ds going to uni advice pls

brand8

Hi my ds is off to uni this sept as a single mother i am getting very worried about the finance he has applied for his grants but can anyone answer a few questions for me will he get the finance before he starts or will i have to send him some money to go with also he is going to sunderland uni and staying in halls will i need to pay a deposist up front or will that come out of his finance thankyou

helptoyou

Hi Please see link below.

http://sls.sunderland.ac.uk/studentfinancialadvice/

Note Student Course fees if being paid by the student loans company are sent direct to the university just ensure your son has the relevant paperwork to show this.

Maintenance grants are normally paid direct to the students bank account in 3 equal payments, one for each semester your son can check with Student loans company when these payments are likely to be made.but i would imagine he would need some funding to start with to tide him over.

With regards to the accommodation i would check with the university how payments are made for this,

Accommodation Office
City Campus
Chester Road
Sunderland SR1 3SD
Tel: 0044 (0) 191 5152943
Fax: 0044 (0) 191 5152902
Email: residentialservices@sunderland.ac.uk

V_Chic_Chick

The finance should come in a few days after he starts, but he will need some money to tide him over for the first few days (can he get a job this summer?), and also some money to buy things like bedding and kitchen equipment. He'll also need a way of getting up to uni - the train is possible, but it will limit how much stuff he can take with him, so most people drive.

One way to do it might be for you to loan him the money, and him pay it back to you when he gets the loan. In addition, now is the time to start scratching around for spare pans and duvets that you / relatives / friends might have lying around that he can take! I inherited a set of saucepans from my grandpa...

Good question about the deposit - some universities charge this, and others don't. Mine charged £200, though they have since upped it to £400, and want payment within 7 days of the accommodation offer being made (eek). Now, I have no idea if that is the case at Sunderland, so I would suggest asking some students in the know on the TSR Sunderland forum http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=850

flea72

You dont get your first maintenance loan instalment until the uni confirm you have attended, so usually within 2 wks of starting

Accommodation deposit is usually required once your room has been confirmed, then you are expected to pay the first instalment before you move in

So yes, you/he will need to stump up some money until his first payment comes through

V_Chic_Chick

Probably should have mentioned student bank accounts, which invariably come with a 0% overdraft that students can use to tide themselves over http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/Student-bank-account