How much should parents contribute financially?

poet123

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

The CSA wouldn't be involved in arranging financial support for adults in their twenties and, even if they did, that would mean that student finance would have to be assessed on both parents' income, rather than just that of the resident parent. Rather counterproductive, don't you think?

To be honest I think it would be much fairer if the calculations were done on parental income rather than household income.

Why should the full burden fall on the parent the student lives with? a divorce or separation should not mean both parents are not equally liable.

melancholly

silvercar wrote: »

Totally agree that this is the fair starting point. If everyone did this then all students would be on an equal footing.

This would keep a downward pressure on rents as few students would be able to afford inflated rents.

so many things in life would be better if everyone played fair (house/rent prices being a good example). i admire your idea, but i think people just won't! (and also some students are more than happy in shared houses with shared bathrooms, whereas others 'need' ensuite and large rooms..... there are always much cheaper places to live than the massively overpriced halls, but so few people choose them)

Oldernotwiser

melancholly wrote: »

so many things in life would be better if everyone played fair (house/rent prices being a good example). i admire your idea, but i think people just won't! (and also some students are more than happy in shared houses with shared bathrooms, whereas others 'need' ensuite and large rooms..... there are always much cheaper places to live than the massively overpriced halls, but so few people choose them)

I am so pleaded that you put "need" in inverted commas, it always amazes me that the dearest university accommodation is that which is booked up first.

Oldernotwiser

poet123 wrote: »

To be honest I think it would be much fairer if the calculations were done on parental income rather than household income.

Why should the full burden fall on the parent the student lives with? a divorce or separation should not mean both parents are not equally liable.

I thought that this used to be the case but it changed because so many NRPs didn't contribute.

Strapped

donquine wrote: »

However much you give your student child, they will learn to live off it.

If you give them £100, they will shop in Aldi and learn to live off beans on toast quite happily.

If you give them £500, they will shop in Waitrose and acquire some very posh tastes and eat very well indeed.

Now, if suddenly you can't afford to give them £500 and have to scale it back to £100, they will struggle. It won't be the amount that's the issue, but the shock to the system.

Whatever amount you choose to give, do your best to make sure it's an amount you will consistently be able to give. (Obviously, you can't plan for things like redundancy, but if you're stretching yourself now, it may not be sustainable in the long term.) If you want to give a lower amount now and increase it as the years go on, fine. But if if you have to do things the other way round, you will probably hear some very ungrateful murmurings.

Don't you mean, "If you give them £500, they will shop in Lidl's and spend the rest on beer..."

stephyt23

My parents paid for my brothers rent and then he supported himself with a job at the uni bar and with grants and loans.

I'll be staying at home so my parents are paying my fuel costs, and then I'll see what loan and grant I can get in August as I'll be studying part time.

Other than that we've had no help which I personally felt has been right. I wouldn't want my parents to fund any more as at the end of the day this is what I've chosen to do so why should they foot the bill when they have a mortgage to pay for.

Oldernotwiser

stephyt23 wrote: »

My parents paid for my brothers rent and then he supported himself with a job at the uni bar and with grants and loans.

I'll be staying at home so my parents are paying my fuel costs, and then I'll see what loan and grant I can get in August as I'll be studying part time.

Other than that we've had no help which I personally felt has been right. I wouldn't want my parents to fund any more as at the end of the day this is what I've chosen to do so why should they foot the bill when they have a mortgage to pay for.

That seems a strange thing to say when your brother has had all his rent paid and it sounds as if your parents will be keeping you while you study.

By the way, if you're studying part time you may be eligible for a fee grant and a couple of hundred towards expenses but you aren't eligible for either a loan or maintenance grant as you're expected to be supporting yourself through employment or (possibly) benefits.

acswales

Sorry, but I think parents paying rent is over the top...... next year, my accommodation will cost £500 more than my loan covers (that's the cheapest option, too!). My parents said they'd pay that for me, so that's £500 a year. Some of my friend's parents, and parents on here, will be paying probably £500 a month on their accommodation.

Other than that I will have to find a part time job and use money from my savings to live on.... i'll probably have £30-£40 a week. It's ridiculous how the system works, giving some people £3500 and others £7000, working on the basis that parents will cover the shortfall if necessary. My parents won't. My mum drives for work, her car costs are phenomenal, i'm one of three kids, which can't come cheap. And on top of this, mum will be taking a pay cut next year (works for the government...) and I won't get a penny more.

And at the same time, I know people who will be getting a substantial amount of money out of the government, but their parents are paying their accommodation, so they'll have a wail of a time with £100 or more to live on a week. Probably more.

But then, i'm not at all bitter... whoever said life was fair....

ashaput

When I was in a college I lived far from my parents. They usually send me money for food and because I stayed in a boarding house, they also send me for the rent. But for my own pleasure, I mean for clothes, watch movie, hang around with friends, I served my self. I worked as a waitress in a coffee shop from Monday to Saturday.

thriftybee

My parents earn just above the cut-off for me to get a grant, and they very kindly give me £100/month for food etc. I have commercial debt from before starting uni, so the £100 pretty much goes straight to paying debt!

For food and expenses, I walk, buy cheap, don't drink often and work shifts as and when. If I wasn't in debt, £100 would be more than enough for me. I still socialise - a lot of my friends are also skint, so we do a lot of free stuff. If I want to buy a luxury, I sell what I can on ebay to pay for it (buying too much stuff is why I have a loan ).

My loan plus London allowance just pays for halls fees - I go to a small uni, so the only halls were the ones with en suite and cleaners. :doh:But to be honest, it seems like most single rooms are about the same price as halls once you add bills.

I think a lot of students go through a shock phase of realising that the disposable income they had living at home doesn't exist anymore. I empathise, but I think everyone needs to learn money doesn't grow on trees and I don't sympathise with students who reach out to the Bank of Mummy/Daddy every month for extra cash. It's just not fair to treat your family like that.

johnswife is spot on! It can be really hard to find a part-time job to suit studies, but eventually they do crop up. My degree has a fairly full 9-5 timetable, but I've (eventually!) found a job as an HCA on bank, and I'm waiting to hear about a summer job at another uni's halls. The money is there, you just have to sniff it out!