Realistic cost of living at university

[leftitabitlate22]

I just wondered how much realistically a student needs per week/term to live comfortably (not in luxury!) at university.

DD not likely to be able to have a term time job alongside the degree but will be able to work in holidays.

She won't be eligible for full loans so we'll be topping up.

However when people come on saying that their kids live on £50 a week it makes people think that’s the norm. It really isn’t and IMO that’s really unfair on the DC. They will really be scrimping and saving and barely able to afford to join in at all.

This clearly must depend on your social circle.
It really is the norm for many, many, students.
This is MN, where 1/2 the Education threads are about Private schools, when across the nation only 9% of pupils go to Private school. Where threads about salaries try to pretend that people paying higher rate tax "really aren't earning that much". It doesn't reflect the population as a whole.

I have had 3 dc go to 3 different Universities and that sort of amount is plenty for them to have what they need in most places. Yes, all of mine have chosen to work in the holidays, and, to a lesser extent in term time, so they can then choose to have money to spend on luxuries. Whatever a 'treat' is to each individual (and that can vary from buying coffees out, to running a car or having gym membership or eating out or having takeaways fairly often.

They are mixing with other students who (clearly not in some social circles, but in many (most?) do things to make sure their nights out don't cost a fortune - pre-drinks being probably the most obvious.

Of course there are student who have a lot more cash than others - as happens in any group you are in, some people have more disposable cash than others, but it is really important people aren't put off going to university by fearing the costs are much higher than they need to be.

Universities now train staff in how to deal with issues arising from the use of onlyfans and sugardaddy websites. That's how increasingly (female) students who don't receive the full student loan and are also not adequately supported by parents are funding studies.

Ironically the ones on full student loan often also get bursaries so they are fine for cash.

Students are deliberately targeted by adverts near campus and by peer recruitment.
It's extremely difficult as the uni ethos is to support their choices but it leads to poor mental health. They are very naive about what it involves.

They are mixing with other students who (clearly not in some social circles, but in many (most?) do things to make sure their nights out don't cost a fortune - pre-drinks being probably the most obvious.

But on £50 a week they couldn't even afford pre drinks. They'd have £35 for food, a couple of quid a day on travel ad then a fiver left for socialising.

I top up his loan son that his accomodation is fully covered (c.£9k pa) and then he has £50 pw. I hear lots of people saying their DC get/need more, but DS tells me it's plenty. He isn't a drinker and doesn't do much socialising though.

And as I said before, it isn't just the students with wealthy families who will be on double that. It's the students from wealthier families, all the students from less well off families who get the full grant and all the students from all the other families where they follow the government guidance and top up to the value of the full loan. In other words, practically all of them.

I'm sorry but rather than encouraging people from less well off families to go to university by trying to assert that £50 a week is the norm, you're actually doing them a massive disservice encouraging them to go if that's all the money they will have. They genuinely would be better off taking a year out and working for a year so that they can have a normal student standard of living. Otherwise they simply won't be able to do the things that the vast majority of their peers will be doing.

The majority of students can work during term time or at least the holidays. We were honest with DC from the start about how much we could top them up by (which would have been enough to scrimp by on), and we offered for them to stay at home and commute to a nearby uni to save on rent.

Both chose to move out and work and managed just fine, they also worked through college so had a bit saved up before moving.

I would be very surprised at a student finishing uni with little to no work experience, those who can’t work due to their degrees at least have placements. I think it’s doing a disservice to encourage a young adult who can work not to.

@PinkFrogss I'm not saying they can't work, just not sure it's realistic. They have worked through sixth form. Looking at courses where daily hours seem to be 8-6. I think it's best to plan that they will only work in holidays but see what happens.

Even just working in holidays will be a massive help, can you sit down with them and plan what they will get from their loan, what you are able to contribute, and what they could get from working in the holidays? If you both look at the estimated rent and living costs for the unis they’re interested in they can make an educated decision.

@PinkFrogss it's audition based so will go wherever she is lucky enough to get an offer.

Some courses don't have any halls so accommodation costs still all up in the air and possibly quite high.

I just started the thread really to get an idea of what she needed to live on a week. It's all ifs and buts unless she gets a place, but if not will work for a year and reapply.

@leftitabitlate22
The only way to budget is to start at £0 and work it up. Your DDs circumstances. Your circumstances. No one else is the same as you or DD. So just get some evidence of costs for rents, bills, transport, socialising, food, clothes, anything else that’s non negotiable and do it based on your family. It’s the only way. Look at holiday jobs.

The idea that all students have jobs is a bit of a joke. They don’t.

DC both attended non London unis. Self catered housing just over 6k per year. Loan covered the rent (utilities and rent included). They had £400 for everything else sent on a monthly basis. They had railcard and coach cards for travel. Voxi sim cards for phones.

Both had jobs during 6th form and summer holidays jobs whilst at uni. Sporty/social types/meat eaters. This worked for our family. We had finance conversations during Year 12, so they knew what we could afford.

Also kitted both out in first year, paid housing deposits (as these were due before loan paid) and had emergency funds, if they needed to travel home for a family boost weekend.

The idea that all students have jobs is a bit of a joke. They don’t

agreed. It’s very much the exception rather than the norm. Working in holidays is common. Working in term time is not the norm (although of course some do)

@OnlyTheBravest
These were halls of residence I assume. The OPs DD won’t have these. £500 a month for a room in a private house in London to include bills is very cheap these days. Almost impossible in the private sector as rental is for 52 weeks.

@TizerorFizz Housing is the biggest expense. When we first started to look at unis, tough choices had to be made. It was clear that we were priced out of London accommodation, therefore London unis were out of the equation. Both mine were in private student halls for their 2nd/3rd year.

I’m well aware of London prices. DD2 was in London. Most go into houses for years 2/3. Year 1 in halls. I don’t know any student who got into halls after that, private or otherwise, due to new students needing them. For most, hall costs are year1.

For uni years 2+ some go into private house rentals, some go into private student halls.
www.crm-students.com/
I appreciate you do not know any people that used private halls but mine did and I was suggesting this as another option.

OP have noted that this company is expanding into London. Not sure where you are looking but I found this type of housing helped when looking for affordable student housing.

Place marking as we need to look at this

We are another one who pay our kids rent, they get the minimum loan for everything else- I think £4300? So around £90 a week, big expensive city but not London! No one is more than a 20 minute bus ride into town.
seems to be a good amount, they say they have enough but they don’t have any left over either!
I sometimes order supermarket deliveries etc and I buy basics such as shoes, jeans and coats.
they don’t work in term time, they sometimes do I’m holidays if they’re saving for something.

Twoshoesnewshoes · Today 22:25
We are another one who pay our kids rent, they get the minimum loan for everything else

That's a good idea - I was wondering how to be fair to both DDs when it looks like DD2 is likely to go somewhere with more expensive halls because of the course she wants to do. DD1 I just topped up from the minimum to the maximum, but if I do that with DD2 she would have nowhere near enough to live on.

My sons had £150 a week (and rent paid), but plenty have less and they all seem to get along together. They had one friend with £20 a week (at pone point I work full time to fund the children of my son's friends whose mothers don't work full time... but that is hardly fair and eventually the various loans my son made to his friends were paid back)

How long is a piece of string….!!!

DS is very frugal he is only receiving min ML. He worked in the summer but isn’t working during term time. He pays the termly instalment of his ML to us and we use it towards his rent and still have to top this up and we give him so much a month for 40 weeks about £80 which he uses to live off. He budgets well, has joined the Uni gym, plays 2 sports a week and says he spends between £28-£35 a week on food at Lidl. We pay his phone and he spends money on socialising but he is fairly frugal there, as are his housemates they have a drink in the townhouse before they go out and mainly drink in the College bars and Weatherspoons. But they often have movie nights, game nights and quizzes within the flat etc.

Several of his flatmates only receive the minimum ML and top it up with earnings from a gap year and or part time work in the holidays and some work in term time as well.

My dd will finish her degree in the summer. She has the student loan and that's it, dh and I live on my PIP and his pension so we have practically nothing anyway.

She has managed really well, but is careful. Luckily she can cook so has lived principally on basic carbs (pasta, kinoa, rice, couscous etc) and fresh veg from the market (cheaper). There have been periods when she and her flatmates all get together and buy groceries collectively, but not always and not this year.

She still seems to have enough money left over to socialise though she's not really a big drinker. She's never asked us for money but has managed on her loan. She's been savin as well as she wants to do a Master's after this and has nearly enough for the fees. She'll need help with maintenance and I really don't know what we'll do about that.

Anyway, it's possible if you're careful.

My ds started this year accommodation is £174! A week in his student halls ( incl bus pass) he prob spends between £30-£80 a week depending on if he goes out , how much food he needs etc
I pick him up toiletries and cleaning stuff so he doesn't have to buy that
No part time job but he did have a gap year and saved £9 k
But he will have to work summer to top up as 9k and student loans ( not full) won't get him through
I also send him £20 here and there as we can't afford loads

We also still pay for ds phone contract and just secured houss share next year which is £100 a week plus bills ( shared house )

DS is getting the same as his cousin. He will get the minimum loan. He will give that to us. We will then pay his rent in full and give him an additional £500 a month. So he’ll have about £125 a week.