Accommodation Fees St Andrews 2023 entry

[GerronBuzanDoThaWomwok]

How have your children coped finding accommodation in town after their first year, please? Do they have to start looking for 2nd year shared houses as early as January, and what kind of rents have they had to pay to stay in the town, rather than move out to surrounding areas?
I'm reeling after reading the University Accommodation fees for 2023. I imagine the maintenance loan may just about cover standard, self-catering accommodation at Gannochy and Whitehorn, but realise that the competition for the cheapest accommodation will be fierce, and all other rooms are way too much -£9-£10,000 pa is surely way out of most families league?

Thank you! I'll definitely do as you suggest. Just re-read my post and I didn't explain very clearly-my son has an offer, but even if he is offered a place in one of the only three affordable hall /self-catering places, I don't know whether he would find anywhere in town for his second and subsequent years.
Perhaps he will make friends instantly in his first term, but if not, the pressure will be significant for him to find a group and I don't think living outside St Andrews would be too good. I suppose I hadn't really comprehended just how dire the housing situation is there.😯

He could live in Dundee and travel to St Andrews when he needs to, it's not far. Lots more going on in Dundee as well.

Cost is a massive factor for RUK St Andrews applicants. Not only are they taking on four years of student debt rather than three but the cost of accommodation is really high. Comparable to London without the extra loan. I'm not sure its worth it personally (but DS wanted to apply so..)

Hi op, I have a DC in first year at St Andrew's. They are currently in Andrew Melville which is not bad fees wise as it's nearly fully catered. But you are right to be concerned about accommodation as private accommodation is eye wateringly expensive.

My DC has hopefully secured private accommodation for next year and it will be £750 per month, which is apparently not bad. There are also issues around availability too. I am a member of the FB group Parents of university of st Andrew's (or something like that) and there are a lot of parents posting on there with stresses about accommodation. That said, I gather pretty much everyone finds something eventually, but sometimes this is in Dundee which is not exactly handy.

There is another thread here about St Andrew's, I will try to find.

Here's the other thread with quite a bit of chat about accommodation: www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4103843-St-Andrews-into-2021-new-thread?page=34&reply=124429813

Our student has just secured a room in a shared house in St As. Rent is £750 plus bills but it’s a 9 month rental. However, they now have to pay for heating, lighting etc.. which will add £75-£100 more a month on top of that. And then there’s extra for their food/meals. Fortunately they’ve got a job and will be able to pay something towards the extra costs.

We use the minimum loan for the rent and top up on a monthly basis the shortfall and a living allowance. We pay a monthly amount into an account that their rent comes out of and their loan gets paid into, and another monthly amount that goes into their ‘living’ account. This year it will average about £400 a month in total for 9 months.

dd will be staying in her cat pee stinking house for next year - and we will have to pay through the summer to secure it. Landlord has increased the rent for next year (though not nearly as much of an increase as some - one parent on the Facebook group said their child's landlord had increased prices by 17%!). So her rent will be around £ 670 with utilities on top. It is extortionate. We were aware beforehand though of the situation so not a surprise.

@haggisaggis there is a cap in Scotland of 3% on rent increases, a most 6%if landlords can prove that their fees have gone up, a 17% increase would be illegal. If your daughters have gone up by more than 3% then it might be worth challenging. There are also protections against ending a tenancy just to increase the rent.

Thanks @Bratnews. DD's rent increase is within the 3% limit and no attempt to kick them out to increase rent - not surprised as it's really not a great property (could be really good with a bit of investment!) They took it last year (didn't look so bad until the other students had moved out and they got a good look at it) and are staying for next year as it is just so much less hassle.

I don’t know about St A but other unis with high accom fees offer a bursary to those on higher loans (lower family income). Eg Durham give £2000 pa bursary to those on max loan. In first year it’s deducted from hall rent and 2nd year onwards it’s a cash payment.

To qualify for the maximum loan in Scotland I think your household needs to be earning less than £35k. The minimum wage in Scotland is £9.90 an hour. So someone working as waitress in a cafe or a cleaner for a £37.5hr week with a partner doing a similar minimum wage job would already exceed that threshold and get paid less.

So, yes, there might be help for those who have no income, or for those with only one paid worker in the household - but you don’t have to be earning much before the loan starts getting reduced. Just adding this for context as I know the thresholds are different in different parts of the UK.

My DC is currently in their 3rd year of a 4 year course. The University accommodation is fine for first year and St Andrews does have more accommodation than most Universities available for students and you can apply to stay in University Halls for the second year as well. Not everyone will be successful in their 2nd Year and unfortunately the results of places being awarded are not out until late February/early March.
I did not want my DC to risk missing out and having to find somewhere in the chaotic open private market and so chose to reserve a place in one of the 2 commercially owned Private Halls early in first year for second year and we have renewed the place each year therafter.
It is quite expensive but gives certainty although you do have to move out for 1 week as the contracts are for 51 weeks.

My own view is that the University needs to build more student accommodation asap, as the covid grade inflation issue and actions by the local council to limit the granting of HMO licences for student private rentals has led to large homes being rented out to only 2 students with locked bedrooms at extortionate rents.
There is pressure owing to the Golf over the summer, the deep pockets of the Overseas students and the fact that students only have to give 1 m notice to vacate in Scotland means it is hard to get a private property in a timely manner, as most tend to become available towards the end of the year. I also was worried about incurring a large liability for other tenants in an expensive rental.
Most students do get sorted (St Andrews University charted the Old Mill Hall in Dundee during Covid and maybe still do now) but the student loan (especially the minimum loan) is never going to cover the accommodation cost for many people.

What are the costs of the private halls?

Depends on the room. The two companies are Hello Student and East Shore Homes for students.

The private halls are a total rip off and are dominated by throw the money at the problem Americans...

Not really. It is mainly Chinese students in Ayton House at the moment. They are a rip off but give peace of mind. The price of a studio flat has gone from £10,500pa 2 years ago to £13,500 for next and thankfully final academic year. There are cheaper shared flats though.

Ok,they are rip off flats dominated by throw money at the problem Chinese(,I dont think they are actually) but they are a total rip off and dont feature on the radar of the vast majority of Uk students,there are many many cheaper and far better alternatives to living in what is a very artificial moneyed bubble..even by STA standards..Nothing i believe is less than four figures a month on what is in reality a 12 month contract..

It's all supply and demand. The University demolished its cheapest Hall of Residence several years ago and still hasn't got on with replacing it, plus all the other factors mentioned above which have come together to contribute to an overheated student rental market.
The Covid years made it difficult to meet people to share flats with as well.
I think the fees have gone up so much at Ayton House because of the energy price increases, as all bills are included in the rent. It mainly attracts overseas students because of the 51 week term. Home students including my DC do not need to be there the whole year. It was the stress-free way out though.

I expect you would agree with me but with both my DC at different Universities, I have been shocked in practice at how University accommodation is almost socially segregated by price differences in actuality.
I don't know if it is still the same but at Oxbridge years ago there was no differential pricing on rooms. Rooms varied but you were allocated a room by ballot and the College Rent was the same amount for every student. Not everyone got window seats and pretty views. It was also 100% covered by a full maintenance grant. Yes I am that old.

Thank you everyone for your insights.
We are going up to St Andrews for the offer holder's day, so will be able to have a nosey!
I made the mistake of assuming St Andrews was fairly similar to my student days, albeit more students and increased prices.😱!!
Having looked at the semester system (clearly designed to pull in American students) and the corresponding increase in living costs over 38+ weeks a year, my DS would actually be much better off accepting his Oxford offer (even if were to live in the most expensive room available he would still have ample left to live on) as he would be guaranteed a room in college for 3 years. But than would face the intensity of short, 8 week terms!
He is incredibly fortunate to have a choice (Durham and Edinburgh are his other offers), but when accommodation outstrips the loan he is likely to have, and having other children at university as well, the finances are causing sleepless nights.

I absolutely agree about social segregation, it s a sad state of affairs for so many families.

It sounds like Oxford would be far better all round. There is also no doubt that Oxford will still have more of an impact in terms of career recognition, even though St Andrews is currently very high in the league tables.

OP I don't know about Oxford, but at lots of universities first years have to find housemates and sign up for second year houses before the end of their first term, that aspect is crazy but normal.

I agree - Oxford would be v. intense in terms of workload, but the fantastic accommodation, support and student experience would be life-changing-I know St Andrews would be fantastic, but not if he were faced with living far out and having to essentially commute in every day. I honestly can't believe I missed that St Andrews hall rents are approaching £10,000 pa, but I'm grateful for all the info and advice here 🤗

Thank you-researching Durham has opened my eyes 👀too!!!