Off to Scottish university- panicking about costs

[Boxingshibes]

Dd has an unconditional offer, has firmed as 1st choice, got an offer for accommodation. We are so pleased but I can't afford to give her much and she can't work due to disabilities.
The uni gives money for going there from England, bursary for grades and other bursary totalling £7k a year.
But she will only be entitled to minimum grant as even though we rent in v expensive SE and DH is disabled I make too much. We are living payday to payday.
How is this going to work??

So she’ll be getting £12k a year? How much is the accommodation that mean that will be a struggle?

That’s great about the bursary. So she’s on about £12,000 a year. That is more than maximum loan so she should be absolutely fine.
Would she qualify for PIP?
My dd is English at a Scottish uni and just gets £1000 academic scholarship. Her accommodation yr 1 she chose cheapest and it was £6500. If your dd needs more expensive accommodation due to disability the difference may be covered. She may also be able to stay in uni accommodation all 4 years due to her disability needs.
My dd and her English flatmates don’t tend to go home during the semester. Mine gets train with 1/3 saving with railcard. Those very far south England fly as it’s cheaper.
Check if uni has free or low cost second hand items to kit them out. My DD’s uni has an eco shop and the quality of items and variety is amazing (donated by leaving students inc rich internationals) the charity shops nr uni were also stuffed full. Absolutely no need to spend money on crockery, pans, small electricals etc.

I mean this?

She does get pip. About £400pm . She will be applying for disability grants. But I think she will get money towards IT equivalent.

Her accommodation is £230 a week. Its onsite 5 mins walk to her class. Its lovely not a premier room but double bed ensuite. She's unable to walk up many stairs so ground or 1st floor.
Hopefully she can pay for her accommodation with grants and loan. We can probably give her £100-200 a month but nothing more.

If she’ll get DSA that can be used towards the difference between the rent for the accessible room and one that she would have otherwise have had.

Pip on top is another £4800 a year. Her net income (pip, min loan, bursary) will be £17,000 a year. She’ll be very well off in student terms.
I can’t see she’ll need £100-200 from you monthly too.
DSA will also provide any equipment she needs.

I think she will be fine. She will have £400 PIP per month to live off, plus she’ll cover her accommodation and have some left over from the loan and bursary as well as what you can give her. To be honest that’s a lot more than mine will have.

You'll be paying for 4 years instead of 3 so it seems an odd choice if you are concerned about money. Also that accommodation is really dear. Edinburgh? It's really expensive up there. Somewhere like Cardiff and you'll be paying less than £140 pw.

She’s able to get a disabled person’s railcard. Buses are free for under 22 with a young Scot card. Free prescriptions.

Well she is doing well before she starts with £7k in bursaries – which she won’t need to pay back either. The min loan is another 4.5k so she's OK if you ask me. Plus the PIP even with that very expensive accomm she is good to go surely. I reckon at least £16k. £230 pw x 40 is £9200 so that leaves her more than £6k to live on. That's loads tbh compared to most students.

Plenty of students have parents who pay their accomm and then live off the min loan. Her accomm is relatively expensive (which is obvs your and her choice) but you should know that most students pay a lot less. My uni DC (one is still at uni) have paid no more than £6.7k for their accomm, even when they are paying for the whole year (and halls will usually be 40 weeks only).

If she needs to budget, that's not a bad skill to have; shop in Aldi or Lidl, buy cheaper food eg veggie, cheaper fruit (apples not strawberries) and frozen veg. Be creative when going out to keep costs down (eg limit nights out, try free social activities). Walk or cycle to limit transport costs.

Agree I don't think she will need any top-up from you tbh.

Its Dundee
Everyone has been reassuring. I know she'll get free bus travel.
Unfortunately it's the best uni for her course. She's on track for 3 D* it's a Btec.
Its going to be about £2k just to get her there. I am unable ( medically) to drive so train, hotel + stuff we can't bring, bedding, kitchen stuff etc.
Well noodles etc
She's learn i hope.

If she’s had to pick the expensive £230 a week accommodation as it’s en-suite and/or 5 mins walk away due to disability then they may only charge her cost of cheaper accommodation as she’s only needing expensive one due to disability. Get her to speak to accommodation and disability services.

Why is it going to cost £2k? That seems an enormous amount.

Can you and she not get the train and then order anything big you need to be delivered to the uni halls? You don’t need as much as you think tbh <speaks from experience>.

£17k? She could run a payday loan company for the other students.

Also, £2k to kit out a bedroom and buy a weekly shop with a return train ticket and a hotel in Dundee? Should be fine unless you’re getting everything from Laura Ashley and staying at the Dundee Ritz.

@Hellometime thanks I actually never thought of that. We can discuss with the accommodation people.

Also yes this – if her disability is the reason for the pricey halls then yes, look into whether the uni will make a concession. For example if the only accessible halls are £££ and she needs those, they may reduce the cost.

We really need the laugh emoji back

By the time she goes there'll be an ikea in Dundee - cheaper to buy things there than transport them up by the sound of it! 2k!

I’m sure you already know but on disability railcard you both save 1/3.
Definitely check about free or low cost second hand household items at the university, will save you having to carry up there.
There may be a Parents of Dundee University facebook good for info.
Book hotels well in advance.

The train tickets are £600, hotel £400.
We are on the south coast of England, so up to London, Edinburgh then dundee. Ill also need to get home.
Maybe not another £1k but household stuff, food etc

I go regularly to Dundee from London by train for £100 return. There are very cheap hotels there…not getting these costs.

whaaaaat train tickets £600?

We are travelling by train from the East Mids to Glasgow in the summer and it will coast about £60 each. Admittedly that's with two railcards but still. Worth you getting a railcard just for that journey. How can it possibly be £600? even tho your journey is further than ours.

Also agree hotel is £££. Again when in Glasgow we are staying in a hotel for £250 pn and it's only that much bc it’s the Commonwealth Games; the week afterwards it would be about £80 pn.

I do have a railcard though for seniors…. And DC have 16/17 and 16-25 railcards.

I’m sorry but I’m not getting £600 unless you’re taking 5-6 people and I’m not getting £400 for a hotel either unless you’re staying the best part of a week.

Sorry but I travel between Scotland and London regularly and there is no way train tickets should cost that much. Look at LNER trains (London to Aberdeen which stops in Dundee) 12 weeks out from your travel date and be flexible with dates and times. You can't generally book cheap tickets any further ahead than that.
And there are several Premier Inns in Dundee so £400 seems a wild overestimate for hotel costs too.