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Higher education

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

Original poster

How much allowance do you give your student dc to live on per week

255 replies

FlamingHot · 20/05/2021 16:27

Or per month? Dd’s halls of residence and course fees will be covered by us and student loads.

We’re not sure how much she’ll need for food/nights out etc. Her halls will be self catered only.

Thanks!

OP posts:
Delphigirl · 20/05/2021 17:02

£400. DS - so eats and drinks it. He also has a part time job in a bar but trying to save that money for later travels I think

Delphigirl · 20/05/2021 17:03

Sorry can I clarify that’s 400 pcm not per week!!!

chopc · 20/05/2021 18:43

@Delphigirl if DC are in catered hall how much spending money would you give? He is planning on going to Durham is that has made a difference!

aibutohavethisusername · 20/05/2021 19:28

My DD is in London. Her halls are astronomical, think £13,000. She worked over the summer and came home early December until April time and worked then too. I was giving her about £50 a month. Not given her any since she went back and she hasn’t asked.
I’m imaging her Dad has been giving her some money. We split up many years ago.

SpeckledyHen · 20/05/2021 19:30

We paid our sons’ accommodation in full and they lived on their student loans .

LIZS · 20/05/2021 19:32

We pay rent and she lives off her minimum maintenance loan.

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 20/05/2021 19:32

@SpeckledyHen

We paid our sons’ accommodation in full and they lived on their student loans .
This is what I was planning to do but she will only get minimum maintenance loan. Can't decide if that's enough to live on? Does anyone do the same with minimum loan?
chocolatesaltyballs22 · 20/05/2021 19:33

Ah cross posted @LIZS - that's good to know.

ssd · 20/05/2021 19:33

£70 a month

Iggii · 20/05/2021 19:34

I got £400 a month back in 1993 and it was barely enough then (self catering)

dramaqueen · 20/05/2021 19:34

We are paying accommodation costs and they will have to live off the (minimum) loan. If they want more they will have to work for it. It works out around 1,500 per term which should be enough.

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 20/05/2021 19:39

This is probably a stupid question but does their rent include all utilities?

Howshouldibehave · 20/05/2021 19:42

D’s gets the minimum loan which doesn’t cover his accommodation so we top that up. We then give £50 a week for food and general living (he’s in self-catered halls).

SpeckledyHen · 20/05/2021 19:47

Chocolate mine were both on the minimum loan .

SpeckledyHen · 20/05/2021 19:48

@chocolatesaltyballs22

This is probably a stupid question but does their rent include all utilities?
In halls it does but not when they house share after the first year .
JellyBabiesSaveLives · 20/05/2021 19:49

www.savethestudent.org/money/student-budgeting/what-do-students-spend-their-money-on.html

This is good on how much they might need.

Full loan (or loan plus the parental contribution) plus a part-time job plus living at home in the holidays is enough.

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 20/05/2021 19:52

@chocolatesaltyballs22

This is probably a stupid question but does their rent include all utilities?
Depends on the accommodation! Read the small print on uni halls.

DD's second year house includes utilities too, so some do.

Hyperion100 · 20/05/2021 19:52

Depends how much they are earning from their part time job

titchy · 20/05/2021 19:55

£400 a month once accommodation costs are paid for by loan (and parental top up if necessary) for ten months. Expected to either save enough for two months over the summer or get a job. It's been plenty. One dc has a shopping, holiday,
festival and nice food and coffee habit. Other has an expensive tech and holiday habit. Both have enough to fund their expensive taste Hmm

flashylamp · 20/05/2021 19:55

@Iggii

I got £400 a month back in 1993 and it was barely enough then (self catering)

How could it not be enough? Particularly in 1992

Whole families have less disposable income

BalconiWaferAddict · 20/05/2021 20:03

2010 I got £250 per month, bills and rent covered by parents/loans excluding my phone cos I wanted a fancy contract. Worked part time to top it up around £150-250 a month which was fun money. I lived v comfortably on that.

Bagelsandbrie · 20/05/2021 20:09

We aren’t able to give dd anything beyond the odd £20 here and there - low income family, managing on tax credits and disability benefits. She will have the full loans etc and will be in catered accommodation paid for from her maintenance loan and she currently works 20 hours a week and is saving some money to take from that. She will be frantically applying for jobs when she gets there.

BackforGood · 20/05/2021 20:13

This gets asked a lot, and it varies hugely due to
Parents' finances
Student's expectations
What people include

So, some people only give a lower amount, but then it comes out later that parents take and fetch them each term / provide a big shop at the start of each term / pay their mobile phone. Or then it turns out that Grandparents, or non-resident parent also gives another £100per months, etc.

My dd has £150pm from us. We do tend to take and fetch her, and, in September we started her off with s few things in a shop. She pays everything else herself and manages fine.
He older siblings had similar amounts and also managed fine.

BackforGood · 20/05/2021 20:15

Sorry, to be clear - she gets min loan which doesn't quite cover her halls (we top that up).
So, in total, she actually probably manages on less than the full loan equivalent.

Iggii · 20/05/2021 20:23

Flashy maybe I just drank too much! I had to pay for all food, buses, clothes, textbooks, ferry home, train tickets to see boyf, cds..
I don't know it just went. Maybe I had bills too? I don't remember that.