Worried about uni costs

Hi, so ive firmed going to a London uni and now im starting to get pretty scared if I get the grades and do end up going. Its been my dream to live in London for a while but now im seeing people especially in second year basically saying the finance isn't enough to afford to eat, rent etc. For context I am from Wales I get the min student finance with student fiance Wales + the grant they give us which I think is 1k (and u get a little more for London). I do plan on working as much as I can and I know my parents can support me if needs be but I dont want to be in the position where im constantly begging for help if you get me? If anyone has experience living in London for uni without a big trust fund and on the min finance or just insight on cost of living issues id really appreciate it. My insurance is in the north so I know id be a bit better off financially there but again ive put all my work into the prospect of being able to move to London after spending my life in a lovely but tiny welsh town.

I commute from home in London but have friends who live in and so could offer some advice.
Just a question. It is my understanding of SFW that you get a small grant and a large loan. Looking at the website, it suggests you would get £15,000 in total for living costs. Have I understood that correctly or are you choosing to only have the grant?
https://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/undergraduate-finance/full-time/tuition-fee-and-living-cost-students/what-s-available/

total is 14,415 for me

The absolute max that an English student can get living in London away from home is £13,762. That will be families earning less than £20,000 a year. For those with a family earning £60,000 (2 parents each earning £30,000, could be with a mortgage) would get about £6,800 I'm not sure on ths specifics.
With seeing people who are struggling to live in London, are they from Wales with SFW finance or are they from England/Scotland/Northern Ireland where there is much less financial support?
If you are worried about affording London with £14-15,000 a year, I recommend working out your budget.
How much does your accommodation cost? (You may have to pay utilities separately (especially in 2nd and 3rd year)
How much does travel cost?
How much would food cost in London (likely to be more expensive in Wales)?
What part time job can you get (uni work pays better but has less hours)?
You can also try and get a part time job over the summer for savings.
However, a lot of England students (I don't know about Scotland and Northern Ireland) live on £7,000 max with limited if any parental support as student finance does not take into account expenses or other children. London has people from both sides of the spectrum (those whose families earn very little and have max maintenance (obviously doesn't mean they are rich), those whose families earn £60,000 so kids have min maintenance but families cannot afford top up, kids on min maintenance but have parents who can top up to £13,000, and very rich international students.
I recommend having a detailed look at your finances and making a budget (when you have finished your exams).
Also, good luck for your exams.

In terms of tips for affording to live in London, other people will be able to share other advice (there are lots of threads about it), I recommend sign-up to Student Beans, Unidays, and Too Good to Go. They give you offers and discounts for food and more.
Try and pick an accommodation contract that is only as long as your course (i.e. don't get a 51 week contract if you are not doing nursing and/or not wanting to go home).
Make use of meal prepping and freeze meals. You can make a large batch with on offer food including meat and freeze portions to have at other points (also means you are likely to eat healthier). If you have a good relationship with your flatmates, you could do an online food order together so there is no delivery fee etc.
Get a 16-25 Railcard (£30 a year) and an Oyster card (£7). You can pair the railcard with the Oyster card and get 30% discount on tube off peak (after 9.30am and before 4pm and after 7pm). Off peak is also much cheaper. You can get an 18+ oyster card, but this isn't really work it unless you are travelling a lot so you travel enough for discounted travelcards to make sense (you need to be using £15 on TfL each day).
You can get coaches to Wales instead of trains or coaches anywhere (there are discounts for students).
In Year 2, you can move into a flat with housemates with can make it cheaper (but you need to look stupidly early, like November).
I hope these help you/anyone.

What country are these people from (when they say that student finance is not enough from living)? Because you getting £14K in maintenance loan is vastly different to the average Englishman, Scot or Irishman who's likely getting nowhere near that much money (i'm talking about a maintenance loan that probably won't even cover basic accommodation rent in London). So that might skew things a bit in terms of things being unaffordable.
Do you have an approximate estimate of your accommodation and transport costs? Then we can use Maths to work things out.

This thread has made me realise im probably reading info from students in a different position with loans so my stress was probably a bit uncalled for my accomodation is about £240 a week which is pretty insane but was actually one of the cheapest and it works out better because im right next to campus there so less travel costs and they have got a gym so no need to get a subscription! It might also be worth mentioning I am having a disability meeting soon while I dont need many accomodations hopefully things like printing (I tend to need things on paper) will be covered as well as anything else they deem necessary, due to my disability I will be walking/biking as much as I can as I struggle with public transport which is an annoying money saver haha. Once its confirmed that im going as I need AAA which im not sure if ill achieve or not (fingers crossed) ill work out the maths, draw up a budget and will probs hop back on TSR! thanks so much 🙂

How long is your contract? Also thank you for giving the cost of the accommodation, it helps a lot.
Assuming that it’s 39 weeks long with bills included:
Accommodation: £240x39= £9360
Money left after accommodation: £14415-£9360= £5055
Money for term time (assuming that you can go back home): £5055/9= £561.67p
If that £5055 is for 12 months: £5055/12=£421.25p
£561.67 or £421.25 a month is more than enough for me to live on without needing to get a job or parental support. Plus your parents are like mine and are willing to help (it means, at least for me that any money that I make from working can go straight into savings, yes every penny). I’m not budgeting either but I also don’t drink (I eat out often though), spend a crazy amount on public transport etc

Get a 16-25 Railcard (£30 a year)

Hi, so ive firmed going to a London uni and now im starting to get pretty scared if I get the grades and do end up going. Its been my dream to live in London for a while but now im seeing people especially in second year basically saying the finance isn't enough to afford to eat, rent etc. For context I am from Wales I get the min student finance with student fiance Wales + the grant they give us which I think is 1k (and u get a little more for London). I do plan on working as much as I can and I know my parents can support me if needs be but I dont want to be in the position where im constantly begging for help if you get me? If anyone has experience living in London for uni without a big trust fund and on the min finance or just insight on cost of living issues id really appreciate it. My insurance is in the north so I know id be a bit better off financially there but again ive put all my work into the prospect of being able to move to London after spending my life in a lovely but tiny welsh town.

Hi, so ive firmed going to a London uni and now im starting to get pretty scared if I get the grades and do end up going. Its been my dream to live in London for a while but now im seeing people especially in second year basically saying the finance isn't enough to afford to eat, rent etc. For context I am from Wales I get the min student finance with student fiance Wales + the grant they give us which I think is 1k (and u get a little more for London). I do plan on working as much as I can and I know my parents can support me if needs be but I dont want to be in the position where im constantly begging for help if you get me? If anyone has experience living in London for uni without a big trust fund and on the min finance or just insight on cost of living issues id really appreciate it. My insurance is in the north so I know id be a bit better off financially there but again ive put all my work into the prospect of being able to move to London after spending my life in a lovely but tiny welsh town.

Hi, so ive firmed going to a London uni and now im starting to get pretty scared if I get the grades and do end up going. Its been my dream to live in London for a while but now im seeing people especially in second year basically saying the finance isn't enough to afford to eat, rent etc. For context I am from Wales I get the min student finance with student fiance Wales + the grant they give us which I think is 1k (and u get a little more for London). I do plan on working as much as I can and I know my parents can support me if needs be but I dont want to be in the position where im constantly begging for help if you get me? If anyone has experience living in London for uni without a big trust fund and on the min finance or just insight on cost of living issues id really appreciate it. My insurance is in the north so I know id be a bit better off financially there but again ive put all my work into the prospect of being able to move to London after spending my life in a lovely but tiny welsh town.

Hi there,
Congratulations on getting into university, and on making your dream of living in London a reality!
I completely understand your worries managing money as a student in London. I had many of the same concerns before I moved. Although my loan payments were a bit higher, I still had to learn how to budget carefully and live within my means.
One of the most helpful things I did was create a monthly budget before moving. It doesn't have to be super detailed unless you find that helpful - even a rough outline based on estimated weekly spending is a good start. I adjusted mine a couple of weeks into the term once I had a better sense of my regular outgoings. This helped me keep on top of my finances and avoid unnecessary overspending.
Like many students in London, I wouldn't have managed without a part-time job. I worked 12-20 hours a week in retail, which gave me enough extra income to get by without cutting into my study time too much. It also gave me a break from uni work and helped me meet new people.
As mentioned in the thread, definitely take advantage of travel discounts. I used the 16-25 Railcard linked to my Oyster card - it doesn't make travel cheap, but it does help a lot with off-peak fares, especially if you're commuting to lectures.
When it comes to food shopping, try to do your weekly shops at a larger supermarket if you can. Smaller places like Tesco Express tend to be more expensive and often don't stock the cheaper alternatives. I noticed a big difference in my weekly spending when I made that switch.
Finally, try not to let money worries consume you. It's easy to get caught up in being tight with money, but don't let it stop you from making the most of your time at university. If it means spending a little more now and then for a meal out for a social event, that's okay. Enjoying the experience is just as important as sticking to our budget. It's all about finding a balance that works for you.
It's definitely doable - don't let the worries hold you back. If it's your dream, go for it!
Best wishes, ^Hannah

Hi, so ive firmed going to a London uni and now im starting to get pretty scared if I get the grades and do end up going. Its been my dream to live in London for a while but now im seeing people especially in second year basically saying the finance isn't enough to afford to eat, rent etc. For context I am from Wales I get the min student finance with student fiance Wales + the grant they give us which I think is 1k (and u get a little more for London). I do plan on working as much as I can and I know my parents can support me if needs be but I dont want to be in the position where im constantly begging for help if you get me? If anyone has experience living in London for uni without a big trust fund and on the min finance or just insight on cost of living issues id really appreciate it. My insurance is in the north so I know id be a bit better off financially there but again ive put all my work into the prospect of being able to move to London after spending my life in a lovely but tiny welsh town.

Hi, so ive firmed going to a London uni and now im starting to get pretty scared if I get the grades and do end up going. Its been my dream to live in London for a while but now im seeing people especially in second year basically saying the finance isn't enough to afford to eat, rent etc. For context I am from Wales I get the min student finance with student fiance Wales + the grant they give us which I think is 1k (and u get a little more for London). I do plan on working as much as I can and I know my parents can support me if needs be but I dont want to be in the position where im constantly begging for help if you get me? If anyone has experience living in London for uni without a big trust fund and on the min finance or just insight on cost of living issues id really appreciate it. My insurance is in the north so I know id be a bit better off financially there but again ive put all my work into the prospect of being able to move to London after spending my life in a lovely but tiny welsh town.