Parents in Wales- How much to give your DC for uni?

[WhatTheKey]

I am very very grateful indeed to be Welsh as my DC1 goes off to uni in September! I'm unsure how much money to give, though, and wondering how parents work it out. I am on about 50k take-home pay, but it fluctuates (self-employed) and DC's father isn't in the picture. I have 2 other DC I'm wholly responsible for. DC1 has taken a few years out before uni and has worked, so has a bit saved.
He is a truly lovely, appreciative, hard-working man with few expectations. I feel a bit lost knowing what's reasonable, especially given that any financial discussions on here tend to be about the English system of financing higher education.

My DD is at Aberystwyth, although we're English. She's an only child so that does make things easier.

I pay for her accommodation and then she has the minimum loan amount. It works out at about £100 a week (not including holiday weeks) so it ought to be enough for food/bit of entertainment.

She didn't choose the most expensive accommodation option so I told her I would bear that in mind if she needed more support!

I explained to her before she went that I was paying for her accommodation so she could work hard and enjoy herself a bit without feeling too pressurised money wise or having to get a job in term-time but I did expect her to try and find work over summer.

I guess I was trying to balance what's reasonable for me to offer in support without giving her a blank cheque! She said she was happy with that - sincerely or not I don't know!

Your DS sounds lovely OP. Where does he hope to go, as that will influence costs? Our household income is below yours, but DD is an only child. The minimum proportion of her student finance is grant and we didn't think she qualified for any bursaries, but she has had a chunk knocked off her accommodation fees this term (am assuming the admin took a while once they knew who was actually there). She's at Oxford, so costs are a bit lower than many universities. We can't afford to sub her a meaningful regular amount but do pay for one-off purchases like books and end of year ball, and I haven't discontinued a nominal pocket money drip feed to savings (to assuage my conscience from not having been able to save when she was little). She had worked during sixth form, and ended the first term with money left over, not having had to dip into savings at all! She's not good at budgeting - but also doesn't drink, which probably helps. It is a real financial help being in the Welsh system.

Should add, she pays for accommodation out of her student finance. We have said that in principle, we will bail her out if she finds herself in difficulty, but so far she's found the amount ample.

Accommodation costs and ping over a bit extra when needed. Mine is quite good with finances. I sometimes give extra for traveling to visit friends because they need to see friends for wellbeing

OP, you need to clarify to the posters that in Wales a dc receives the full maintenance loan regardless of parent income and where they are studying so for 2025/26 it's £12k and some of that is a grant so not paid back.

Depending on the cost of their accommodation, we didn't need to pay much at all for our dc. DD1 went to York and had £70-£100 a week left out of her maintenance after she'd paid her rent depending on the term as rent is not always charged equally per term. Didn't socialise much and wasn't into expensive clothes or makeup, but also didn't choose to work as wanted to focus on studies.
DD2 went to Leeds which was a bit more expensive and had a bit less left over. Also had slightly higher tastes but got a PT job.

We didn't have to pay their rent or make regular money contributions, but we did stock them with everything they needed for their rooms for uni and would refill their cupboards/fridge/freezer at the start of every term as well as send the odd Morrisons gift card or food delivery towards the end of terms.

We earn enough that they only got the minimum of the £12k as a grant, but that still meant every year they had £1k of that as 'free' money they don't have to pay back. Lower family incomes changes the grant amount, not the overall amount as Wales based the maintenance amount on a 'living wage' amount so that money shouldn't be a barrier to any student going to uni.

Sorry, you're right, I should have clarified this. It's a very different situation to the one in England, I feel very privileged.
Not sure where DS is headed yet, but it's likely to be one of the expensive ones - Exeter or Bristol perhaps. I'm thinking of giving 5k a year, do you think that sounds doable if he works too? I have classic mum guilt about everything, and really don't like the idea that he's accumulating so much debt, but that's the way uni works now isn't it.

Yes £5k sounds generous and he would be fine even with £12k rent he would have £100+ per week for bills/ food and going out. The loan is a lot but he will at least have £1000 as a grant.

So I'm in England my dds got roughly 5k maintenance loan which approximately covered their accommodation. I gave them £150 pm towards expenses and they got part time jobs. Both managed fine.

I would give it monthly rather than lump sum though

Thanks. The system is very different in Wales though, as a pp has noted (and as I should have said in my OP!)
Thanks for all your replies. And especially to @tennissquare for working out the amount he'll have to play with per week! That's very helpful. I have a tendency to try and overcompensate because he hasn't got a father around to contribute financially, and I don't want him to suffer due to that. But £100 a week sounds pretty decent...

We are also in Wales and DS1 wants to go to Exeter (although it is the Penryn campus in cornwall). He is opting for the catered mon-fri option so after his accomodation and catering is paid he will have £50 a week (excluding holidays when he will come home).
He will have to cater for himself for lunches and all meals on the weekend. He is not a big spender - barely spends his £35 a month pocket money now! So I dont think we will have to top him up too much. I was thinking maybe another £50 a week?
We will also carry on paying his phone contract and will go pick him up at the end of term etc, buy clothes etc as needed.

The following year his sister then also goes to uni - she spends a bit more 😂 but is also likely to get a part time job for her social spends. So we will have 2 kids in Uni at the same time for 2 years. Once DD finishes DS2 will then be off to uni - a total of 8 years of a child being in uni!!!!!

I am so glad we are in Wales as it makes such a big difference! I dropped out of Uni as was estranged from my family and working 2 jobs to cover my living and other costs so I am anxious that I dont want my kids to be in the same boat.

We are in Wales and ds went to Nottingham Trent and we gave £40 a week on a Monday and he worked as well. He also worked in the holidays. We would top up if needed. We also paid his phone and car insurance. Ds 18 going in September and we will up the amount a bit I think. It paid for food but the rest he got from his loan and top up wages.

I did two degrees and my parents didn't give me a penny. I'm still trying to process if this is abnormal

We saved 5K over her lifetime and IL saved 5K and gave it to her before she started and she got slightly more than we expected as a grant and as in Wales got full maintance loan. She's in midlands so slightly cheaper than some areas.

We got her as much stuff as we could - and stock up food at Christmas and when we see her - IL visist and buy her food etc. We pay for her phone contract still. She doing fine with that all that -- she could have worked summer or P/T but so far just done internships.

Next one - I'm not sure if it's going to work out more expensive yet - wait for accomodation to open - but they'll get similar - I'm hoping they might find work this summer or at least try to. We'll pay for their phone as well - and try and do similar though travle to and from will be more expensive as further away.

We also found there was a fair bit to pay for before her grant/loan money was available - that was a mix of her savings (accomodation wanted money nearly straight away ) and us travel and getting her stuff up there and her kitted out.

My DC are in London and we top up
£250 a month each because they are doing demanding science degrees and struggle to have part time jobs.

@ChickpeaPie it depends when it was, as the system has changed so much and there is now a governmental expectation for parental support.
But if it’s any consolation, I went in the early 90s when tuition was still paid but there was no grant, only loans for maintenance; I worked and supported myself and my parents didn’t contribute at all. Took me years of employment to pay back my student loan.

I think that is why I’m still very conscious that although Wales is generous in loan amounts, they are still mostly loans, and have to be paid back - my own experience makes me think of it as debt. (I know there are big debates over this and I’m well aware of the Martin Lewis take, I just disagree).

We're in Wales and my DC is in 1st year in Exeter and has taken full maintenance loan and we do not top it up other than paying for deposit for 2nd year house. They do work in the holidays though so not sure how much of this ££ they use. It was commented that they felt they had more ££ than English counterparts...I have tried to get them to understand they will have less debt though 🙈

Full loan of £12k and £2k from working the summer. Haven’t given any extra. You could save £50 a week and give as a top up towards the end of term. They need to live within their means but have a backup for extras like an expensive hobby.

Depends where you are based and your era.
If you are in Wales everyone entitled to £12,000 a year to live in so no I’d not expect to need to top up.
In England lots are only on minimum loan £4700 a year, Martin Lewis campaigned to make paperwork clear that parents should top up nearly £6000 a year to full loan. Not everyone can afford to though as outgoings aren’t taken into account. I have one dc and top her up - twins or 3 at uni at once wouldn’t be feasible.
My husband had a full grant no parent top up from his single mum and was absolutely fine, he went to a cheaper to live uni, worked in a factory in hols.
I wouldn’t anticipate funding a second degree, it’s unnecessary. Postgraduate then I’d hope she’d get employer funded.

It does seem unfair that Engish students' parents have to find the money but Welsh and Scottish parents, don't...or am I missing something here?

Education is devolved - as is health.

It's why perscpritions are free in Scotland and Wales (not sure N.I.) and why the higher education funding differs - as increasingly does education in general.

What it means is the Welsh student have more debt - though currently they pay over 30 years still not 40 it's changed to in England.

There's lots of these qwirks now - you can leave school at 16 in Wales though like England you can't marry but you can still marry at 16 in N.I and Scotland.

Depending who gets into Welsh Senedd the funding model could change - which as our kids are this age is something we are keeping an eye on.

We and DGP had started saving for them expecting to pay to pay and top up - though possibly not enough - so they may have had to take time out to work or work p/t along side studies which eldest at Uni has so far failed to do - so in that respect enouraging work and getting experience of paid jobs is something English system encourages much more. It probably helps finacially that a lower percentage of kids go to Uni from Wales than in England.