Paying for children at university

silvercar

vw_campervan_mum wrote: »

There are no maintainance grants now. Only student loans. The Government announced that as soon as they got in power. So with only a year's notice my daughter faces going to \uni with full loans and probably will owe £54K after 3 years. She wants to be a psychologist so needs a degree and then a PHD for another 3 years (which may get some NHS support). I am on a very low income so will be unable to help her and have not been able to save up over the last year.
If I could help I would - as much as possible. To me that is what parents should do for their children. Instead of money I will be giving moral and emotional support - just as vital. A levels are not easy. When I look at her work now it is already of a higher standard than degree level in the 80s when I went to Uni.

Why have you only had a year's notice? Loans replaced grants a while back. If you are on a very low income, she will be entitled to some loans, bursaries and grants.

For clinical psychology, students need some work experience between degree and PhD, so there is the opportunity to work and save for 2 years before PhD.

My son is studying organisational psychology and there has been no funding for masters degrees at all, though tuition fee loans are being introduced in September.

mumps

minimacka wrote: »

I have been reading this thread as my son is going to university in September, I have 2 sons my eldest decided no to go to university but to be a electrician apprentice and is now qualified.


I just wanted to comment on the financial side of things and how I so disagree with the parents being means tested as to what the "students" get in respect to loans.


My son wants to do a math degree and we do not live in a place which has a university he could get into (3 x A*) so he will have to move out. He has applied to go to Newcastle university, the accommodation costs are approx £5370.00 (this year). He has also applied to go to Nottingham university and these accommodation costs are approx £6050.00 (this year).


I have been looking at what my son can get in loans if we earnt £25k or under (which we don't) he would get £10702 loan living in London and £8200 living outside London. My o/h and I have 2 full time jobs and I would say earn the "norm" for this area and I have worked out that he can get approx. £5200-£5800. As you can see this might cover Newcastle accommodation if he gets in but wont cover Nottingham.


I think that a fairer way to help students who lets face it might have parents who will not help them out financially but earn above the £70K wage bracket meaning the student would not get enough to cover accommodation costs if they had to move out, would be to give the student the facility to draw from the max £8200/£10702 pot, that way every student would be able to afford to at least have the accommodation costs paid for them if they needed it. Or if they had parents who were willing to contribute then they would not need to "draw" from their pot.


I know that some people would think this is ridiculous because what student wouldn't draw the full amount out but looking at this another way. Say for e.g. my son lived near to a university so lived at home and me and my o/h earnt £25K then he would be entitled to £8200/£10702 anyway so would have the full student loan to himself to spend as he wished which is a lot of "beer/drugs" money. (to quote pigpen)


Anyway this is just my thought and yes me and my o/h will be supporting our son by topping up his accommodation costs if needed and also helping him out if needed with food etc. I also expect him to get a job though to fund his "student lifestyle". My son has worked hard to get his grades good enough to do a math degree and I hope that our helping him achieve his goal of getting his degree will not make him a privileged lazy student.


MM

One of mine went to Nottingham and this is a link to where they lived, http://www.derwentstudents.com/our-locations/nottingham/raleigh-park/ £2k saving? Nottingham Uni has very little accommodation belonging to the uni and most students stay in private halls.

balletshoes

mumps wrote: »

One of mine went to Nottingham and this is a link to where they lived, http://www.derwentstudents.com/our-locations/nottingham/raleigh-park/ £2k saving? Nottingham Uni has very little accommodation belonging to the uni and most students stay in private halls.

st peters court is another one, across the road from raleigh park -

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/accommodation/accommodationoptions/selfcateredsites/stpeterscourt.aspx

albion and broadgate houses, in Beeston, are also in good student areas, really easy to get to any uni campus from Beeston.

mumps

balletshoes wrote: »

st peters court is another one, across the road from raleigh park -

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/accommodation/accommodationoptions/selfcateredsites/stpeterscourt.aspx

albion and broadgate houses, in Beeston, are also in good student areas, really easy to get to any uni campus from Beeston.

Yes I know St Peter's Court, it is a bit more expensive. Of course you get en suite for the extra but I don't think 18 year olds really need en suites although I know lots of 18 year olds would disagree with me.

balletshoes

mumps wrote: »

Yes I know St Peter's Court, it is a bit more expensive. Of course you get en suite for the extra but I don't think 18 year olds really need en suites although I know lots of 18 year olds would disagree with me.

i get you - my 14-year old would agree with the 18-year olds .

mumps

balletshoes wrote: »

i get you - my 14-year old would agree with the 18-year olds .

When my daughter did a tour of university accommodation, not Nottingham, the third year who was showing them round said go for the cheapest accommodation as it always has the best social life and never go for en suite as you have to clean it yourself, if you have a shared bathroom someone comes and cleans it every week. My daughter followed her advice and said she passed it on when she was doing tours herself (quite a well paid little job at her uni particularly in the third year when she was running the teams of tour guides, nice bit of management experience for her CV thrown in.)

My tip to a fresher was go round more than once for the Dominos vouchers in freshers week, he said it was the best advice he got and fed him regularly for the first term, some cheap pizzas and some free :T

It's a funny old life being a student.