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Higher education

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

Original poster

Help with uni process

32 replies

worriedatthemoment · 30/01/2022 22:03

Hi so ds has applied to couple of unis and we are awaiting outcome, he finished his btech june 2021 so has grades, he is currently working so that he has some money
Regarding halls of residence do we look and apply once he knows which uni he gets into or should we be looking before
Neither myself or dh have gone to uni so have no idea what to do next
Can you view halls of potential unis?
Do they charge all 52 weeks ?
Any help or advice , gladly appreciated appreciated

OP posts:
sunshineclouds24 · 30/01/2022 22:04

Please ask Mumsnet to move this post to the Higher Education section

sunshineclouds24 · 30/01/2022 22:52

@worriedatthemoment , now you are in the right section you can read through all the information in these threads to help you out.
There is also a website and Facebook group called What I wish I knew about university - WIWIKAU - with loads of info.

CovidCorvid · 30/01/2022 22:56

They don’t all charge for 52 weeks, normally 45 or possibly less.

Every uni will have an accommodation office you can ring and ask. Often you pick a halls for your firm offer about this time of year. There will be different processes for this at different places.

You can sometimes view halls at open days but it’s generally not open day season atm. Plus covid has stopped some places doing this. Look on YouTube though. Students often do unofficial tour videos.

Xenia · 30/01/2022 23:06

YOu can certainly think about which ones but eg at many you might apply to the university and all your others in the Autumn term of upper sixth, get your offers from the 5 to which you apply or whichever make you offers, choose your favourite with an easier to get into one as your back up and then and only then when you "firm" your offer you can then apply to halls (and you might not get first choice) for your first choice. That is what my children (and I ) did. Eg 3 of mine went to Bristol University which would have dates along these lines:
"11 May - applications open. ...

" You can apply for accommodation after you firmly accept your offer of study (you will not be able to access the form before that), but there is no rush - accommodation is NOT allocated on a first come first served basis. "
30 June - first round applications close. ...
13 July - unconditional applicant offers made. ...
15 July - unconditional offer deadline. ...
10 August - A Level results day. ...
17 August - accommodation offers made. ...
19 August - offer acceptance deadline."
www.bristol.ac.uk/accommodation/undergraduate/apply/guaranteed/

Most people don't view halls but I expect you can if you want. Most have details on websites.

Most have the prices on the websites so you can choose. The less money your family has the more money your child will be given as maintenance loan so in a weird way the middle class have much less money than the children of not very well off parents at university.

LiterallyKnowsBest · 31/01/2022 07:52

The UCAS website has all the information, or links to all the information you could need at this stage. It’s there precisely to make access to information available to families with no prior knowledge.

It’s perhaps a shame your son didn’t apply to a full selection of universities. Only applying to two does suggest lack of guidance.

LIZS · 31/01/2022 08:01

Some unis open their accommodation applications in March, others only after the Ucas deadline in May. If he gets an (unconditional) offer he may be invited to an Offer Holder day so can view examples of accommodation then. Once he has confirmed his uni choice he should be able to apply and will be given access to relevant online portal. For most you list several options so worth thinking about whether he wants catered, self catering, ensuite, on campus etc now.

LIZS · 31/01/2022 08:03

Few offer 52 weeks to undergrads, some will be 39 weeks including Christmas and Easter breaks, others term-time only so need to move out for vacations.

Citygirl2019 · 31/01/2022 08:11

You need to look at the accommodation page for his chosen universities.

I have had two DC go to uni the accommodation prices was totally different for both. My tip would be make sure now you know exactly what the process is fo each uni so you don't miss out!

MeatPieWoman · 31/01/2022 08:33

There is a good Facebook group called
WIWIKAU

What I wish I knew about University. I'd recommend it.
You can ask about specific courses/unis.
Some universities have their own Facebook groups for parents too.

cptartapp · 31/01/2022 08:38

I think Liverpool operate accommodation in a first come first served basis. Be aware.
DS1 is at uni of Nottingham and if firmed, opens on 1st March. I think this is unusual, don't be pressured to firm too soon on the basis of accommodation. It's more important to be at the right uni/course.
Why did he only choose two? That's massively limiting.

MarchingFrogs · 31/01/2022 08:53

He can add up to three more now if he wants to (the second UCAS fee level is for 'more than one', so nothing more to pay). The choices added after the deadline have no obligation to give equal consideration to late applications, but whether they do or not will depend on how oversubscribed, or otherwise, the course is, one would assume. (Although I can see some just being bloody minded about it and of course, anything Oxbridge / medical/ dental / vet med has been a definite no go since October 15th).

Or does he genuinely only want those courses at those universities and has alternative plans for not being successful with either?

MarchingFrogs · 31/01/2022 09:15

UEA has a couple of helpful documents on applying after the deadline and 'next steps' (obviously with a UEA slant).
everwondered.uea.ac.uk/resource/young-person/year-13-1/it-s-not-too-late-to-apply-infographic?theme=pink&category=7

N.B. re applying for student finance, the date in May is not a 'hard' deadline, just the latest to apply to guarantee that finance will be in place for the beginning of term. In practice, a) it normally comes in anyway, especially if the applicant doesn't need to get parents to submit financial details and b) universities are not going to refuse to let them start if their finance is delayed.

Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 31/01/2022 23:38

He applied for 3 in total but one is close to home so no need for accommodation

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Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 31/01/2022 23:41

@MarchingFrogs he has applied for 3 but one is close to home so no accommodation would be needed
He only wanted to apply to them I wanted him to add another to make it 4 but he wasn't convinced
I may discuss with him again and we can add a 4th on at least maybe even a 5th
His issue is he doesn't want to go more than 2 hrs from home for personal reasons ,, but there is at least 3 unis still in this distance that so his course

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Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 31/01/2022 23:44

@LiterallyKnowsBest we are struggling to find all the info in ucas and he has applied to 3 but one doesn't require accommodation as its close to home
He left college last year so no one to guide him really

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Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 31/01/2022 23:49

@Xenia thanks i have looked up the maintenance loan and he won't get enough to cover his accommodation but is working full time this year to help fund
Myself and dh bring in ok wages between us so his maintenance loan reflects that although disposable income wise we don't have loads but will be doing our best to help him if we can

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LIZS · 01/02/2022 09:01

[quote worriedatthemoment]@LiterallyKnowsBest we are struggling to find all the info in ucas and he has applied to 3 but one doesn't require accommodation as its close to home
He left college last year so no one to guide him really [/quote]
Even if he left last year most colleges will guide uni applicants, they must have done a UCAS reference for example.

Freebus · 01/02/2022 13:22

The unis should let your ds know when the time for accommodation booking opens up. For DD this was earlier for her insurance choice than for her 1st choice and she has to put down something like 7 to 10 options.
This was in lockdown so no chance to view accommodations.
There are lot of youtubers who are students and that was how dd had some idea of what her accommodation would be like. I think also there are uni specific fb groups to pick up info .

Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 01/02/2022 21:14

@LIZS yes they happily did him a reference but no chance to go in and speak with them as they have classes and ds works from 7:30-4:30 mon to fri at the moment
He has been unsure of university and only decided to apply just before xmas as he really isn't sure what path to take

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LiterallyKnowsBest · 01/02/2022 21:31

It’s hard at that age making an application without school / college help! (I remember.)

The important thing is for him to be sure to look out for and open every email or whatever from the universities and UCAS. They’ll let him know exactly what to do, and when - but I’ve known heedless prospective students miss important stages of the process because they haven’t read emails in a timely fashion.

Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 01/02/2022 21:56

@LiterallyKnowsBest yes thats good advice i will tell him to keep an eye on his junk mail too
He has already had an email for interview with local university ( well university centre) its his 3rd choice but might help him figure what he wants to do as well and he is a shy person so interviews are all good practice for him

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SeasonFinale · 02/02/2022 10:20

To be fair most schools do not help with the finance or accommodation side of applications having worked in a UCAS Advisers office in a school.

Look at the websites for the unis he has applied for under accommodation. The uni staff are usually very helpful too and he may want to call them and have a chat about their procedure post offer.

He can apply for finance when it opens and put down which uni he thinks he may end up at but this can be changed later as can the staying at home going away options.

If he is not entitled to the full loan are you as parent aware of the expected parent contribution. You may want to read about this on moneysavingexpert.com.

Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 02/02/2022 12:35

@SeasonFinale not totally aware
My understanding is he can get the loan for fees and then a maintenance loan for accommodation which won't cover it all but go a good way and he is working now to help top up and have money to live on etc
We plan to help with food , paying mobile etc
Is there more I need to be aware of ?

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Original poster
worriedatthemoment · 02/02/2022 12:43

@SeasonFinale i did put figures in a calculator on our incomes etc so hopefully that figure is right and if so the loan will cover 3/4 of his rent , then he & us can pay difference as he will hopefully live off savings earned whilst working full time this year and also try and get part time job
It will be tight financially all round but this is why he also took a year out , to earn some money otherwise it would of not been possible to go

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TopsieGreenwood · 02/02/2022 12:51

Don't worry about not having gone to uni. I did go but have still felt a bit daunted as the process seems very different or I've forgotten. I don't remember needing to pick a firm/insurance. I think we just got offers and then made our choice after the A level results and applied for accommodation then. We got no options with the accommodation. We were just allocated a room and that was that. My dad applied for the finance so that's new to me too!