Then in his second year he can rent some terrace like I have with mates, plus as he is in the North, this shouldn't be too pricey!

Apologies for the awful typos

Also depending on what course, he might not need to buy books I haven't had to buy one at all, they are nearly all digital nowadays.

DD is in York staying on campus. She had to state preference of college area, room type (ensuite or shared bathroom) and catered or self-catering. Her room was ensuite self catering and cost about £5500 the first year for a room that she had to vacate over the Easter hols as they let out the block to visiting students. There was a £200 damages deposit we paid when she secured her room. The charges for accommodation were sent straight to her to settle with her maintenance loan.

Maintenance is different in Wales as all students get £9250 per year and our household income just decides how much of that amount is loan and how much is a non-repayable grant. She gets the minimum grant of £1k.

Accommodation bills are not equal and the first term was the most expensive.

One good thing about York is that they didn't charge for the 3rd term when she didn't go back due to lockown. And there's a possibility to stay on campus for the 2nd and 3rd year so she stayed last year and has put her preferences in already for next year too. It's avoided having to deal with private landlords and she feels safe where she is. It's also very convenient. Many of her 1st year flatmates (12 to a floor on the self catered blocks) did choose to get a house together.

Just be aware getting a little job in current times isn’t going to be as easy as normal. Bars, etc going bust left right and centre. Hopefully new ones will open but possibly not by Oct? 🤷‍♀️

Regarding whether to live at home will depend if things are 'normal', of they are he'll miss out on a lot living at home, but if its going to be like this then stay at home would be the best bet.

I’d be cautious about relying on a job. Depending on the course there might not be time. And post Covid the types of jobs that are usually done by students - retail, hospitality - are going to be harder to come by given likely unemployment levels even if these sectors are operating properly. Lots of downsides to living at home as a fresher but if money is going to be v tight it might be the better option.

The problem with saying “if it’s online he won’t be taking accommodation” is that you may not know at the point at which you have to pay the deposit. Ask this year’s freshers about that!!

@Student133

Regarding whether to live at home will depend if things are 'normal', of they are he'll miss out on a lot living at home, but if its going to be like this then stay at home would be the best bet.

I definitely want him to have the full student experience so living away isn't an issue. Staying here is just an option should covid restrictions still be in place.

He has a job already, fast food, so shouldn't be an issue keeping it. I'd rather he didn't have to work too many hours over his learning, so going to try to him up where needed, but also without us keeping two households.

@Student133

Regarding whether to live at home will depend if things are 'normal', of they are he'll miss out on a lot living at home, but if its going to be like this then stay at home would be the best bet.

I disagree with that. If it's still like this Covid wise in September, being in hall might give him the only chance of feeling that he's "at Uni". If he's studying mainly from home, and also living at home, how is he going to feel part of Uni life? Halls have been the one thing that have allowed my DD to meet anyone this year.

DD2 lived in a self-catered student flat in Leicester in her 1st year. She had an unconditional offer, so we turned up at student reception there in the Easter holidays and had a tour round the various options. This was in 2019, so pre-Covid. DD chose one with 10 bedrooms per flat with shared bathrooms. She got on pretty well with her flatmates and had a blast until last March. Because it was s/c and shared bathrooms, it wasn't too expensive.

She met people from lots of other courses and found the whole shared living an interesting experience. Now she is in a house share with 4 others. Again, she has learned a lot but seems to be loving the whole experience.

A room with a bathroom can come at quite a premium. Depending on the halls, ensuite rooms can be in the region of £1,000 per year more expensive.

Oh if he has a job then he'll be fine financially. Good to hear he has options either way!

Just be aware getting a little job in current times isn’t going to be as easy as normal. Bars, etc going bust left right and centre. Hopefully new ones will open but possibly not by Oct?

I was going to say this too.
I'm on my 3rd going to University - 3 different places. All had worked in the 6th form and kept their jobs for when they were home in the holidays but none found it easy to get jobs at University, and that was before the pandemic shut all the places that students generally pick up jobs (except supermarkets). I know you said he has a job, but, presumably if he is living away, then that job will be too far to commute to ?

I'd let him know that if he chooses a shared bathroom, that is potentially about £40 per week extra in his pocket. He might look at it differently then. My dd is in a lovely flat this year - 6 people sharing and 2 showers and 2 separate toilets plus they all have sinks in their room. There is never any issue with queuing or having to wait - it's unlikely all need to be out of the flat at the same time in the morning etc.
when they realise it is them that get the extra £0 in their pocket, quite a few young people look at it again.

@McCorona in the context of a conversation about finances being lumbered with a rent bill for accommodation that can’t be used is a relevant point to make. It’s a massive dilemma for this year’s applicants who will have seen how things went/are going for this years freshers.

McCorona makes a valid point, in my opinion.

If he lives at home his loan is less so do remember to check that amount too it would not be the same £7800 or whatever it is going to be if he lives away and goes to Newcastle or York. I am from Newcastle. I think York is a better university. However we are in covid times and unless he is very keen to try another city he might want to stick near Newcastle or even be at home if the course is 100% online and there are no bars open for 3 years!

Due to covid I think he might be best picking Newcastle with the option to live at home - the problem is the uncertainty over so so very much in life at present. If we knew September would be normal then he would be proceeding on basis would live away from home. My mother went to teacher training college in Fenham for 2 years and had the time of her life - her 1940s photos when they finished with her friends in their gowns looks like the selfies of today - you can just see how much she got out of all those close female friends then and even aged 70 they were still meeting up. So definitely going away from home can be the making of some people and it would be a pity if students lost all that due to cv19 but if youa re stuck in a small flat with an introvert and another student who doesn't speak English and the others never bothered to turn up and you have no lectures and no bars you might as well be at home. We just don't know.

on the friends issue if booking university accommodation for year 1 I think you cannot ask to be in the same set of rooms or flat as your existing friend. My twins who both went to Bristol deliberately chose different halls of residents although they were only about 5 minutes away from each other so they had the other person near if needs be. I think they even took their twin in some nights when he was too drunk and had lost his key and that kind of thing (before covid)

DD is at Newcastle. She was in Park View halls, which are the closest halls to the medical school. She is now living in Jesmond, and loves it there.

@AdditionalCharacter, Newcastle also offer a bursary of £1000 per year if your household income is below £35k. If that applies, just make sure you tick the ‘happy to share financial information with the university’ box on your DS’s student finance application and he’ll be awarded it automatically.

I must admit, I’m not sure that I’d prefer to have to do a part time job on top of studying rather than be bothered by the perceived horror of sharing a bathroom! In second year and third year he’ll probably be in a student house with a shared bathroom.

Thanks for the tip @SusannahSophia

As I said, it all depends on if they are still doing at home learning or allowed to attend lectures. I don't want him to miss out on the whole university experience, but equally I don't want him wasting his money on accommodation. He definitely wants en suite.

Some courses are quite intensive in terms of classroom hours and independent study hours. Some are the opposite. I did a 25h per week job whilst at uni "full time" as my course was 4 hours per week of face to face time and the additional time required around it was roughly 10-12 hours per week.

So he may well be able to up his hours depending.