If you "top up" to the maximum student loan and your DC is in catered halls....

[Africa2go]

is that enough?

Catered halls seem to be about £8,500 - If we did top up to the max loan (and not much more, so about £10k) they'd have £1500 left (after £8,500 hall bill) - over 39 weeks thats about £40 a week. Think catered halls are breakfast, lunch and dinner during the week but nothing at weekends.

Still considering options - uni says it tries to accommodate choices, but can't guarantee it. DC undecided about catered and self catered - just because perception is catered would be more social (and for lots of reasons, what would suit DC).

Would £40 (or maybe push it to £50) a week be enough?

I know DC can get job / use some savings if it isn't enough but just interested in views from parents with children in catered halls.

I don’t think catered is more social, necessarily, unless you go to eat at the same time as other people you already know. It’s like going into a big cafeteria. If the non-catered accommodation is set up like a flat, with a shared kitchen, like many are, then the kitchen tends to become the social hub, especially when flatmates are getting to know each other.

Don’t send your child into catered halls if they need topping up, and topping up isn’t small change to you.

My mum was in this boat and was insistent that I went into catered halls because then she knew I had food and costs were covered. Wrong.

I frequently missed meals due to occasionally wanting to sleep in, my part time job and other inconsistencies in my schedule- and then had to find money out of my part time job to feed myself. No big deal if you have a generous allowance to get a kebab or a Starbucks toastie a few times a week, but it was a big deal for me.

I also didn’t have a proper kitchen due to being in catered in halls, so feeding myself in lieu of a catered canteen meal was eating out or a ready meal.

Self catered halls are social because everyone cooks and gets takeaways together, if that’s a concern of yours.

Looking at the same issue at the moment but catered varies from hall to hall. Most don’t offer lunch and some don’t cover weekends. Costs don’t seem to be much higher than some self catered at my son’s future university so choice makes a big difference. I’m encouraging mine towards a hall that doesn’t cater at the weekends so has kitchen facilities and might be a more gentle introduction!

But, in answer to your main question, I don’t think £50 is enough to be able to live and engage in student life, unless they’re extremely good at budgeting. My son couldn’t do it 4 years ago (London) and got a part time job on top but my daughter seemed to live on thin air, though she arrived with significant savings from her gap year (which included travel). She also got a job but it was more because everything else closed down so she couldn’t go clubbing etc.

Mine is in catered halls, it is sociable but as the year has gone on he has started buying more and more of his own food as he's grown bored of it, or got up too late for breakfast, or found there's no evening meals during reading week or whatever. also he has to provide his own lunches. As he only has very limited cooking facilities that means quite a few ready meals, takeaways etc. Getting takeaway with friends is sociable in itself too. His halls aren't as expensive as that (half board and not ensuite) so he has more money available. Then they need money for nights out, hobbies, travel home or to see friends, clothes and other essentials.

Check carefully how many meals are provided and what happens during reading periods, exam weeks, weekends etc.

Yes, do look very carefully at the detail of the catered option! As for living on £40 per week, only your DC can really answer that... £40 per week would be fine for some students (even if it included food shopping) but not for others, depending on lifestyle.

Thank you, thats really helpful. I don't think any of the halls provide meals at weekends so the kitchen facilities are still quite good (it means DC can still cook and not rely on ready meals or takeaways)

@Suprima I'm not suggesting paying for halls (catered or SC) and nothing else, so hopefully my DC won't be in the same position as you were, that sounds tough x

I don't think catered is lunch, just breakfast and dinner.

My dd is self catering, I give her £150 a month and sent her with a good store cupboard at the beginning of the year, I topped up her supplies at Christmas. Her student only covers rent. She manages fine

It depends on your child's lifestyle.
Going to a barber where we live is £20 a pop and my son needs to go every 4-6 weeks. My son doesn't use a gym and buy expensive protein powders etc but he has a contact lense subscription.
If the uni isn't on a campus then you need to factor in travel cost.
How much the student spends on a night out or clothes is subjective as will the cost of traveling home every now and then.

We've factored in what we might contribute if DC is in SC, its the catered option I'm interested in. @northeasrer the 15 meals at this particular uni is breakfast and dinner in the "canteen" then a sum loaded onto a pre-payment card for 5 x lunches that they can spend in the cafes on site.

It depends on how expensive the city is. Bristol/London versus Hull etc.

My son had catered accommodation in the first year (his choice) but found the schedule not very flexible, he often sat by himself because others were in different colleges for their catering, if you there towards the end of the meal it's not great (dried up food, not much choice). He far preferred to have food he cooked himself as it was tastier, more flexible to his schedule and more sociable. I honestly wouldn't tie yourself into a catering deal.

Sounds like Nottingham?
Catering worked well for DS1 here in his first year. It was very sociable although food was hit and miss. He always found time to eat although missed the odd breakfast, and at weekends they provided a brunch and evening meal. There was a fridge in the room and a basic shared kitchen to top himself up.
We paid for accommodation and he lived off the loan plus savings. He'd worked all summer beforehand and does so every holiday. The gym, transport, going out, clubs etc soon added up.

Catered has worked well for Ds at Nottingham, because loads of friends, and food is just about ok. Plus it's one of the cheapest unis for catered@ £6.3k. He gets breakfast, lunch, dinner and £25 per week to spend on lunches at 10 of the uni food outlets. It's the one year that you get catered, so enjoy, because your'll be cooking for the rest of your life.

@Africa2go
My DD was catered. Years ago though. She got minimum loan and in those days, it covered a catered hall! Can you believe it? I do think £40 a week isn’t enough to be honest.

DDs hall was breakfast and dinner but not Saturday evening. No lunch. Reading week was usually partially spent at home. Mostly not reading! The meals allowed DD to not have to think about shopping/planning/ cooking and allowed her to settle in. They had formal dinners and they did make friends. It’s what she was used to at school and she enjoyed it. She’s not remotely fussy over food (it was ok) and they tended to go out on a Saturday, get a takeaway or microwave supper from Waitrose!

I think you need to work up the budget from £0. Be totally honest and realistic. You need to have an honest conversation about coffee with friends! Evenings out. Purchase of books and other course costs. What about sport or club expenses? Transport home or to see friends? Will he need clothes, toiletries and general living expenses? I would say £40 a week is low. DD had £100 a week but she liked clothes! I can see the current cost of halls means parental contribution has to go towards rent but you need to be honest as a family about costs and what you can afford.

DD was in catered halls. Honestly, they (DD & buddies) blew so much money on grubby take away food. Catered was the default for that hall & she got assigned to that hall out of long application, but she didn't get good value out of being in catered halls, at all. I wouldn't preferentially choose catering.

DS is managing to self cater for £25/week.

I was in catered halls (although 15 years ago!)
I absolutely loved it. The food was fairly basic so it wouldn't work if the person was fussy.
But we got breakfast, lunch and dinner in a big dining room in our halls and it was very sociable.
Rather than just getting to know 5 people who are in the same flat as you we got to know everyone on our corridor (30 ish) plus loads of other people in the same halls as we all ate at the same time at big long tables. It was a lot of fun
Definitely bear in mind commuting costs. My halls was on campus so could walk everywhere and we used to walk into the city centre and back to go drinking.
We would drink cheap alcohol in our halls before going out so nights out cost next to nothing too
I lived off barely anything and it was great
I appreciate a lot has changed in 15 years and students probably live a bit more of a luxurious life now though!
But being skint the whole time definitely taught me the value of money and how to live off next to nothing as long as you have food and rent paid

@lljkk I think when dc go to university, the minutae of what they eat cannot really be controlled by parents. Neither is value for money regarding how they’ve spent money. It’s part of them growing up. DD didn’t want to cook in y1. Was very pleased she didn’t have to think about it. She did in years 2-4. I really didn’t care if she had the odd takeaway and, heaven forbid, a cocktail! If DD was happy and doing ok that was ok by me regardless of what she did or didn’t eat or what she chose to spend money on as a sensible adult.

Of all the spendthrift habits DD has, takeaways in 1st year is probably the least of it, lol. Just put in my tuppence that catered halls aren't partic good value.

@lljkk They are great value if you don’t want to cook and prefer social eating. Catered options are not just about food. Value comes in a number of ways.

40 a week might just be OK if he really does eat two meals a day in halls.

God knows how a PPs ds manages on 25 a week self catered. He must eat a lot of very cheap instant noodles! I've just done a week's shop for dd and it cost 65.

@Africa2go do you want to say which uni it is? There may be MNetters whose children have first hand experience of it. Catered halls differ by hall and university and quality of meals also varies. I do think sitting to eat together can be beneficial. Ds was self catered, no one ate in the kitchen, they cooked and ate in their rooms. Catered would mean you have the option with your corridor to all go and eat together. Ds's mates were in catered and did this.

@SheliaTakeItBack looking at Loughborough & Leeds amongst others. They all differ, I get that, but a couple that we looked at (Bath for instance) had really small kitchens and just a small table for SC flats - there was nowhere really to "hang out" and didn't seem sociable at all (hence a general perception that catered would suit DC better). Its still up in the air as to where DC is going to firm so just trying to get an idea of the general costs associated with the different options.

That makes sense. Hanging out together depends on the occupants of the flats though. Ds was in accommodation where they don't ask you any personality questions, the flat of 8 divided into 4 groups and not 2 people in each. Some people cooked and ate together, most had differing schedules re lectures, clubs, sports etc. Ds's mate was at the same uni, their accommodation did a whole questionnaire and put like-minded people together and those corridors or flats went on to share for year 2.

So ask those questions. Do they survey or just lump everyone in together and hope for the best. Ds's flat was not harmonious and due to one student people feared for their physical safety. Luckily that student left to move in with their mates in another flat. It was raised with the uni at the time, hence the why do you just throw people in together and hope for the best? And they facilitated the move due to complaints.

I would work out costs wise meals, Ds's cheap and cheerful is filled pasta and a jar of sauce which he does after an 7 hour day of lectures/tutorials. Other days he cooks from scratch. He is a big fan of a slow cooker.

DD spends around £30/week. Doesn't drink alcohol or go clubbing, though! Noodles, toast, tins of hearty soup, baked potatoes, tins of tuna, bags of frozen veggies. She seems happy and healthy (lots of walking around campus/city as exercise). £65/week is more than we spend per person on our own grocery shop, and that does include booze!