Spending money once they've gone to uni

[PeaceLoveAndCandy]

Are we as parents supposed to put a regular amount of money into their accounts for food, etc once they've gone to Uni and if so, how much do you give them if they do not have a job at all?

I'm going to politely suggest you must have very limited experience then, as that is not the experience of anyone I know at all.

What I definitely do not recommend doing is an irrelevant job during term time. You will get a worse grade than you could have and in the long run will generally underperform post-grad compared to if you didn't do that irrelevant job during term time.

This is utter nonsense.

I'm not sure how the people I know who worked during term time and still got firsts are supposed to have got better results than firsts

@DonnaDonna0 @PhotoDad I think it ought to be made obvious to parents earlier on (like years before!) that their earnings will affect how much their kids can borrow and that they are expected to top up. I felt a bit silly that I hadn't realised loans were means tested until about a year before my eldest was due to go. Luckily, I had just got to the point where I was able to build up a savings pot and had to earmark that for university.

DD got a 2:1 in while working part time at Matalan. She now works for big name accountancy firm in London. Go figure!

I have also heard that folk who
work get poorer grades. But also more firsts are given than ever used to be so it is maybe all a bit skewed.

@TheSmallAssassin I suspect even with years of prior knowledge some families still won’t be able to save the amount they need. If your just over the limit say 60,000 and have other children and high outgoings.

@Starryskiesinthesky is that because the grade boundaries have been lower or because more people than ever before have been studying for degrees?

We top up his loan to what it would have been if it got the full amount.

Your dd with a first and summer work experience is much better than your dd with a 2:1 and term time work experience, in the eyes of most employers.

Especially with such rampant grade inflation of the past years.

1. Getting a high first is a distinguishing factor these days after such rampant grade inflation. The difference in calibre between 70% and 80% is massive.

2. There are other ways to use the time productively - learn more relevant skills and software, spend more time developing interview answers, take on paid/unpaid roles in relevant places etc.

Working in a shop/restaurant beyond part-time for two summers has diminishing returns. Better off using extra time elsewhere if fortunate enough to afford to do so.

@120go unfortunately not everyone has the opportunity to pick and choose if their parents can’t support them and they have to support themselves. But I do not think it’s fair to put a blanket cover on here saying if your not well off and need a part time job your going to get lower grades and then under perform.
Just my opinion but I think that’s really harsh, it may be true for some but not for others.
I know quite a few students who had every opportunity and money given by parents to make Uni very comfortable and have still dropped out or got low grades too.

One DC at Uni Min loan he is giving us his loan each term and we will make up the difference to top up his rent each term as well as giving him a monthly allowance to live off. Basically, we worked out the minimum loan and divided this by 40 weeks minus the amount we are topping up for his accommodation costs.

On top of this we also bought him some new clothes for Uni, all the things he needed for halls S/C, a 3 year railcard, JCR membership, cost of gown (he is in a gowned college), a basic food shop first week and we pay his phone and he has access to our Netflix/Amazon.

He walks everywhere in his Uni City. He has some savings, he also had a part time job in the summer and if he wants to continue partying like he has done so far this week he will need an additional part time job in his University city. DD goes to Uni next year so we will also have to do the same for her.

Why is your son giving you his loan @ScoobyDoobyDoowhere , rather than paying his rent and expenses himself and you topping up whatever amount you had decided on? Isn't part of growing up having to budget for yourself? Seems a bit controlling and infantilising

Christ some of the responses on this thread are absolutely bonkers!

Depemda what you can afford we can't afford to top us ds loan to max amount that would be around £3000 , which we simply don't have despite what on paper the goverment might think
We still pay his phone and I bought him all his stuff for uni and have his laptop on finance and then I pick up food items and plan to give him big box everytime we see him, plus send him odd £20 and have said when he needs things let us know so we can see what we can do
He took. Year out though and saved a few thousand ( lived home rent free)
So year one he is ok , year 2 &3 will be tough and potentially ds2 could go next year , there is no way we can fund two easily

@user1487194234

Wow. Dd gets £150, minimum loan. She manages ok but we top up if needed

@TheSmallAssassin but some us simply can't my ds got £5500 we can't top up £4000 we have other dc and bills to pay as well , only just had ny job for a year after loosing mine due to covid so racked up credit cards etc just trying to live ,

@PhotoDad

However it does include the income of a dp even if you have separate finances and met after your dc started university (mine is supporting his 2 DD's!) we are ok as DD's dad has stepped up and pays but a quick glance at Mumsnet tells you many dads cut off their kids at 18.

That's sort of the point I'm making @worriedatthistime , it's pretty hard to come up with it all at once, but I remember wondering why people were saving up for uni when their kids were tiny. Now I know!

I'm putting £600 a month away at the moment to cover the next few years, so it's lucky I can afford it - I wish I'd regularly been putting something smaller aside years ago!

@gogohmm Yes. It's all kinds of awful in who is included and who is excluded from the 'household income' calculation. It's been like that since current loan arrangements started, as far as I know.

We're in Wales so things are a bit different as they can take the full loan and how much they pay back is on a sliding scale based on household income.
Mine will have to pay all but £1000 back. After rent they have around £70 per week left, we give them £50 a week and they work in the Summer holidays.
DC1 also does some ad hoc hospitality work during term time, a couple of days a month that make around £200. DC2 is more frugal so I don't think they'll need to supplement.

We've given our son £100 per week and have paid for his catered accommodation and some larger one offs (sports and JCR memberships and sports kit). He'll have to pay for books.

DS has loan for tuition fees and we are paying for his accommodation plus £100 per week. He is self-catering. Phone and streaming TV services on family accounts still but he pays for his own Spotify.

We are also paying for any big initial outings - gym membership, course textbooks, etc.

His bus pass is free though which is a big relief.

We have the minimum maintenance loan and have to top up DDs accommodation costs by quite a lot. Her rent extortionate due to a real shortage of accommodation we had no choice but to take it. We give her £50 per week for food costs plus we do a big top up shop once a month for essentials, toiletries etc. She has saved money from her part time job in the summer and has taken a weekend part time job while at uni to fund her other costs. She is quite amazed that many of the students she has met have no intention of working yet moan they have no money and expect their parents to fund their social activities.

I agree! He's not a child and it sounds incredibly controlling as well as being a missed opportunity for his development.

My dd had enough loan to cover rent with £100 spare a month. We give her £100 on top for food. She works part time to fund her social life.

Student loans aren't really a thing here in Ireland. Tuition costs €3k ish, we pay that and accommodation costs and give our son around €75-100 a week for petrol and food.

He works two shifts in a restaurant to pay for his social life/ travel etc.

Final year this year (Thank God!)