I don&#x27;t think I will be able to afford uni

What's wrong with staying in the cheapest accommodation? Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get by, that's life.
It's better that you learn that now and at university than get a big shock when you enter the real world and find it's a lot harder and you have to make a lot more sacrifices.

Could you be a bit more specific as to why you don't think you can afford university?

is your loan too small? Can you afford the cheapest accommodation but simply don't want to live in that one?

Reply 2

niteninja1

22

Original post by Safmitchell

think I will able to afford to live. Am I going to have to stay in the cheapest accommodation or are there other options that allow me to stay in the second cheapest for example?

This probably makes no sense, but I'm really stressed thinking about it.

Tell us your finances and we can work it out

Reply 3

999tigger

19

Original post by Safmitchell

think I will able to afford to live. Am I going to have to stay in the cheapest accommodation or are there other options that allow me to stay in the second cheapest for example?

This probably makes no sense, but I'm really stressed thinking about it.

Check to see if there are any bursaries.. If you really cant afford it, then delay for a year, then get a job and save some money up.

Reply 4

OP

Original post by SophieSmall

What's wrong with staying in the cheapest accommodation? Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get by, that's life.
It's better that you learn that now and at university than get a big shock when you enter the real world and find it's a lot harder and you have to make a lot more sacrifices.

Could you be a bit more specific as to why you don't think you can afford university?

is your loan too small? Can you afford the cheapest accommodation but simply don't want to live in that one?

I've done some calculations and the loans barely cover the cost of travel, books, phones, socialising and stuff like that. I think I'm opting for catered which increases the costs further, but I can't cook and have other priorities. Also as I'm studying law that leaves a limited amount of free time so working part time is probably going to bring in limited amounts anyway

Reply 5

lulucoco98

8

Hey! Some unis offer extra bursaries, take a look and your local council may offer some bursaries.

Is there unis in your local area/close by?

Take a gap year and save!

Good luck

Reply 6

AfricanPrinceXI

2

Original post by Safmitchell

I've done some calculations and the loans barely cover the cost of travel, books, phones, socialising and stuff like that. I think I'm opting for catered which increases the costs further, but I can't cook and have other priorities. Also as I'm studying law that leaves a limited amount of free time so working part time is probably going to bring in limited amounts anyway

Work while you study. There will be plenty of on campus work opportunities.

Tbh, if you;re that dirt poor, you should be eligible for the grant as well as the loan. Which should cover costs.

Reply 7

Len Goodman

Well then, you'll have to take a few years out, find a job, and save up. You can't just have everything handed to you on a plate, you know.

Reply 8

Original post by Safmitchell

I've done some calculations and the loans barely cover the cost of travel, books, phones, socialising and stuff like that. I think I'm opting for catered which increases the costs further, but I can't cook and have other priorities. Also as I'm studying law that leaves a limited amount of free time so working part time is probably going to bring in limited amounts anyway

You're going to have to learn to cook some day :lol:

It really does not have to be hard or time consuming. My dinner took me 5 minutes to prep and 15 minutes waiting in the other room for it to cook today. Yesterdays was even quicker.

Also bare in mind some catered accommodations only serve 5 days a weekend you're expected to fend for yourself on weekends (and with no kitchen this = expensive eat our or takeaway options). have you checked how many meals will be available? If they will be every day? Have you checked the times that the meals will be available? You may be out studying or with friends, or at work. What will you do during these times if you can't get your catered food? It may end up costing you a lot. So be sure to look into this.

You'll be surprised how much free time you will have in first year, even with studying law (I've known quite a few who studied law at various unis). Most still had a job in first year.

Anyway to help us better help you, it would be advisable to let us know exactly how much loan you are getting +accommodation costs + other estimate costs you think you will have.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 9

OP

Original post by niteninja1

Tell us your finances and we can work it out

If I go to Birmingham I'll get a bursary of £2000 and the maintenance loan £8200

£550 deposit on accommodation
£145.50 TV licence
£175 per week for rent (42 weeks)
£3 per week toiletries
£5 per week laundry
£21 per week travel costs
£50 social/memberships
£30 per month phone
~£40 per month clothing

Figures based off of the Uni website
Plus any additional unexpected expenses

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 10

Original post by Safmitchell

If I go to Birmingham I'll get a bursary of £2000 and the maintenance loan £8200

£550 deposit on accommodation
£145.50 TV licence
£175 per week for rent (42 weeks)
£3 per week toiletries
£5 per week laundry
£21 per week travel costs
£50 social/memberships
£30 per month phone
~£30 per month clothing

Figures based off of the Uni website

I wouldn't take figures straight off their website. Tailor them to what actually applied to you.

Tv License for example. Highly unlikely you'll have to pay it. Most student accommodations come with a TV licence for the communal area of the flat. You only have to pay it if you play to stream live TV in your room (and really who is going to know?) or install a TV in there to watch TV.

Social memberships will depend entirely on how many you join/ if you join and whether they require you to pay membership. Not all of them do.

Do you already pay your own phone bill/ will your parents expect you to once you move out? You can get much cheaper phone contracts than that, mine is £11 a month, and it's more than enough (unless you talk on the phone a lot).

£175 a week for accommodation strikes me as very high for Birmingham, I assume that is the catered cost?

Are the travel costs accurate for your situation? Is the accommodation close to your uni buildings (walking distance)? Are you planning on travelling home a lot?

Even still with over 10k in loan and bursary, you have more than enough if you choose. But if you choose to live lazily or with more luxury than your means you will struggle. But even still, you get far more money than a lot of students who still make it work.

You absolutely CAN afford university, it seems you may be choosing not to.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 11

OP

Original post by SophieSmall

You're going to have to learn to cook some day :lol:

It really does not have to be hard or time consuming. My dinner took me 5 minutes to prep and 15 minutes waiting in the other room for it to cook today. Yesterdays was even quicker.

Also bare in mind some catered accommodations only serve 5 days a weekend you're expected to fend for yourself on weekends (and with no kitchen this = expensive eat our or takeaway options). have you checked how many meals will be available? If they will be every day? Have you checked the times that the meals will be available? You may be out studying or with friends, or at work. What will you do during these times if you can't get your catered food? It may end up costing you a lot. So be sure to look into this.

You'll be surprised how much free time you will have in first year, even with studying law (I've known quite a few who studied law at various unis). Most still had a job in first year.

Anyway to help us better help you, it would be advisable to let us know exactly how much loan you are getting +accommodation costs + other estimate costs you think you will have.

I think three meals a day are offered everyday and if I don't spend the money in food halls I can spend it at campus coffee shops, for example. In total I'm currently entitled to £10200 in loans and bursaries and I've mainly been using this to estimate
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/support/moneyadvice/living.aspx

Reply 12

OP

Original post by SophieSmall

I wouldn't take figures straight off their website. Tailor them to what actually applied to you.

Tv License for example. Highly unlikely you'll have to pay it. Most student accommodations come with a TV licence for the communal area of the flat. You only have to pay it if you play to stream live TV in your room (and really who is going to know?) or install a TV in there to watch TV.

Social memberships will depend entirely on how many you join/ if you join and whether they require you to pay membership. Not all of them do.

Do you already pay your own phone bill/ will your parents expect you to once you move out? You can get much cheaper phone contracts than that, mine is £11 a month, and it's more than enough (unless you talk on the phone a lot).

£175 a week for accommodation strikes me as very high for Birmingham, I assume that is the catered cost?

Are the travel costs accurate for your situation? Is the accommodation close to your uni buildings (walking distance)? Are you planning on travelling home a lot?

Even still with over 10k in loan and bursary, you have more than enough if you choose. But if you choose to live lazily or with more luxury than your means you will struggle. But even still, you get far more money than a lot of students who still make it work.

You absolutely CAN afford university, it seems you may be choosing not to.

I will not be receiving any financial help from my family.

I will be traveling home often which is about £40 on the train. Yes the figure above is catered. Self catered is about £140. The social figure includes going out as I intend to go to concerts and clubs in my free time. I will be paying my phone bill myself. I could try to learn to cook but the food I eat at home is not really easy to source cheaply, because of all the spices and ingredients used. Also the cost off all kitchen utensils and cutlery are also quite expensive which may make self catered more expensive (in some cases).

I thought I was currently living economically I guess not and so I'll have to cut a lot of things out my life.

Reply 13

Original post by Safmitchell

I will not be receiving any financial help from my family.

I will be traveling home often which is about £40 on the train. Yes the figure above is catered. Self catered is about £140. The social figure includes going out as I intend to go to concerts and clubs in my free time. I will be paying my phone bill myself. I could try to learn to cook but the food I eat at home is not really easy to source cheaply, because of all the spices and ingredients used. Also the cost off all kitchen utensils and cutlery are also quite expensive which may make self catered more expensive (in some cases).

I thought I was currently living economically I guess not and so I'll have to cut a lot of things out my life.

A lot of people don't receive financial help from their family and can still make it work. I get no financial help from my family and live on 3k less than you will be getting, I make it work just fine. It's about priorities and living within your means. Not necessarily living how you are used to.

Honestly it sounds like you need to get some of your priorities straight and figure out what you actually need and what is a luxury.

Start up costs for kitchen ware and utensils absolutely do not have to be high if you are not fussy. I paid £2 for a 16 piece stainless steel cutlery set in Wilko, still going strong 4 years later. Wiko also do things like spatulas and ladles cheaper than £1. They also do a simple plain white Crockery set (16 pieces (4 bowls, 4 plates etc) more than you need for round £6 or £7. You can even ask your family if you can take any spare pots or pans with you, most households have spares.

You can buy spices in bulk, especially cheap in asian supermarkets, something Birmingham has a lot of. And you should not need to purchase them that often if you buy them this way. You also don't have to eat the same stuff you eat at home by default. You could try new things.

Either way, whatever way you slice this. 10.2k is more than enough to live on as as a student.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 14

Len Goodman

Original post by Safmitchell

If I go to Birmingham I'll get a bursary of £2000 and the maintenance loan £8200

£550 deposit on accommodation
£145.50 TV licence
£175 per week for rent (42 weeks)
£3 per week toiletries
£5 per week laundry
£21 per week travel costs
£50 social/memberships
£30 per month phone
~£40 per month clothing

Figures based off of the Uni website
Plus any additional unexpected expenses

Sunshine, the cheapest accommodation at Birmingham is £85 per week, less than half of what you have stated. I don't know why you've just gone straight for the luxury option and disregarded everything else.

The key to student life is to compromise, compromise, compromise. If you can't afford exactly what you want then you'll have to lower your expectations a bit.

Plus all this stuff about not being able to cook is nothing but pure laziness. Do you really want to be living off of nasty processed junk for the rest of your life?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 15

OP

Original post by Len Goodman

Sunshine, the cheapest accommodation at Birmingham is £85 per week, less than half of what you have stated. I don't know why you've just gone straight for the luxury option and disregarded everything else.

The key to student life is to compromise, compromise, compromise. If you can't afford exactly what you want then you'll have to lower your expectations a bit.

Plus all this stuff about not being able to cook is nothing but pure laziness. Do you really want to be living off of nasty processed junk for the rest of your life?

Most of the university students I know who are in self catered planned to cook every meal and in reality they are living off of ready meals and takeaways.

Reply 16

LadyBunion

10

Just from a "parent of 2 at Uni" 's point of view - mine get the minimum loan (? £3820 a year) and I pay for their self catered accommodation. They tell me that they have money left at the end of the year from the loan.

probable differences are:
- using PAYG smartphones - £20 to buy, occasional £10 top up
- don't drink (well not much anyway)
- wouldn't spend £40 a month on clothes
- £175 is pretty expensive for anywhere outside London
- kitchen utensils / crockery and cutlery - all bought in asda or morrisons or IKEA - plenty of bargains
- and Poundland is very good for all the cleaning stuff etc

Reply 17