Anyone got students? How are they managing the money?

[Justin Passing]

Just heard a prog on R4 which made the situation sound desperate. Loans barely cover rents, or less in many cases. Parents are left to fund thousands per year.
They spoke to students with multiple jobs while studying, other using food banks.

It'll be grandchildren for many on this forum...

 

[Tigercubrider]

I know loads of students - most have jobs in excess of 20 hours a week which is the “official” limit suggested by university policy.
everything from warehouse work, care assistants, shop/bar work.
most bump the hours to 40 hours plus in vacation

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Just heard a prog on R4 which made the situation sound desperate. Loans barely cover rents, or less in many cases. Parents are left to fund thousands per year.
They spoke to students with multiple jobs while studying, other using food banks.

It'll be grandchildren for many on this forum...

Going back to the days when only the very well off could afford good education

 

[ajohn]

I hadn't looked at variations but believe Wales and Scotland are different to England. The costs look to have increased in recent years.

For if anyone is interested

University tuition fees and financial support in Wales

A guide to student finance and university tuition fees for undergraduates from Wales in 2022/23.

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk

University tuition fees and financial support in Scotland

An overview of undergraduate university tuition fees and student loans for students from Scotland in 2022/23.

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk

University tuition fees and financial support in England

Our guide to student finance for undergraduate students from England on how much going to university costs and what funding is available in 2022/23.

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk

 

[JP_]

Yeah, I was listening to that programme too. Depressing.

I hope my kids can pick a career and go to uni to achieve that, but not sure they will. My advice is to only go to uni now to follow a specific goal.

Local uni does both engineering and healthcare, which might appeal to both my sons, so maybe they will go local and stay at home til they can afford to buy a place. I'd prefer to see my kids stay at home and get a good education and not pay thousands in rent for crappy accommodation.

 

[Justin Passing]

One of the kids was doing Med in Glasgow. NOWHERE to stay, so sleeping on a sofa.

Lecture hours vary, but I couldn't have done 20 hours a week in a job. I actually had to study for a multiple of the lecture hours for the first time in my life, which came as a bit of a shock.
My father was self employed so he fiddled the books to declare low earnings so I got the full grant, which was more than enough.
No fees then, of course.

The figures for the Means Test for parents haven't gone up for years so the loan is nowhere near enough in most cases. Many get the minimum which iirc is £4400 or so, with Uni hall fees £10kpa.



How about Rishi's idea of encouraging qualifications for which there are more jobs?? Which would you cut?
Meeja?
The radio prog kids were doing Drama, and International Relations.

 

[ellal]

I hadn't looked at variations but believe Wales and Scotland are different to England.

And not that long ago all UK students had the automatic right to study in EU countries which are mainly free or at much lower cost than England...

That automatic right has of course now been removed...

I do hope that anyone complaining about educational costs didn't vote against the educational choices of their children/grand children/great grand children and so on...

It would be rather hypocritical don't you think?

 

[motorbiking]

My eldest will start Uni this year. His experience will differ from mine. I moved out spent my first year on campus and my parents helped me with the costs. There were no tuition fees and as I was doing a thin sandwich, I got contract work for half the year.

I've covered the tuition fees for my son and he will be living with me and working part time, while studying at a local/commutable Uni.

 

[ajohn]

How about Rishi's idea of encouraging qualifications for which there are more jobs??

I'm not so sure that would work. Electronics say 20 - 25 years ago. Shortage of engineers so uni's start turning more out and maybe students see it as an attractive option - jobs available and salaries etc. As more come out that changes. A graduate may then find it tricky to get their first job.

Actually going on comments from people we know (wife too) getting a first job appears to be more tricky also not so much graduate and disapear somewhere in the country to a job. More likely to remain with the bank of mom and dad to some extent. There are other factor though.

 

[Tigercubrider]

So do you scrap PPE which is pretty much as good as Geography and generally used by dim politicians to get to uni?
Those who complain about “meja” should recognise that UK film and TV contributes billions to the economy.

film and tv contributes 10-15 billion to the economy. fishing is about one billion

 

[Ihavenojob]

mainly free or at much lower cost than England.

Scotland was free, or subsidised to any eu residents, except the English, they still had to pay.
My son did 5 years at Nottingham Trent , studying Forensic science and biology. Got top result, but couldn't get a job in the field as the Police changed criteria mid course. We ummed and ahhred about buying a house for him there, would not have been much more than the rent I paid for him in those 5 years.

 

[motorbiking]

Student accommodation is a scam. Many outsource it and the contracts are terrible, with many unenforceable clauses (contrary to the housing act) as is the value for money. £135p/w in a deprived area.

The bottom paying degrees are known to be easy passes and have been for many years. Criminology, Sociology, Politics, fine arts... I interviewed a potential graduate who gave me the pitch about how all he wanted to do was work for my firm.. blah blah, All I was thinking was - why the f** did you study politics then?

I asked him (without the F**) and he froze and looked like he just found out his gran had died. I did feel sorry for him.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Student accommodation is a scam. Many outsource it and the contracts are terrible, with many unenforceable clauses (contrary to the housing act) as is the value for money. £135p/w in a deprived area.

The bottom paying degrees are known to be easy passes and have been for many years. Criminology, Sociology, Politics, fine arts... I interviewed a potential graduate who gave me the pitch about how all he wanted to do was work for my firm.. blah blah, All I was thinking was - why the f** did you study politics then?

I asked him (without the F**) and he froze and looked like he just found out his gran had died. I did feel sorry for him.

a degree is more than just the subject taken.

unless you are following a specific path like law. The degree proves the ability to accumulate , organise and disseminate information. The sign of an organised person and mind.

lots of people take degrees in maths and medicine and others but don't follow that career path. The degree alone doesn't make anybody right or wrong. It's an additional factor to be taken into consideration. It doesn't change a personality.

 

[Tigercubrider]

However, an ex girlfriend studied fine art, then became a scenic artist designing sets.

 

[noseall]

Just heard a prog on R4 which made the situation sound desperate. Loans barely cover rents, or less in many cases. Parents are left to fund thousands per year.
They spoke to students with multiple jobs while studying, other using food banks.

It'll be grandchildren for many on this forum...

My eldest works all hours God gave to get by, often turning up at Maccies at 4:00 am. We also subsidise his living costs. I'd imagine for those less well off parents or single parents trying to live through this current inflation nightmare and fund a Uni student child, must be finding it very difficult. We're not rich but I have savings and plenty of work coming in. I can see the bubble bursting very soon though as things are going to get very tight come late winter.