Applying for uni in 2022... a mother in need of help!

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

My 19 year old DS wants to go to uni after he finishes college this year. He plans to study electrical engineering. He is mostly considering universities close by, but living in halls. So he probably won't be more than an hour away from me.
So far we have looked at what ucas points he needs. I think we have got our heads around that!
We looked at the different uni accommodation available and nearly fell off our chairs at the cost. We have estimated £4-500 for that per month. For his first year he will get the full maintenance loan, he also has a PT job in Asda, earning £12 an hour. He should theoretically be able to transfer stores. He isn't keen to carry it on, but I am hoping I can persuade him that working in that 2 nights a week will be a real help for him over all particularly as in his 2nd and 3rd years his maintenance loan will drop by £300 a month (I've been with my partner for 4 years and we will likely have cohabited by then - it is only situational that we have not combined finances and moved in full time together). So finance wise, he should be okay. I'm sure his dad and my dad will send him the odd ££ here and there for treats. I will be the picking up the pieces person and the cooking his favourite meals on demand person. My disposable income is low because I have other younger children and childcare expenses (I had DS when I was 17, so there is a big age gap) so I won't be able to commit to regular payments to him. I've made this very clear to him.
When it comes to 2nd year, we know that at that stage he will need to find a house share with other students. What we can't figure out is the cost for that. Can anyone shed light on approximate costs per person in a northern town?
What else do we need to be doing? What do we need to know? Is it worth going to look at the uni?
When does he need to be making decisions by? When do we apply for accommodation? Is there up front costs for it?

I'm so stressed and worried about it all! I'm not ready for him to go, but on the other hand he has the worlds tiniest bedroom (2mx2m!) and I can't bear the thought of him as a grown man being stuck in there for the next 4 years as he finishes college then goes to uni. He needs to have a life and freedom, no matter how lacking in common sense he actually appears to be . So whilst he can theoretically stay at home (and it would be helpful for me as he does the odd spot of babysitting when I'm in a pickle) I want him to go for his own good. So I want to help him get this right (even if I think he should be the one doing all the research!)

......and breathe

Firstly, if he is on a full loan, then he will be fine. All my dc have noted that their friends who are on the full loan seem to have the most disposable money.

If he can get accommodation for £5K ish, that leaves him over £4K for everything else. That is around £100 per week whilst he is at University. (If you are not charging him board in the holidays). That is more than twice as much as he will need. Honestly. I bet you don't have that sort of spending money ? I know I don't.
Now, depending where he goes, student accommodation can be in short supply and you don't always get first choice, so some students do end up being allocated more expensive accommodation.

However, you say he is used to working and also has savings and will also get some spending money from Dad and Grandad, so it sounds like he will be a lot wealthier than most of his peers.

Re the job - Supermarkets might not be glamorous, but they pay a lot better than hospitality - tell him my dd works in a bar through the night (finishes around 6am) and gets paid £6.56, and they have been told they will be sacked if they keep any tips ...... up to him of course, they all find their way.

House share costs do vary, but each of my dc (3 different Universities) have generally paid very similar to their rooms in halls, when they house shared. Some seem cheaper at first but you have to pay bills on top. Some include bills, and don't tend to be that different from halls *unless you've had en-suite in halls or otherwise expensive halls).

When you apply varies one university to the next. Most commonly (but not in any way at all) you apply after you have "firmed" which university you hope to go to. It will say on the website when it opens - can be anytime after about March, but sometimes not until May. Most don't allocate until after results day, but some now do. I think Nottingham is notorious for having a mad scramble on the day halls open (and Nttm is also very heavily weighted in catered halls for some reason). So you need to look on the accommodation pages for each University as they are all different, and more and more universities have privatised their accommodation now.

Yes, there is a deposit to be paid for, when you are allocated the room - usually a week or so after results day, and usually about 4 weeks / £450 ish. After that, it is paid termly the day after the loan comes in.
However, one surprise is you usually have to choose and pay deposit for 2nd year accommodation before Christmas in first year.

There is lots of information on UCAS website
There is lots of student finance info on Martin Lewis page
There are lots of worried parents (and helpful, experienced ones) on a Facebook group, and website, called WIWIKAU *What I Wish I knew About University)

Really good informative post by Kite22

Just to add, college should be helping with the actual application to the universities, he can pick 5 and needs to apply through UCAS, the deadline is usually in January. I would definitely recommend visiting the unis if they are holding open days...for both of my DSs this resulted in them choosing a favourite uni that was not the frontrunner beforehand, so can make a difference. He would then firm his favourite and choose a second as his insurance, usually one with a lower offer than his firm.

As Kite22 says, accommodation processes will vary from uni to uni, but it's important to check how it works beforehand. In DS2s case, he is going to Liverpool in 2 weeks, and accommodation was on a first come first served basis, meaning that specific accommodation (eg the cheapest!) can be allocated before you've even had a chance to apply. We were lucky, I checked the website regularly and happened to notice the day it opened, before they sent the email round to notify everyone, and as a result DS got his first choice.

I won't be able to commit to regular payments to him. I've made this very clear to him
If you won't contribute to his costs after your partner moves in, perhaps wait until after your son is finished uni to move in?

Unis provide a ton of info.
Start going to open days

Is his college hosting an information evening?

Could he defer for a year and apply with A levels/other qualifications in hand?

He will have more time to save for university, and avoid the mad scramble for accommodation at those universities that operate on a first come first served basis.

It is also worth looking at halls costs before applying as some universities have more expensive accommodation than others. Avoid London for that reason. DD is at Newcastle and the cheapest halls there are half the price of most halls in London

Is there any particular reason why your son can't be more than an hour away from home?

Student finance works on quite old income figures. I'm pretty sure that for this coming year I have provided figures from the 2019-20 tax year for DD2's application.

Try not to panic about the costs. As others have said, read Martin Lewis's guide and don't think of it as a loan, but as a graduate tax. Universities aim to widen access, so it may be that your DS is eligible for bursaries or grants. My older DD was awarded a bursary based on our family's income for the 4 years of her integrated Masters course at Cambridge. My younger DD was awarded a university centenary bursary based on her A level grades, which was paid in February of year 1 and covered pretty much her entire accommodation for year 2. Neither of these needs to be repaid. DD2 is adamant that she will work/live abroad for 30 years so she doesn't have to repay a penny of her student loans. I don't blame her...

Student house share costs will vary, but as a guide £90 a week plus bills would be a rough guide. (One of mine in the south paid £450 a month inc bills, the other in a much cheaper city pays £350 a month exc bills.)

Double check loan entitlement, income used to calculate is based on previous year not upcoming year.

new.siemens.com/uk/en/company/jobs/search-careers.html

Tell him to apply for some work experience with some engineering companies - a lot sponsor good students

Siemens engineering have partnered with the university of Lincoln

www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/businessengagement/industrylinks/

@ThisMustBeMyDream my partner is not moving in due to uni finance. I don't feel it's fair to expect him to cover the shortfall in uni maintenance loan and I cannot cover the costs myself.

The expectation is the parents cover the shortfall if the students do not get the full loan (or as close as possible), I don't feel that added stress is good for a new relationship.

Depending on his course hours, working term time can be difficult, however, holidays are long and my DC have worked and saved during the holidays. This has topped up their accounts and supported them while at uni.

The second year in the house share was £110 per week for my DS in Nottingham. That covered all bills. That seems to be similar to his friends in different cities.

It is much better getting on campus in uni halls if he can, sure rooms are small but you're packed in there with a bunch of people similar age going to the same uni as you so it's fun, it's great. There is plenty of space elsewhere to hang out. It's so much better than living elsewhere.

I do also think he should keep his job, he might have a hard time finding a new job that is as flexible later on if he needs it. 2 days a week will hardly impact his ability to study and have a social life.

My DS currently paying £460/month all inclusive & his siblings paid similar amounts. Remember private housing is usually for a whole calendar year, not the university year.

My eldest found york and lancaster on a par, but lancaster won as yorks uni accommodation was a lot more expensive and lancaster was a better quality. And they do electrical engineering too.
Starts at £94.99 for a basic standard, standard £110.88pw.
www.lancaster.ac.uk/accommodation/undergraduate/#whats-the-cost-403345-6

She's now going into 2nd year and living in Lancaster city. She will pay £102 per week for 51 weeks (private landlord) which she shares with 7 others all paying the same amount. From what we saw, we saw private accommodation ranging from about £85.00 to £120 as a majority.

Other expenses living in Lancaster? Bus pass about £300 would be a good investment as the campus is a 20 mins bus ride away from the city. There's an aldi and also a sainsburys. So she spends about £30 pw on food, £5.00pw on a treat (usually sultans on campus which is a chip/kebab/pizza restaurant there) and then about £10-15pw. going out. monthly bill of £18pm on her phone. She also has her own printer to save on printing costs.

Id say weekly about £70.00 per week living expenses is quite comfortable, and she had a bit spare left it goes on clothes.

Even if you got the minimum amount
(because of earning £70k between you) which is £4422, that should cover a lancaster uni standard accommodation at £110.88 x 40 weeks. So you just need to pay for his living costs. And you have younger children also, so he will get a little bit more as well.

A lot of unis offer bursaries to those on full loan. DS gets £1500 back from uni. This meant he could go to a uni where otherwise the hall fees would have been ridiculous. The deposit for year 2 accommodation was the one thing we hadn’t costed for plus he had to pay 1/4 rent in July before his second year.

The student loan drops when household income goes above a certain level because you are expected to top it up to the maximum! If you can't afford to do that then don't cohabit.

I wouldn't have been able to afford it even if it was with his father. Who earns the same. HTH
Thanks for the more useful advice re fb page and hidden costs!
We are both feeling more confident going forward now.