2 kids at uni at same time … help!!!

[Lollypop701]

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

@Mountainclimber50 i didn’t know you could pay for halls with a credit card, that’s genius!
for other parents- as pps have said, Liverpool, Cardiff and especially Swansea are much cheaper for accommodation.
south wales also funds some meds courses such as child nursing so definitely worth a look.
my mum often sends my kids a supermarket voucher/uber eats and my dad buys them cocktail packs for Christmas! All helps.

The students I know at Oxford and Cambridge currently have very cheap uni accommodation for the duration of their degrees. They aren’t on scholarships or anything.

How does it work if you have other adult dc living at home who are working, is their salary included in the household income? I know the students income is.

If you have helped your Son then you must also help DD.May be sit down and discuss your OG with them both .If they have jobs to help out this will be good

@vanillaclouds the student’s income is ignored for loan purposes

This isn’t the way to do it, but ours overlapped for 3 years, min loan. We’ve basically put our contribution to housing costs, £3k per year per child, on 0% cards! Our mortgage finished during year 3… so the £1.5k we’ve saved on that will pay off cards in a year.

They both worked, we did no holidays etc to help afford weekly costs…

The part-time job market has changed considerably since COVID. And zero hours contracts aren't helping students.
Most part time jobs seem to require at least one weekend day and one week day. Not necessarily the same each week. Which is hard to fit round lectures. The semester system at uni means a students timetable will often be completely different for the second half of the year, which sometimes can't be accommodated by the employer. Zero hours contracts means students don't have a constant, reliable income which doesn't help paying rent etc
IF they can get a job in the first place. Both my DC in different locations applied for a huge number.

I did the first payment and checked it was okay under the 0% purchase rules and it was so I just carried on and I have kept the money in a high interest savings account and adjusted my monthly budget to pay off the 0% in 12 months. Unfortunately, can’t do it next year as DS in a house share 🤣 But for those with two or more in Uni 0% credit cards can definitely help for accommodation fees in halls.

But my post wasn’t about what shifts to work. It was about having an advantage with finding work at certain companies. I only worked during the holidays.

We tried to avoid this by having DDs 4 years apart, now DD1 will be there at least 5 years!!!

But DD2 is unlikely to go, or will take her time and go a bit later.

They both need to work full time in the holidays to cover their living expenses. This next generation are growing up with no work ethic. I fully funded my own Masters whilst working full time, it's character building.

Did you also work full time in every summer holidays to support your UG studies? Most of our generation didn't as student loans were enough. So I challenge the statement this generation are growing up with no work ethic.

Yep- the majority of oxbridge undergrad students can live in college accommodation for at least 2 of the 3 years ( either in college or a house owned by the college). Plus you only pay term time rent.

@ReveredInArgentina DH worked full time during the summer break, he got a full grant (before student loans brought in). His parents couldn’t afford to contribute any money to him

I did and I’m close to 50. First summer I worked in the body shop factory and a pub and second summer I had a 12 week paid internship at Ford. Christmas and Easter always harder to get FT as not there for long but I always managed to pick some bar or shop work up. Some people did just swan off travelling but that wasn’t really possible for me. Plus you really needed those 2nd year summer work placements to get grad jobs.

DD1 has always had a 10 hour contract when at school, never zero hours, and they always paid her the same as 21 year olds even when she was 16. She's been doing 32 hours+ (always gets paid for any overtime) for several months now and will have a nice amount saved for university as she took a year out. They will also transfer her to the university branch when she goes, then she can also pick up more hours at her home branch in major holidays.

Hope DD2 will get a job at the same place next year, they have been super employers (Nando's). DD1 does work very hard for them though and is super-reliable.

@ReveredInArgentina yes - everyone I know, across socioeconomic bands, worked from age 16. This may have been a Saturday job initially, but full time in the summer for sure. My sisters were waitressing and I worked in retail. I worked one summer in a cinema. I also worked two nights a week throughout my university terms.
I'm 61.
A friends son took a gap year and saved £11k to help fund himself. He also managed a month of travelling during that year. Of course other than the travel he didn't have to pay for anything other than going out (his parents didn't charge rent or keep as they wanted him to save). He also works during Xmas break.
It's four months summer break and there are loads of casual jobs out there unless one lives very rurally. And if in private rentals may still have to pay rent so why not stay on and work if jobs more available near uni?
@Seeline I don't know a single student who hasn't managed to work full time over the long breaks and a few work shifts during term time. Working in pubs seems a big one. Working shifts at supermarkets another. Of course location does factor.

What the hell is wrong with people? I've read the first few posts, and it's always the same-the nasty brigade jump in with both feet. You ought to be ashamed.

All the students I knew in the 80s (I wasn’t one, I worked full time from 16) didn’t work in the holidays. So I guess my anecdata is different! I’d not say this generation have no work ethic though.

I would take out a loan myself to help them. Presumably you have a relatively high income and will be able to get one and then pay it back relatively quickly once they have finished?

Are there 0% credit cards available for longer than a year? I can't find any that don't start charging interest on the balanced owed after a year but maybe I am looking in the wrong place. This would be helpful for me if I could do this.
Thanks

I think it is just parents and step parents income. I don't think students income is.

@Lollypop701 where do you currently live? What city (if a city?)

Manchester. One at Leeds and other Leeds or York for uni

Might not be as "social" but if costs are an issue she can live at home and commute to Manchester.