University: weekly money needed as 'extra' in 1st year (catered accomm)

[GLVF]

Eldest went off to uni for first time yesterday. We briefly discussed what we'll give her as an allowance to live off for extras, but I'm wondering if this may need revising.

She's in catered accommodation fairly close to campus. So, the main costs I foresee are:
• 5x sandwich-type lunch (Mon–Fri lunches are her only uncatered meals)/occasional snack or coffee out (we did pack her off with snacks)
• evening drinking/clubs (but she's not a huge drinker)
• possible bus travel (unlikely, as fairly central to uni/shops)
• very occasional extras, like haircut/cinema.

We plan to help her separately with printing/laundry/books costs, so I'm really focusing on main weekly expenses throughout term-time. What kind of ballpark are we thinking in the modern world to help her start to budget without leaving her hungry/deprived?! Are there many things I haven't thought of?

Our thinking was – very simplistically – £5 x 5 for sandwich + snack/coffee during day, and £15 x 3 for nights out, which equates to £70/wk. It should leave a little extra, potentially, if she's careful, as she rarely drinks more than 2-3 drinks, and has plenty of snacks for the time being.

Of course this will depend on family circumstances and location of uni, but a rough idea from those in the know would be helpful. She's been earning a little (waitressing) throughout sixth form and is usually fairly careful with money.

Thanks!

Plenty of uni students work. DD and all her friends did, and many on this forum has posted about their DCs jobs.l, or the gap years they’ve taken to work full time and save for uni.

Don't forget things like toiletries. Every week she'll need to stock up on some toothpaste, or tea bags, or deodorant or something else she has run out of!

My Dd is in catered accommodation It covers breakfast and evening meal Mon to Fri. She has to see to herself at weekends and usually her and friends get the Tesco ready meals or something from the student union shop they do hot food every day.
Her catered halls card covers food from other places around the campus, so if she misses a meal the money stays on her card to be used elsewhere.
Her grandmother gives her pocket money of £200 a month and that seems to cover quite a bit, she also has a maintenance loan that covers transport, shopping for books and coffees, Laundry at £2.50 a load and drying a bit less.

Parents are not expected to contribute. It's the parents' choice.

Some parents contribute. And that is very nice of them to do so.

Some parents see their 18 year olds as adults and tell them to fend for themselves at 18.

Lots of people work while at Uni, as you can see other people on this thread have also said.

You said you had a full study schedule + expected hours of independent study outside of Uni that didn't leave time.

Everyone who goes to Uni has a full schedule of study though. I did too, and I still worked a job around it.

Times have not changed. 18 year olds still work.

I was actually working on an educational summer camp last year, near Cambridge

We had a lot of students from Cambridge University working with us on that summer camp.

They told me how they worked at summer camps during the summer, and how they also worked in restaurants at the weekend during term time.

They were supporting themselves through University.

My DC will not be entitled to a full maintenance loan as our household income is too high so I do see it as our responsibility to top it up to at least what they would get if they were eligible for a full loan. We can afford to do it and otherwise they would be penalised for us earning too much.
My parents did the same. I got the minimum grant and my Dad gave me what the full grant would be.
I do feel sorry for those students whose parents could afford to top up but don't and obviously those whose parents cannot afford to top up.

Well there are a few things here:

Is not getting a maintenance loan the right thing to do if she's getting a tuition loan? Depending on her expected earnings, it might not be advantageous not to apply for it.

Cost wise:

Clothes/shoes - not loads but probably needs more than 0
Hobbies - e.g. university societies Inc some kit
Food - I'd be suggesting she makes at least some packed lunches - lots of people work away from the house and don't buy lunch out every day. Presumably she'll still have a fridge where she can keep milk etc?
Transport - e.g. coming home, buses etc, or a bike?
Presents - Christmas, birthdays (yours, family, friends), mother's day, father's day
Hair - probably more than 0 haircuts a year though obviously prices vary massively
Insurance - is insurance included with her room or does she need to buy it?
Going out - yes re a few drinks
Food for home - tea/coffee/biscuits/alcohol for pre drinks?
Textbooks - yes, most of this is probably available online but some courses you'll find there are a few books it is really helpful to have in written format. They aren't usually cheap maybe £50 but probably only once or twice a year. But there may well be other sundries so I guess it's how to give her scope to make decisions about this.

It may be unaffordable and she may need a term time job but these are what I would be thinking about.

If parents aren't expected to contribute why is the amount the student gets means tested on parental income? Our DC will get the minimum because we earn over a certainty amount. That's not their fault, and clearly we are deemed to earn enough to make up the shortfall.

The amount of maintenance loan is literally calculated on your parents income because your parents are expected to contribute.

It's a ridiculous system, but it's the system we have. If you are from a lower income family you will get more money than a student from a higher income family. If all you are entitled to is the minimum maintenance loan because of your parents' income and they don't contribute, you are (in an awful lot of university towns) going to be working an awful lot of hours just to be able to feed yourself.

Whilst some parents don't expect their children to work at university (and some courses don't allow it) it's likely that most do. But working alone (unless children have gone down the gap year route and saved first) is probaby not going to be enough.

Parents are expected to contribute. As we are no longer in the 1980s (when dh and I indeed went to university with no financial help from our parents, but that was nearly 40 years ago and a very different world), for our dc we have generally paid for the catered college accommodation (at between £6 and 9k per year) and let them use the maintenance loan for everything else, which at this year's rate works out at about £90 a week year round.

Minimum maintenance loan I should add

@GLVF are you saying that rather than taking a maintenance loan you are acting as lender? With interest?!

Your poll suggests you could afford at least £100 per week, but you’re counting every pound she might spend, then planning on covering other things separately.

It all sounds very controlling to be honest. It’s great that you can pay for everything (I’d have had a much easier ride at uni if that had been the case for me) but it sounds like she’s going to be all to aware that you are controlling the purse strings.

I think £350 is plenty. I don't have that after food and bills and we're a family of 4.

I also think that’s weird. Plus she will be paying exactly the same amount back each month regardless of whether she takes the maintenance loan or not.

Her first night last night was just a drink out (possibly a couple). She may well have bigger nights (I know I did) but she chooses not to drink much (again, different from me and my days!) and I expect the lesser nights will balance out the bigger ones. If she lets me know otherwise, I'm sure we can try to up it if we feel it's reasonable. She has also worked and amassed some money though, and I had to do this during holidays to sub my own uni days.

My DC don’t have maintenance loans.

I pay for their accommodation: one in very expensive halls then flat - more than the total maintenance loan would have been and one in heavily subsidised halls - they don’t receive the “excess”.

they both receive £500 pcm and I pay for phones, travel, gym membership. I give them a lump sum at the beginning of the year to help with setting themselves up/books etc and do a big shop with them at the beginning of each term.

1 DC thinks they are extremely hard done by and never seems to have any cash and the other feels they have plenty 🤷‍♀️

£500pcm is about the equivalent of the minimum maintenance loan per week at uni. That's our plan and seems pretty fair to me.

I don’t think you can work it out to the exact £ you think she will spend and then Give top-ups if she makes a specific request. Come up with a figure for this term and let her get in with it. She will budget and if she wants to spend more, then she can dip into the other money she has or consider doing some work.

No-one knows in advance exactly what they will spend. Parents need to come up with a reasonable figure and then let them get on with it. Some will remain financially very involved - buying extras for their child each week - a shop, or a ball ticket, or an extra £50 etc etc. There’s no real sense of independence if it’s like that.

You can review after a term if you want to.

What you want is to ensure they have enough to participate. That doesn’t mean they need so much that they never have to consider whether they should do something or buy something…because there is enough for unlimited spending. Part of their independence is mak8ng choices about what to do with a Fri Ute amount of money.

My DC will have £80 per week term time on top of his fully catered accommodation. He also has some savings and money he can dip into if needed.
Maybe some weeks he will have to decide if to have 3 nights out or to have 2 nights out and a new shirt. He won’t be able to afford both. Maybe some weeks he will choose to have a quieter week and go out less so that the next week he can go to an expensive ball and travel on a train to see friends. I don’t need to fund him so he can go out every night on a big night out, travel great distances, eat out every meal beyond his catering which is already paid for and never consider where his priorities lie. But I do want him to have enough money so he can join societies, socialise and join in, plus cover the stuff he will need to buy such as toiletries etc.

I’d have 5ought most young people don’t go off with zero savings of their own. Most have some money in the bank already and so aren’t without a buffer. Micro managing isn’t necessary or helpful. Wanting detailed accounts of what they’ve spent and on what is too intrusive unless there are very specific needs which mean this is necessary.

Brief check-ins, in a low key way ‘how’s the money going.’ Are useful, and some will want to talk through their budgeting a bit more. Others won’t.

I transferred the terms money a week ago into their student account. Now they need to start spending and budgeting.

Of course, if a genuine crisis happened, I would bail him out. But I won’t be requesting detailed accounts of spending, or regularly sending extra money. I’m sure there will be an odd treat things like Christmas or Birthdays will probably result in cash being what’s wanted, which is fine.

@Abbylikeswine

Parents are expected to contribute - that's why the calculation is based on the parents wages - they expect a parent earning more will be able to contribute more, hence to lower loan. That's genuinely how it works - parents are expected to cover the shortfall if they're judged more able to from their wages! If they don't want to, that's up to them. The expectation from the "system" is that they will though!

Im sure you did also have a busy schedule, but my course literally told us not to do any sort of job during term time. I had 15-30 hours a week of practicals (non lecture based) and then lectures on top, independent study, seminars, group workshops etc. It was at least a 9-5 day uni day + homework / reports etc. There wouldn't have been time for a job and doing the workload too!

I understand your experience was different,

it makes me mad this whole system

parents should not be contributing for adult students

we are seriously raising snowflakes

if they can afford it - great = lucky child

but there is no automatic right to living away from home at uni

kids can perfectly well go to unis locally without scrounging around off their parents

most uni students only do 2-3 days a week unless doing an nhs related course and even then they get additional funding

no one outside nhs course can seriously say they are too busy to work

too lazy, too entitled maybe

but defo not too busy! I have never heard of any course being full time 9-5 outside nhs

as pp says - i don’t know anyone who didn’t work or relied on their parents for uni

most of dds friends have already secured jobs and they’re on their first week

more than half stayed at home

who the hell are the government to tell me i can afford a grand a month to pay for my dc live away when there’s perfectly good unis down the road

its ridiculous

Surely living at home would also be scrounging off their parents?

Although many do choose to go to a local university and commute. What about those who don’t live near a uni, or the local uni isn’t good for their course? Do you think someone who is capable of Oxbridge should be limited to their local uni?

I’m willing to bet the majority of students do work, whether that’s term time, holidays, or a gap year. Anyone who doesn’t work will struggle to get a job after uni with no experience, unless doing a course with a placement which will give them experience.

The expectation for parents to contribute towards their adult children comes from the government, not the students. If parents aren’t expected to contribute why is the maintenance loan based off of parental income?

What is it with these threads and people ranting on about things they clearly don’t have a clue about. Young people these days aren’t getting a good deal, and according to some they can’t do anything right.

they’re no worse off than we were

i got grants and loans and had to work

its the attitude these days - kids are so entitled

its epexgfed parents pay whereas years ago it wasn’t stipulated as such

it was just more accepted that you could afford to go away or not

but now parents are made to feel it’s their duty to pay with the loan situation

like they’re a failure if they can’t pay

parents are struggling so their dc can piss up 3 years studying history or english to come out as teachers earning £27k it’s a joke!

you can earn more than that in a pub these days

Dc1 was in catered accommodation last year.
He budgeted £100 a week..
£10 a week for 2x loads of washing/drying.
£5 a week gym
£40 a week for lunches x 7 and snacks / shopping
£5 a week for clubs/societies
£5 a week travel
£25 social.

I think what this thread is showing is a difference amongst different groups in society to university.

Some groups (often those who went away to uni themselves when young) expect their kids to go too….they expect they will have to pay towards it and understand that the uni maintenance loan is means tested and based upon them making a contribution. They don’t expect their DC to go to the local option and stay at home,unless it’s the best option with the best course for their DC.

Others (possibly those who didn’t go to uni themselves or have a family history if it) are open to their DC going to uni, but more worried about the costs. They don’t think they have a role to play in funding it, even if the government won’t give a full maintenance loan based on means testing. They are far more likely to encourage a local uni to save on maintenance costs. They are also more likely to encourage their DC to work in term time.

What this results in, is inequalities persisting. The most competitive courses will require travelling and living away by most students as they wont live near them. Those from more affluent backgrounds and those who have a background of expecting students to go away and expecting to contribute see their kids go to the more competitive unis and take the more competitive courses which results in bigger graduate earnings.
Those who are first generation students are more likely to be going local, seeing all universities as the same and equal. They are more likely to go local, be involved in more paid work and come out with less prestigious degrees.

Of course, this is generalisation and lots of people will be bucking this trend, but it is a broad trend. Government policy regarding means testing, but also parental attitudes towards education, as well as their ability to contribute financially, influence the opportunities available to students.

Thinkimg about those degrees which have low value in terms of graduate employability (discounting creative subjects here) I suspect many are populated by local students and those who are working many hours in paid work whilst studying. They’ve still got loans.

Inequality of opportunity is alive and well. Unis are keen to broaden access and give contextual offers etc etc. Grants and bursaries can be available, but still limited numbers of those most under-represented apply for the competitive courses. Barriers of aspiration from schools, family and financial barriers all work to prevent some students accessing the best courses that they may be capable of. It is a hugely complex system and barriers are complex so that blunt and basic instruments to broaden access can only have limited effects.

I think this thread just reveals the difference in parental attitude and how this can be a potential barrier to opportunity - but an understandable one. Why should everyone want to and expect to financially support their young people when the figures are probably set, so that doing so is pretty impossible for lots of people. The figures suggest they can afford to contribute…but often they can’t. Or often they haven’t had contributing in the back if their mind since their kids were small and saved accordingly. It’s finances but also information and lack of information. Student funding is actually very poorly understood by most.

Hi thanks for the post. And I'm not arguing with you. Just discussing experiences.

What I'm disagreeing with you is the wording of the phrase.

Student loans are judged off parental Income yes.

But that doesn't then mean that parents are expected to give students any money.

I didnt get a full maintenece loan, when I went to University. My parents also didnt give me any money at all. I didn't expect them to give me anything either. I understood that I should get a job.

I just understood that at age 18 i was expected to pay for myself. I understood that at age 18, an adult, I wasn't entitled to anything from my parents.

I got a bit of a maintenence loan, and then I also worked a job to pay for the rest.

You said that your Uni course was 9-5. My university course was also 9-5 , with a lot of homework and independent study required outside it.

And I was still able to work evening shifts and weekend shifts in both shops and restaurants during term time.