How much money to give DD a month at University?

[tactum]

I really do realise this is a very lucky position to be in that we can afford to think about it....

How much money will you give your kid a month at uni? Obv have basic loans in the bag, and we've said we'll make up the shortfall on the accommodation costs, but that basically leaves her with 0 living income. She's hopefully transferring to a job at uni that will earn her £30 per week.

I'm thinking give her £300 per month?? I'm not sure. I really do obviously realise we're fortunate to be able to give her this, and don't want to discourage her from getting job as I think that's important but just wondered what the general consensus was from people in the position to subsidise. Please don't flame me for being able to.....

OK thanks all, lots of different opinions and numbers to look through. Just to answer a couple of questions:

1. Uni is northern England
2. No car required
3. The job income was based on her only doing 1 3hr shift a week - healthcare admin - maybe she should be looking to do 2. Just didn't want her to have too much going on, particularly in the first year.

Sounds like we're not a million miles out, although as with everything, it seems too much to some and too little to others. Really appreciate all the replies and will look through in detail.

@TheMarzipanDildo well how are they supposed to police that? They can't tell you what to do if it means you eat or you don't. They don't own you!

We're going to give £100 spending money a week during term time.
I would say a 3 hour a week job was ideal . Especially as you don't know how busy she'll be.

I pay for dds phone and give her £30 a week. My parents give her £50 a month and she works a few hours a week too.
She manages fine! In fact she's the only one in her uni house who isn't already up to the eyeballs with student overdrafts & credit cards!

Some of these responses are weird/ridiculous.
Since when did uni students have cars and disposable incomes

It doesn't matter how much you give her if she doesn't budget.

Why don't you set her the task of doing a written budget and her telling you how much she needs?

Then look it over with her and speak to her about the things she has missed.

I think if she has to provide a written budget, it will focus her mind on money management. And you will probably be very pleased with what she comes up with!

I'm also pretty jealous of these responses. I had zero help from parents, although I did go 15 years ago, so different loan situation back then.

They did do a big shop at Tesco with me at the start of term, so at least I knew I had food in the cupboard for a while!

@IceLace100

It doesn't matter how much you give her if she doesn't budget.

Why don't you set her the task of doing a written budget and her telling you how much she needs?

Then look it over with her and speak to her about the things she has missed.

I think if she has to provide a written budget, it will focus her mind on money management. And you will probably be very pleased with what she comes up with!

We did this to an extent, although with Dd rather alone. We looked at lots of example student budgets online - there are plenty - and talked about different options and approaches. We had a bit of a laugh over the £3 per week budget for drugs on one :)

But actually talking about and working through example budgets was really useful.

I’m so envious of these posts, however I guess there’s always been disparity in students’ financial positions based on parental contributions. I hope these DCs know how lucky there are!

She can certainly do more than three hours working a week, especially if a course with not many contact hours. At least a weekend day shift of 7.5 hours? My degree course had full time placements and my supermarket contract was 12 hours/ week. It was more than manageable.

Why don’t you give her £50 per week for her basic food shop and she find the rest?

I would have thought 2 X 3 hours was totally manageable.

I worked 10-12 hours a week as a student (law) until my final year and earned £5.50 an hour. I worked all summers and saved it.

My parents didn't have a lot of money to send me so I lived off that and the loan. I never had any cash but that's part of being a student!

I also worked until 3am and walked a couple of miles home. Didn't really have a choice! Sometimes I worked until 3am, got the night bus to the next city and walked a couple of miles to my then boyfriend's halls.

@brittleheadgirl

Some of these responses are weird/ridiculous. Since when did uni students have cars and disposable incomes

When they have placements in rural areas inaccessible by public transport?

brittlehead "Some of these responses are weird/ridiculous.
Since when did uni students have cars and disposable incomes confused"

my dad gave my brother a porsche, that's in the 80s.....

It's like these Xmas threads, how much to spend; goes from £10 to many £100s. So long you can afford it do what you want..
I give generously but they all have a parttime job and are saving for the future with it rather than going into debts. I do tell them to be careful not to have too many hours, getting good grades has always been a priority in our house

Although it was a long time ago we paid our DC's rent and they had the student loan to live on. If they needed anymore they had to earn it. They both worked during the holidays but not term time

@54321nought
Most students on placement will be doing night shifts? No buses running in my area at 4/5 am and taxis are extortionate

@brittleheadgirl back when I went to uni it was free...and here in Ireland students work all summer and every weekend to earn their money for the week. We all had lots of money to live off!
They either live at home and attend uni in their home town or go to another city.

I was very lucky that my parents paid my accommodation. But there's grants (not loans) for those on low incomes.

I don't know anyone my age with student debt. (Mid 30's)

We’ve budgeted for accommodation plus a bit of a top up c£20 pw and DS1 will use the loan for the rest (minimum loan).

part of being a student is being resilient so she needs to learn this

no it isn't! Anyway don't you think the last 18 months has taught them enough about the r word?

@StiggyZardust

We're planning on giving DS £350 a month. We're going to pay his rent, phone and travel costs. He's only taking a loan for the fees. We are very fortunate to be in this position, and he is an only child.

Similar here. DS is only taking the loan for fees. We will pay his accommodation (and phone, which is £10 a month with giffgaff so no issue) and he has savings which will maintain him for the three years. If he wants any more he can get a job.

Like you, we'll probably cover train fares too.

Wow my parents gave nothing. I used my savings from my part time job to pay my first year accommodation.

Your kids are really lucky to have you

You are expected but not obliged by law, to make up the loan to the maximum avalable.
So if the max loan was £10000 but because of parental income they get £5000 you should give them at least £5000.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/06/martin-lewis-hidden-parental-contribution-university-/

This is roughly what we did for both of our two DC. It's true they need to budget but that's a job all parents should have taught by now. The assumption that all students are feckless or need to suffer hardship is annoying.

Always on MN you get people saying my parents never gave me anything so why should others get it.

• Christmasfairy2020 Can't you just pay for the accommodation fully This.

What she has left of student loan she lives off.*

You seem to be assuming people have lump sums sat in the bank and can afford to pay £1500-2000 a term for halls rent at the drop of a hat. Not everyone is in the same financial position and it's easier for some to pay a weekly/monthly sum. When the student loan system works out how much the student gets based on their household income, they don't take into account whether the family has a big mortgage, other kids at uni, live in an expensive part of the country etc. One size does not fit all.

How long is a piece of string?!
I am on a uni support Facebook group, you get people saying that after paying for accommodation Johnny can survive on less than £30 per week( He obviously eats a MN chicken )Others say that they give £150 a week and that is barely enough. My DD is fortunate enough to get nearly the full loan. After accommodation and bills that gives her about £120 per week for the whole year. However after last year when she clearly found it difficult to budget she has agreed for me to receive the loan, and then transfer her £80 per week. This should actually allow her to save about £2000 by the end of the year.

Ds isn't applying until next year. We are hopeful if we pay his accommodation the £4750 maintenance loan covers all food, mobile (£12/month), clothes, books, travel home, socialising. If he needs more than that he'll need to work for it as the accommodation cost is already going to be a stretch for us!

We pay for the accommodation, and living costs come out of their loans.

As said above and as in my day parents are expected to make the minimum loan up to the maximum one (grant not loan in my day). So richer parents have children getting £4300 or so minimum loan and make it up to the maximum for that place.

However people differ and have more money than others. I paid the student fees and rents plus £150 a week all year plus some travel costs and the twins share a care which I pay for. All of that is very generous of me.