I think it entirely depends on several things but for most people it’s achievable. There is undoubtedly student poverty and some youngsters struggle through their degrees, so parental support is a huge bonus.
Lots of parents (us included), pay more than absolutely necessary but equally some get very little help from parents.
What does it cost?
Tuition fees are covered by a loan for first degrees in England. It’s about £9, 000 a year at moment but this may change. Repayment doesn’t start until after you’re earning above a certain amount- I think it’s £21k. The only problem from this is if you drop out and get landed with loan repayments for a degree you haven’t completed or if you want to change degrees after a couple of years when a further loan may not be possible. Those working towards NHS vocational degrees like medicine only pay for first four years tuition.
There are bursaries and grants available for many universities for high achievement, students from poorer backgrounds, to support disabled students and to improve access for a more diverse cohort (so maybe first generation in family to attend from a BME background). These are down to individual universities but generally listed deeply hidden in admissions booklets.
Then there are living expenses. It’s impossible to quantify because it varies depending on so many factors. Living at home is obviously cheaper and increasing numbers do but this has to be balanced against missed opportunities for personal growth and a wider experience.
Some areas are definitely cheaper than others re housing. Stoke on Trent and Hull are significantly cheaper than Exeter or London.
Halls vary and their is often a choice but no guarantee you’ll get a choice. Our experience is the more expensive halls are harder to get into.Lots of universities don’t have sufficient accommodation for all but most try to put all first years who want a room into hall.
I think we paid a deposit of £300 and then about £7.5k for an on-site, ensuite catered hall two years ago. This was the most expensive option as ours is a daddy’s little princess. It could be cheaper by being self catering, sharing bathrooms or moving to off campus halls. She didn’t really use the catering fully as it didn’t fit in with her plans and there is a good Deliveroo but it felt like a safety net to prevent claims of starvation. Laundry was extra but not expensive. Birmingham was definitely cheaper and I think we paid £4k for non catered similar standard room but that was about eight years ago.
Some degrees allow for part-time working without any difficulties because there are only 9/10 hours contact time per week. Others (particularly vocational degrees) make it unrealistic to work alongside in paid employment. Some do but it’s the exception. Obviously this impacts on parental support needed.
Then add in travel costs (a car was essential for medical school to get to placements and flights to placement are essential if studying languages). Add in insurance, books, laptop, maybe tv licence, overnight stays if you visit and it adds up. We were told our daughter needed £4K minimum to start a year abroad whilst waiting for Erasmus funding as Italian government insisted they had sufficient resources t to survive initially.
We give a generous allowance but others get more. Meanwhile others struggle on the loan. It’s impossible to quantify without knowing specifics. We give a basic allowance of rent costs (Exeter was £750 a month for a shared house), living costs £100 week approx plus we pay travel, books, phone, insurance, contact lenses and go down a couple of times a term for a weekend and take her and a few friends out to supper etc. This is topped up by her father a few times a term for special things like ballgowns/dresses or weekends away with friends (but he thinks I don’t realise). I do a big online shop a few times a term too.
It can be done much cheaper and we know we indulge her!