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Higher education

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

How much money for university?

54 replies

MumblesParty · 08/09/2023 05:45

DS is off to Cardiff uni in 2 weeks.
His loan will cover his rent, and leave him with about £300 per term left over, so obviously he’ll need extra money from me.
How much money are people generally giving their kids per week/month?
thanks

OP posts:
worriedma1 · 18/09/2023 09:07

Is the average university year about 32 weeks?

boys3 · 18/09/2023 09:10

RedHelenB · 18/09/2023 08:55

Top it up so he has the equivalent of full loan. That is what parents are expected to do

That relates to England - admittedly where a big majority of UK students come from - and anyone who does that, and can do so comfortably, is selling their DC short given the inflation levels over the past two years.

From the IfS

Maintenance loan entitlements are adjusted each year in line with a forecast for one measure of inflation: RPIX (the Retail Prices Index excluding housing costs). In general, this should ensure that the value of entitlements is maintained over time. However, inflation has turned out much higher than official forecasts in recent years. This means that the support students receive has been cut substantially in real terms – by nearly 10% over two years. Students entitled to the maximum level of support and living outside London received around £1,000 less in real terms in the 2022–23 academic year than the same students would have received in 2020–21. This is likely causing significant financial hardship for many current students.

Importantly, these cuts in support will affect students not only this year but potentially for many years to come. There is no mechanism in place for these cuts ever to be undone, as past forecast errors are not considered when the adjustment in entitlements for the following year is determined. This means that – unless and until policy changes – any cuts will stay in place.

The lower parental earnings threshold has been frozen at £25,000 since 2008, despite significant growth in nominal earnings across the economy since then. If the lower threshold had been uprated since 2008, it would be around £36,500 (46% higher) in 2023–24. This means fewer students now qualify for the maximum and many more qualify for less support than they would have done in previous years, even if their parents are no better off.

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/student-loans-england-explained-and-options-reform

Taking this a step further a student from Wales will have a significantly higher maintenance loan (or loan/grant mix) as compared with one from England.

https://appg-students.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/APPG-Students-Report-Cost-of-Living-Inquiry-220323.pdf

TheChosenTwo · 18/09/2023 09:12

DD’s loan (minimum) covers only about half of her accommodation not including bills - Bristol has proven to be incredibly expensive!
On top of that we send £100 per week to cover her food shop, any supplies she might need, transport and some socialising. We pay for her phone contract and travel home if she’s getting the train back for the weekend or whatever.

Lampzade · 24/09/2023 15:36

TheChosenTwo · 18/09/2023 09:12

DD’s loan (minimum) covers only about half of her accommodation not including bills - Bristol has proven to be incredibly expensive!
On top of that we send £100 per week to cover her food shop, any supplies she might need, transport and some socialising. We pay for her phone contract and travel home if she’s getting the train back for the weekend or whatever.

Dd2 is at Bristol and you are correct it is incredibly expensive
Dd2 has got herself a part time job . She didn’t get much of a loan
I would advise parents whose dcs are applying to uni to take into account the cost of accommodation when thinking about which university to attend.
Dd2’s friend is at Sheffield and is paying £6k for a studio flat . Dd2 is in shared accommodation and is paying over £9k.

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