The Student Room Group

Why do people struggle financially?

I really don't mean to offend, I'd just like to understand...

I kinda assume I'm somewhat out of touch as someone who's reasonably privileged in terms of money, which is why I don't understand why people on the full bursary struggle with living costs at uni.

For example, someone on full bursaries at the Uni of Manchester could get just under £12k per year - thousands more than ai have, and I don't struggle at all. Even if they paid £3000 to their parents for rent, food etc. whilst at home, that's more money than I had.

Does it all boil down to bad timing of payments from SFE, or is there something pretty big that I'm missing?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 1
I strongly doubt that those with a £12k package actually do struggle (unless you've spotted anyone posting on TSR or you know someone). Inexperience would e the only explanation for that - or some kind of expensive bad habits!

The ones who have the trouble are those whose household income pushes them into the lower amounts of Maintenance Loans, but then find that their parents either can't or won't help with finances. There have been posts by people in this section over the past few days, from folks whose Maintenance Loan won't even cover the cost of their accommodation, and yet their parents are not going to contribute for a variety of reasons.
Most people simply aren't on that amount a year. A lot of people can't cover their rent with the loans so need to work to make up the difference. Then you have to incorporate travel, food, financial leeway. No one should be in the position where going over £5 on their food budget in the week ruins them for the remainder of the week.

I'm not sure how many parents contribute significantly with finances at university anyway. The only people I really know who have their parents help a lot literally never have to worry about money for all of their lives.
What you'll find is that for everyone who is on full bursaries or large-scale financial support is that it's not just themselves that they are supporting. Often these students will also be sending money back to support their families, themselves being up **** creek.

Original post by William Turtle
I really don't mean to offend, I'd just like to understand...

I kinda assume I'm somewhat out of touch as someone who's reasonably privileged in terms of money, which is why I don't understand why people on the full bursary struggle with living costs at uni.

For example, someone on full bursaries at the Uni of Manchester could get just under £12k per year - thousands more than ai have, and I don't struggle at all. Even if they paid £3000 to their parents for rent, food etc. whilst at home, that's more money than I had.

Does it all boil down to bad timing of payments from SFE, or is there something pretty big that I'm missing?


Posted from TSR Mobile


It's not usually people on the full bursary who struggle, its people who only get the minimum loan of £3,8k a year who do.
Original post by jelly1000
It's not usually people on the full bursary who struggle, its people who only get the minimum loan of £3,8k a year who do.


I absolutely understand it if your family is on £45k ish, so you just scrape over the threshold for minimum loan, especially if you have siblings.

I know a couple of people with full bursary who struggle, spending their whole year in their overdraft, and someone on full who gets all their food paid for by their parents.

Weird system.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by William Turtle
I really don't mean to offend, I'd just like to understand...

I kinda assume I'm somewhat out of touch as someone who's reasonably privileged in terms of money, which is why I don't understand why people on the full bursary struggle with living costs at uni.

For example, someone on full bursaries at the Uni of Manchester could get just under £12k per year - thousands more than ai have, and I don't struggle at all. Even if they paid £3000 to their parents for rent, food etc. whilst at home, that's more money than I had.

Does it all boil down to bad timing of payments from SFE, or is there something pretty big that I'm missing?


Posted from TSR Mobile


Most Universities aren't anywhere near as generous as Manchester I will get about 9K if I go to Durham and the accommodation is already 7k(meals included though) and there are a host of other costs and I do have to pay my mam when I stay at home so its not as simple as you think, especially for those students who get much lower grant/loan and their parents don't give them any money.
Reply 7
Original post by William Turtle
I absolutely understand it if your family is on £45k ish, so you just scrape over the threshold for minimum loan, especially if you have siblings.

I know a couple of people with full bursary who struggle, spending their whole year in their overdraft, and someone on full who gets all their food paid for by their parents.

Weird system.


Posted from TSR Mobile


The maximum bursary from my undergrad uni is currently £1000 a year. The amounts you quote from Manchester are very much the exception to the rule but even those are means tested and I can't quite see where your c.£12k comes from. They do point out that theirs is one of the most generous financial packages in the UK.

Apart from that, why a student would struggle on £12k a year, is something you'd have to ask them. There are a range of factors which might contribute to every set of individual circumstances. There's not much point us speculating.
Original post by William Turtle
I really don't mean to offend, I'd just like to understand...

I kinda assume I'm somewhat out of touch as someone who's reasonably privileged in terms of money, which is why I don't understand why people on the full bursary struggle with living costs at uni.

For example, someone on full bursaries at the Uni of Manchester could get just under £12k per year - thousands more than ai have, and I don't struggle at all. Even if they paid £3000 to their parents for rent, food etc. whilst at home, that's more money than I had.

Does it all boil down to bad timing of payments from SFE, or is there something pretty big that I'm missing?


Posted from TSR Mobile


I have recently been wondering this too, I moved out of my family home during my level 3 qualifications and supported myself.
I work in a bar twice a week and earn around £90 a week and pay my rent and feed myself fine on this. Come September when I get grants and loans for uni I'll be so much better off that it does make me wonder how students in the North of Ireland are always skint (I say the North of Ireland because it could be more expensive to live in England, Scotland or Wales) . Part of it could be bad spending, many of the students I know go out drinking 3/4 times a week, eat takeout food all the time and don't look for work but then they complain about having no money and no job.
(edited 8 years ago)
Rent varies depending on where you live in the country, ditto transport costs.

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