Cost of going to Uni in London
Discussion
Tonight's bombshell is that eldest son has just dropped the L bomb on us with respect to his university choices
He is of fairly sound mind and although his first choice of course is available in more Yorkshire friendly cities cost wise I get where he's coming from as I lived there myself when I used to be young
and its a great place to beSo whats the deal when it comes to studying in London these days?
I lived there as a scummy flat sharing 20 something myself but am aware that things have got a bit stupid price wise since I left
UK course fees are constant and he's shouldering these himself anyway but its mainly rent which concerns me
He has a thing for Imperial which just has to be the geographical epicentre of stupid price wise
Does anyone have kids currently studying in London?
If so where broadly do they live - bedsits shared with 7 others on Broadwater Farm arent what I want to hear - and what kind of rent is to be expected for a 'student' let?
Any other relevant comments welcome
Cheers
My son is at UCL.
Between working in a pub and a bit of top up from me, he has about £200 a week spending money to cover living expenses including food, internet, mobile phone, heat and power etc.
He lives rent-free in one of my properties (at an opportunity cost to me net of any tax I'd have paid) so I can't help with direct rental costs. That flat is in Primrose Hill and he lives there year round. PH is pleasant but not crime-free (junkies from Camden Market come over for easy pickings) and there was a stabbing there last week. However, he walks to and from college which is a considerable weekly saving.
It is also a two bedder but he doesn't share. If I charged him rent and he shared I'd guess that it would be costing him £25k for a year, which does not compare too badly with the student market if you avoid the really rough places.
If you are looking at the student rental market, I'd estimate that, on the basis of a 36 week rental year, you'd be looking at around £20k.
UCL's own accommodation is eye-waveringly expensive and most is quite poor quality (so bad as to be the subject of various rent strikes over the years) but expect around £240-500 pw for a room in shared accommodation in the private rented sector.
Between working in a pub and a bit of top up from me, he has about £200 a week spending money to cover living expenses including food, internet, mobile phone, heat and power etc.
He lives rent-free in one of my properties (at an opportunity cost to me net of any tax I'd have paid) so I can't help with direct rental costs. That flat is in Primrose Hill and he lives there year round. PH is pleasant but not crime-free (junkies from Camden Market come over for easy pickings) and there was a stabbing there last week. However, he walks to and from college which is a considerable weekly saving.
It is also a two bedder but he doesn't share. If I charged him rent and he shared I'd guess that it would be costing him £25k for a year, which does not compare too badly with the student market if you avoid the really rough places.
If you are looking at the student rental market, I'd estimate that, on the basis of a 36 week rental year, you'd be looking at around £20k.
UCL's own accommodation is eye-waveringly expensive and most is quite poor quality (so bad as to be the subject of various rent strikes over the years) but expect around £240-500 pw for a room in shared accommodation in the private rented sector.
Yep, my son is at UCL (near Euston).
The campus' halls in first year were £6k p.a. For years 2 & 3 he's been in shared digs. 5 of them in an ex-council maisonette just around the corner where his share of rent is £9,800 per year. The quality of accommodation is very poor but he (and his house mates) see it with different eyes. They are more concerned and excited about what's in their neighbourhood than with the mould in the shared bathroom, the broken fridge, etc.
We (Mrs WB & I) got the landlord to remove the dilapidated furniture and stained/saggy mattress from his room before the rental started and we then got Ikea to deliver bed & mattress, desk, bookshelves and cupboard - about £300 worth of flat-pack. Luckily the room has a hard floor (easy to clean) and we had spare rugs and lamps.
Looks quite presentable now.
Add to this £9k for fees and £5k living (drinking) costs and you're looking at £20k in first year and £25k in each of years 2 & 3.
He could live with us as we live on the same Tube line about 30 mins away but he wanted the full student experience. To be fair, if I had gone to uni then I'd have wanted the lifestyle too. He is having a ball and makes use of living close to the Uni - he goes to lectures and studios (reading architecture) in evenings and weekends.
On the financial upside there is no need for a car in central London, nor anywhere to park it.
The cost of uni is so high unless you're lucky to be Scottish or Welsh. An alternative is to study in Holland (and Germany too I believe) where a lot of courses are taught in English and fees and living cost are so cheap - although Brexit will eventually close that door to UK students.
The campus' halls in first year were £6k p.a. For years 2 & 3 he's been in shared digs. 5 of them in an ex-council maisonette just around the corner where his share of rent is £9,800 per year. The quality of accommodation is very poor but he (and his house mates) see it with different eyes. They are more concerned and excited about what's in their neighbourhood than with the mould in the shared bathroom, the broken fridge, etc.
We (Mrs WB & I) got the landlord to remove the dilapidated furniture and stained/saggy mattress from his room before the rental started and we then got Ikea to deliver bed & mattress, desk, bookshelves and cupboard - about £300 worth of flat-pack. Luckily the room has a hard floor (easy to clean) and we had spare rugs and lamps.
Looks quite presentable now.
Add to this £9k for fees and £5k living (drinking) costs and you're looking at £20k in first year and £25k in each of years 2 & 3.
He could live with us as we live on the same Tube line about 30 mins away but he wanted the full student experience. To be fair, if I had gone to uni then I'd have wanted the lifestyle too. He is having a ball and makes use of living close to the Uni - he goes to lectures and studios (reading architecture) in evenings and weekends.
On the financial upside there is no need for a car in central London, nor anywhere to park it.
The cost of uni is so high unless you're lucky to be Scottish or Welsh. An alternative is to study in Holland (and Germany too I believe) where a lot of courses are taught in English and fees and living cost are so cheap - although Brexit will eventually close that door to UK students.
WizzBang said:
The cost of uni is so high unless you're lucky to be Scottish or Welsh. An alternative is to study in Holland (and Germany too I believe) where a lot of courses are taught in English and fees and living cost are so cheap - although Brexit will eventually close that door to UK students.
And don't forget the very generous bursaries/scholarships which some of the better American universities offer (especially to those with particular talents). Even with only tuition fees remission, it can work out cheaper for a UK student to go to Harvard etc than to study in London/Oxford/Cambridge.
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