Should I move out or commute
Hey everyone i am seeking any advice about accommodation in London
I have recently been wanting to move out for uni, and i was originally going to stay home (i live in zone 6, about 1hr 15 away from my firm uni UCL). However ive only just been able to convince my parents to let me leave home. Although I am unsure if this is a good idea as i am running out of time, will have no financial support from my parents and minimum maintenance loan. I really want to move out for first year and return home for 2nd and 3rd, although i dont know if i can afford it. (Ps my parents are saying my brother will take my room and if i were to return i would have to take his - this is really keeping me from going as his room is tiny and has no room for a desk which i would need for commuting to uni and doing a degree! also the walls are very thin and i can hear my parents bedroom very clearly if u know what i mean, which i cannot deal with and i am traumatised 😭)
I have no savings, no experience with work, no financial support (apart from student loans) - should i still leave and return back in a year? Should i stay and keep my room and commute? Is a part-time job enough to sustain me for a year in London, whilst enjoying the uni halls life? I have no idea what to do and i am running out of time as student finance deadline is may 16 - has anyone been in a similar situation to me, or could offer me any advice? This is all just feeling like a lot with my 1st a level exam in 3 days
Thank you so so so much
I have recently been wanting to move out for uni, and i was originally going to stay home (i live in zone 6, about 1hr 15 away from my firm uni UCL). However ive only just been able to convince my parents to let me leave home. Although I am unsure if this is a good idea as i am running out of time, will have no financial support from my parents and minimum maintenance loan. I really want to move out for first year and return home for 2nd and 3rd, although i dont know if i can afford it. (Ps my parents are saying my brother will take my room and if i were to return i would have to take his - this is really keeping me from going as his room is tiny and has no room for a desk which i would need for commuting to uni and doing a degree! also the walls are very thin and i can hear my parents bedroom very clearly if u know what i mean, which i cannot deal with and i am traumatised 😭)
I have no savings, no experience with work, no financial support (apart from student loans) - should i still leave and return back in a year? Should i stay and keep my room and commute? Is a part-time job enough to sustain me for a year in London, whilst enjoying the uni halls life? I have no idea what to do and i am running out of time as student finance deadline is may 16 - has anyone been in a similar situation to me, or could offer me any advice? This is all just feeling like a lot with my 1st a level exam in 3 days
Thank you so so so much
Reply 1
Hi @Snagroll, sorry you're going through this, even reading it I can see you're going through a lot.
Living away from home is a really great part of the uni experience, but you're right in that it doesn't come cheap. Have you had a sit down and gone over your finances to see how much your student loan would cover and how much you would have to pay for yourself? That will be the biggest indicator of whether you can afford to move into halls. Remember you'll need to pay rent and then have enough over for food and other things.
I think the best thing for you to do at this point is reach out to someone at your school- perhaps a teacher, someone involved in the UCAS process or a member of staff you trust. I would also reach out to UCL whether that's the admissions or finance team (probably admissions) to see if there is anything they can do, for instance scholarships or bursaries. I would make a decision based on what they all say and if your maintenance loan can cover accommodation costs and you still have a bit left over.
I hope this helps but let me know if you want more guidance. I've got my fingers crossed for you that this gets sorted!
Living away from home is a really great part of the uni experience, but you're right in that it doesn't come cheap. Have you had a sit down and gone over your finances to see how much your student loan would cover and how much you would have to pay for yourself? That will be the biggest indicator of whether you can afford to move into halls. Remember you'll need to pay rent and then have enough over for food and other things.
I think the best thing for you to do at this point is reach out to someone at your school- perhaps a teacher, someone involved in the UCAS process or a member of staff you trust. I would also reach out to UCL whether that's the admissions or finance team (probably admissions) to see if there is anything they can do, for instance scholarships or bursaries. I would make a decision based on what they all say and if your maintenance loan can cover accommodation costs and you still have a bit left over.
I hope this helps but let me know if you want more guidance. I've got my fingers crossed for you that this gets sorted!
Reply 2
Original post by Snagroll
Hey everyone i am seeking any advice about accommodation in London
I have recently been wanting to move out for uni, and i was originally going to stay home (i live in zone 6, about 1hr 15 away from my firm uni UCL). However ive only just been able to convince my parents to let me leave home. Although I am unsure if this is a good idea as i am running out of time, will have no financial support from my parents and minimum maintenance loan. I really want to move out for first year and return home for 2nd and 3rd, although i dont know if i can afford it. (Ps my parents are saying my brother will take my room and if i were to return i would have to take his - this is really keeping me from going as his room is tiny and has no room for a desk which i would need for commuting to uni and doing a degree! also the walls are very thin and i can hear my parents bedroom very clearly if u know what i mean, which i cannot deal with and i am traumatised 😭)
I have no savings, no experience with work, no financial support (apart from student loans) - should i still leave and return back in a year? Should i stay and keep my room and commute? Is a part-time job enough to sustain me for a year in London, whilst enjoying the uni halls life? I have no idea what to do and i am running out of time as student finance deadline is may 16 - has anyone been in a similar situation to me, or could offer me any advice? This is all just feeling like a lot with my 1st a level exam in 3 days
Thank you so so so much
I have recently been wanting to move out for uni, and i was originally going to stay home (i live in zone 6, about 1hr 15 away from my firm uni UCL). However ive only just been able to convince my parents to let me leave home. Although I am unsure if this is a good idea as i am running out of time, will have no financial support from my parents and minimum maintenance loan. I really want to move out for first year and return home for 2nd and 3rd, although i dont know if i can afford it. (Ps my parents are saying my brother will take my room and if i were to return i would have to take his - this is really keeping me from going as his room is tiny and has no room for a desk which i would need for commuting to uni and doing a degree! also the walls are very thin and i can hear my parents bedroom very clearly if u know what i mean, which i cannot deal with and i am traumatised 😭)
I have no savings, no experience with work, no financial support (apart from student loans) - should i still leave and return back in a year? Should i stay and keep my room and commute? Is a part-time job enough to sustain me for a year in London, whilst enjoying the uni halls life? I have no idea what to do and i am running out of time as student finance deadline is may 16 - has anyone been in a similar situation to me, or could offer me any advice? This is all just feeling like a lot with my 1st a level exam in 3 days
Thank you so so so much
Hi there,
in my opinion I would not move out, I do not think it is financially feasible based on your situation and I do worry about how working part time to make rent, or to pay for food or commuting, will take away from the time you take on your studies and impact your grades. Upon returning from living out, if you were to do so, you would not have room to study and would probably lose money commuting to libraries nearby to find somewhere quiet.
Living out (and living the "uni life") can be a good experience however it does come at a cost. Remember, your main motivation for uni is to get a good grade at uni. Moving out and living at uni should not come at the expense of your grades.
If you really want to live out, try and see if their are any bursaries/scholarships you can get to ease this. However, based on what you have said, I do not think moving out is the best idea because on top of maintaining decent grades, you will now have to worry about paying rent, bills, commuting costs, food (and having time to make it yourself if you don't already do so!) and this will impact your grades. Also, being a commuter student does not mean you miss out on events or anything really - and more students are choosing to commute because of the cost of living crisis, especially as maintenance loans can be so low that they barely cover rent.
I really hope this gets sorted!
Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)
Reply 3
19
Have you not considered staying at home for the first year. At least then you can see if it is workable from the point of view of travel and studying at home. If living at home doesn't work then you can tell your parents that you have to move out for years 2 and 3.
If you live out in year one then you may not want to go back home and may go back to a situation that is just unworkable - like being caught in limbo.
Also maybe see in that first year if it is possible to hold down a part-time job and cope with your studies. If it's not then you know you have to live at home and commute.
One of the drawbacks of studying in London are the prohibitive costs which is why a lot of students don't even consider London.
If you live out in year one then you may not want to go back home and may go back to a situation that is just unworkable - like being caught in limbo.
Also maybe see in that first year if it is possible to hold down a part-time job and cope with your studies. If it's not then you know you have to live at home and commute.
One of the drawbacks of studying in London are the prohibitive costs which is why a lot of students don't even consider London.
Reply 4
Snagroll
OP
6
Thank you all so much this was very helpful. I have considered staying home and moving out 2nd year - although halls at ucl are only open to 1st years. I have calculated i would need to make at least 9k to move out - is this feasible for a part time job as a student? Thank you so much
Reply 5
Original post by Snagroll
Thank you all so much this was very helpful. I have considered staying home and moving out 2nd year - although halls at ucl are only open to 1st years. I have calculated i would need to make at least 9k to move out - is this feasible for a part time job as a student? Thank you so much
As of 1st April 2025 the minimum wage for 18 to 20-year olds is £10. Say you saved your money from a part-time job entirely for uni, that's 900 hours of work you'd need to do.
•
At 10 hours a week, this would take around 21 months
•
At 15 hours a week, this would take around 14 months
•
At 20 hours a week, this would take around 11 months.
So I think it's going to have to be at least 20 hours a week of work. I worked 20 hours a week in my final year, and I wouldn't recommend it but it might be manageable in the first year, though your social life and grades might take a hit. I would recommend finding a job with a solid set of hours a week and then potential to do more during the holidays. My friend works at Bella Italia and worked like 30 hours from Thursday - Sunday this week and got tips, so that might be a good place to start?
Reply 6
You need the rent money up front usually payment for each term. Work all summer would help. Talk to admissions but normally bursaries are for low income households. It’s rubbish the way student finance works. Defer UCL for a year to earn the money is another option. Apply to another uni through clearing that is cheaper to live - Leeds/Sheffield another option. Sorry but your parents sound controlling/manipulative I would want to get out
Reply 7
Original post by Snagroll
Hey everyone i am seeking any advice about accommodation in London
I have recently been wanting to move out for uni, and i was originally going to stay home (i live in zone 6, about 1hr 15 away from my firm uni UCL). However ive only just been able to convince my parents to let me leave home. Although I am unsure if this is a good idea as i am running out of time, will have no financial support from my parents and minimum maintenance loan. I really want to move out for first year and return home for 2nd and 3rd, although i dont know if i can afford it. (Ps my parents are saying my brother will take my room and if i were to return i would have to take his - this is really keeping me from going as his room is tiny and has no room for a desk which i would need for commuting to uni and doing a degree! also the walls are very thin and i can hear my parents bedroom very clearly if u know what i mean, which i cannot deal with and i am traumatised 😭)
I have no savings, no experience with work, no financial support (apart from student loans) - should i still leave and return back in a year? Should i stay and keep my room and commute? Is a part-time job enough to sustain me for a year in London, whilst enjoying the uni halls life? I have no idea what to do and i am running out of time as student finance deadline is may 16 - has anyone been in a similar situation to me, or could offer me any advice? This is all just feeling like a lot with my 1st a level exam in 3 days
Thank you so so so much
I have recently been wanting to move out for uni, and i was originally going to stay home (i live in zone 6, about 1hr 15 away from my firm uni UCL). However ive only just been able to convince my parents to let me leave home. Although I am unsure if this is a good idea as i am running out of time, will have no financial support from my parents and minimum maintenance loan. I really want to move out for first year and return home for 2nd and 3rd, although i dont know if i can afford it. (Ps my parents are saying my brother will take my room and if i were to return i would have to take his - this is really keeping me from going as his room is tiny and has no room for a desk which i would need for commuting to uni and doing a degree! also the walls are very thin and i can hear my parents bedroom very clearly if u know what i mean, which i cannot deal with and i am traumatised 😭)
I have no savings, no experience with work, no financial support (apart from student loans) - should i still leave and return back in a year? Should i stay and keep my room and commute? Is a part-time job enough to sustain me for a year in London, whilst enjoying the uni halls life? I have no idea what to do and i am running out of time as student finance deadline is may 16 - has anyone been in a similar situation to me, or could offer me any advice? This is all just feeling like a lot with my 1st a level exam in 3 days
Thank you so so so much
Hey! First off, I just want to say I completely understand where you're coming from, being a student myself, I know how overwhelming it can feel when everything is suddenly on your shoulders. The maintenance loan can definitely feel minimal, especially once you're hit with the reality of rent, bills, food, travel, and everything else that comes with moving out. It’s a lot to take in, and it's totally valid to be stressed about it.
You mentioned possibly getting a part-time job, and honestly, that’s a great idea. While it might not cover all of your living costs, any income is better than no income, it really does make a difference in my opinion.
The key is making sure the job is manageable alongside your studies so that it doesn’t create academic stress. There are often roles at university that are flexible and designed specifically for students. I know my university offer flexible roles such as being a Student Ambassador, so it could be worth looking into.
Also, just to reassure you stress is completely normal, especially at a time like this. University brings a lot of big decisions and uncertainty, and I can only imagine how much harder this is while also gearing up for your A Level exams. You're juggling so much right now, so give yourself some credit. Wishing you the absolute best with your exams, you’ve got this!
Just to share my own experience, in my first year, I lived at home too. Then in second year, I moved into privately-owned accommodation, and I now work part-time as a Student Ambassador and as a Digital Support Technician at my university. The job helps cover some fees, and because it's flexible around my studies, it works really well for me. So based on that, I'd say having a part-time job is definitely something worth considering so long as it fits around your schedule and does not impact your studies.
Whatever you decide, just know that you're not alone in feeling like this, and you’re already doing great by reaching out and thinking it through properly. Good luck with everything!
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 8
Snagroll
OP
6
Thank you all - but I think i realised its not a good idea for me to move out, and maybe next year i will try get a flat with friends/ try go to halls. This is primarily because i also didn’t know about the upfront £400 deposit i would have to pay for a room within a week which I dont have, and the semester payments which i am not sure if i could make that much over the summer. I may be able to have a better social life commuting anyways as i would have no money left for entertainment and going out with friends, which i could if i stay at home. I definitely would have liked to move out but it just feels very unrealistic now. Thank you everyone so much
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