2 kids at uni at same time … help!!!

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Eldest is already at university in Leeds and got minimal loan so we top up accommodation and give him living expenses each month. He deferred for a year.

Dd is applying for September… I really don’t think we can afford to fund them both at same time and will be for 2 years. Anyone any idea how it works. I don’t know what to do, how do I tell dd she can’t go

Any bursaries or scholarships dc2 may qualify for?

Just popping on to say the same as @LIZS - there is a website that has all of them in one place. Can’t remember the name but good if you are looking at a niche degree or university.

Just be careful with cost of accommodation when your DD makes her choices. They differ so much and Leeds is better than many places. Thinking 1st year but also year 2 onwards in private.

We struggled particularly as DH was made redundant the year DC2 went to university and we lost 60%of our income. We had done our best to prepare for university costs but student finance demands were really tough for us. Both kids worked but it took us a number of years to recover financially. We got through it by cutting all luxuries and unnecessary costs and we ate a lot of beans on toast. No holidays. Sorry not to be more encouraging.

Can you extend the term of your mortgage so that your monthly payments are reduced?
put some of your own larger expenses on a credit card and pay off over time?
any other relatives who could help out?
any equity in cars etc which could be released?

I remember starting a thread when twins were in Year 11 and we realised just how much Uni was going to cost us and I was in a blind panic.

Cue 100 posters telling me how ridiculous and lax we were for not saving since they were born.

It's really hard having to find the money from nowhere for one never mind two, when for must students now you're lucky if the loan even covers the rent.

I have no advice I'm afraid but lots of sympathy.

DH and I both took evening and weekend jobs when the dcs went to uni. No more kids at home so we could work all the hours we needed. DCs worked too of course. We just did what we had to so they could get the education they'd worked so hard for.

My younger two were both at uni at the same time - just for a year in my case.

Due to various issues, DD needed to be at home for her final year and tho I needed to give a lot of time to supporting her, she didn't really need any money on top of her non-min loan.

At the same time DS2 was in his first year and I like to watch his sport so there was a good deal of back and forth to that too, as well as supporting him with driving practice (luckily he is not very far from home). Was able to top up his loan as needed.

All of this is one reason why I am always banging on about accommodation costs when choosing a uni - as being one thing to think about at least. I often get told that's not relevant, but believe me, it was for us. DS2's halls accommodation was the cheapest on campus. DD also had cheap accomm in first and second year as I knew this was coming.

My youngest is deferring a year to work and save so we only have one overlap year. That's your solution maybe?

Get DD to wait, work and save.

We are funding two at the same time for 3 years due to DS doing an extra year of A'levels and dd going off to Uni unexpectedly after getting better A'levels than expected. It is a bit of a nightmare and we are having to be very frugal. they do take account of you having two at Uni in that Ds's maintenance loan went up a little once dd started. It is very hard, neither have been able to get part time jobs either.

I have three at Uni his year, inc one in Leeds who doesn’t pay anything like £8kfor accommodation, that’s crazy high, I’d check that first off.

OP can't very well penalize one child for her OTHER child having taken a year out and so caused the extra overlap.

Mortgage holiday?

2 ds at Uni. Studying long courses. Dh has delayed retirement

I wish you luck but it is becoming a nightmare, for those saying "get a part time job" just try in cities such as Newcastle, Liverpool, Nottingham etc with two Uni's in the City it's not as easy as that with locals also understandably applying for such jobs as well.
Obviously there are financial sacrifices parents can make, cash a pension in, take out a loan, remortgage etc but we shouldn't have to that that.
I had to do two of those options to see both of mine through after a divorce and a useless ex but it worked out for them, just left me a bit skint and extended my working life.
Just commenting on my experience, it can be done but can also be destructive to your finances.

Even 17 years ago when I was starting uni, I couldn’t afford to fund it all on my own, so I took a gap year purely to work and save money. It may be the case that your DD will need to do this, as well as working while she is at uni, which future employers value anyway.

Don’t choose accommodation on campus ( I went to Leeds and lived a halls 40 min walk away)

Advise your DS to start thinking early about accommodation plans for next year, getting a cheaper flat/houseshare etc. Many students go to headingley but we lived around the Burley Road/Kirkstall Road area where you can also walk to uni, or fairly quick bus into town.

Every little helps generally. While I was at uni, my mum got me supermarket vouchers for Christmas instead of other gifts.

@mitogoshi I'm one of the surprised as when I went (graduated in 2010) that was with no parental support and no part time work for my entire degree! Most of my friends were the same then - our student loans covered everything.

I had two at Uni but they both had worked over the summer or had savings from their ISAs to help them through. We need to think more like Americans about funding further education in this country. Accommodation costs have risen sharply and student loans have not kept up.

Ds2 is in the first year and I'm considering taking on a second job to help find the remainder of his studies.

I don’t understand the “you can’t tell her she can’t go” perspective. Would that suck, absolutely but the reality is if there is not enough money for you to pay for two and them both working won’t make it affordable then I’m not sure where the money is supposed to come from. I went to Uni in a different country, no student loans or subsidies available, the day my Uni offer came through my mum was so upset when she had to say “you know we cannot afford to help you”. I worked full time for a year, then throughout Uni and every holiday. Would I have wanted my parents to get into debt for me, absolutely not.

@Notquitethere60 not sure you want the US model.

Student loan debt is crippling here. $1.77 trillion is owed currently. Many people say they’ll be paying their student loans till they die.

OP, are both you and your OH working full time?

You work out an equal budget for each DC.

They then have to take on part-time or holiday work to supplement it, as well as being careful with their own accommodation and spending choices.

You in turn either take on extra work, tighten your own belts or take out a bank loan/extend the mortgage.

We've been there once with DD1 and DD2 had a couple of years of respite with only one student and are going back there again in September with DD2 (PhD) and DD3.

My eldest is going to uni this year. He has a part-time job and is wanting to keep it so he is staying at home. Are they both living away from home?

I have to say some of you are bigger parents than I will be. No way will I be running myself into the ground in my 50s by getting second jobs to pay for uni.

Sometimes, and this won’t go down well on here, it’s just not possible for everyone to go. That’s it. There are other options such as Apprenticeships, local colleges etc. University is a luxury that not everyone can afford.