Cost of going to Uni.....

sistafromanothermista

:wave:
Hope this is the right place to post this

Mt DS has made a few comments that he would like to go to Uni when he leaves school. (He's 16)
Now for fear of sounding like a dunce how much does this cost?
I've read an MSE artcle about student loans to pay for tuition fees....not paying back until they earn x amount....which i think i get.
What about other costs? accommodation, books and other stuff?!
I've never been to Uni and nor has DH so i am completely in the dark over when to apply, how etc.

Any help (in lamens terms )
Much appreciated!!!

lazysheep

http://www.ucas.ac.uk/ - this might be a good place to start and get general information. It's the website for the admissions to Universities and where you apply for places etc. Funding is a bit trickier (and depending on whether you're scottish or not etc) but if you want to get an idea of accommodation etc then I would suggest picking a couple of Universities own websites and having a look as these prices are set by themselves and are not national costs. Book prices again are variable depending on course etc and whether your DS is someone that needs the books for each unit or just buys the necessary.
From what I remember I started looking at Universities in the year after my GCSEs and going to open days etc then your application is made in your last year of school (ie the year you're 18). Request some prospectuses, book some open days and enjoy the opportunity to visit other places in the country

sistafromanothermista

We're in England.
With the accommodation, is that something we have to pay for every month? (we as in me and DH?)
I guess i'm just trying to work out if we can afford to send him to Uni or not
We'd love to as he really wants to go and although i've read the course fees will be covered i'm worrying about all the other stuff!

Claree__x

Does he have to "go away" to uni rather than staying at home and commuting?

If he does go somewhere I'd recommend student halls for the first year at least. Check your local uni website for details of how much they are - I think mine (in Derry, Ireland) were about £400 p/month for a single, en suite room.

chunkychocky

This might help: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/may/22/appyling-university-fees-living-costs-funding

There are also loans available to help cover the cost of living.

sistafromanothermista

Claree__x wrote: »

Does he have to "go away" to uni rather than staying at home and commuting?

If he does go somewhere I'd recommend student halls for the first year at least. Check your local uni website for details of how much they are - I think mine (in Derry, Ireland) were about £400 p/month for a single, en suite room.

We're not really sure yet

Student halls are?! and as opposed to?
Sorry i told you i am a dunce :rotfl:

When applying for the student finance thing, (i've just looked on the gov website calculator) do they take into account outgoings as well as overall income?
It says he will be entitled to 9k tuition fee loan and maintenance loan of 4.8k but that no other grants are available.....
How do students afford bills and food? is this covered by their parents?

looby75

My daughter started uni in September and we were all new to student loans etc too, so heres my basics guide.

first of all your son will be able to get a "loan" to pay all his tuition fees, he will also be able to apply for a maintenance loan which will help pay for most if not all of his accommodation. These loans don't have to start being paid back until your son is earning over £21,000, but if his earning drop below or don't reach £21,000 he will stop paying.

Depending on your household income your son may also be able to apply for a maintenance grant, this doesn't need to be repaid. Also again depending on your income he may be able to apply to his university for bursaries.

If you look at the student finance calculator and enter your details you'll get a better idea of how much your son would be able to apply for.

As for accommodation, it varies from uni to uni, my daughter is in the one one of the cheaper halls at Newcastle uni and pays £79 per week, this includes all bills and internet. She is moving to a flat share in September which is going to cost about £70 per week, without bills. Again this will vary from area to area.

lazysheep

Student halls are usually like a big apartment block just for students which are maintained by the university - i would take a look at some just for an idea - eg http://www.southampton.ac.uk/accommodation/halls/, http://www.portsmouth.ac.uk/studentlife/accommodation/hallsofresidence/, http://www.brighton.ac.uk/accommodation/halls/index.php?PageId=20 just for 3 examples close to me. There are loads of different options though and catered/self catered etc.

Getting a part time job for a student is quite common...

Lagoon

Student halls can be private accommodation or owned and managed by the university, where you have a room in a shared flat with a communal kitchen and may share or have an en-suite shower/bathroom.

In university locations, many houses are also rented out as student accommodation, though halls are definitely the better option for the first year as they'll allow your son to mix with others much more. Of course, he can work also.

The 4.8k maintenance loan provides £92 a week. Rooms are typically not much more than that, and a part-time job can cover the excess and food costs.

https://www.libertyliving.co.uk is a good place to get an idea of accommodation prices over the country, though they're a large chain and provide quite high quality rooms (en-suite), so there are probably cheaper options at most universities.

sistafromanothermista

Thanks :beer:
That info from all of you really helps
As a household we earn about 52k a year but with high outgoings (mortgage, debts etc) Once the debt is paid off we would be able to afford to give him an allowance of £200pm but not much more than that.
We are considering Southampton Uni so that link was brilliant thanks :beer:

looby75

for everyone saying get a part time job it's not always that easy. My daughter has been trying to find one for 3 years now with no luck (apart from one job that turned out to be a con and actually cost money and one p/t temp job last christmas), and the only person in her whole block who has been able to find a job only got it because he worked for Tesco where he lived and they agreed to transfer him to a store local to the uni.

Also depending on what course he is doing he might not have set hours, he may find that his lectures, seminars and any practical work may change from week to week, the timetables aren't set like school timetables. Because of this the only time my daughter is available to work is evenings and weekends and those jobs are in high demand by just about every student.