University Fees and Finance
The cost of putting your son or daughter through a university education can be a daunting prospect for parents, particularly in the light of increased tuition fees. Tuition fees are in the news headlines at the moment and it’s an important to consider fees and what help there might be available when applying to university. The University of Glamorgan’s fees are £7,500 for Foundation Degrees and £9,000 for full Honours Degrees. What your child will actually pay depends on where they live at the time of application and what course they are doing. Each course has a tuition fee calculator which will give you an indication of what the cost is. The University also offers bursaries and scholarships which are non-means tested and offer significant support for accommodation costs.
While there is no doubt that going to university can be expensive, it is important to think what practical steps your son or daughter could take to meet the cost of university life?
From the first day of university, it is important that students quickly master the skill of managing their money. To give your son or daughter a head start, we spoke to second year Medical Sciences student, Sarah, to find out what money advice she would give to future students. She says, “Once you get into a routine at university, sit down and calculate a weekly budget for all of your living costs. Take this money out of the cash machine at the start of every week and try to stick to it so that you can monitor whether you are overspending and cut back if necessary.” Sarah appreciates that this can be challenging at times, “The biggest difficulty is seeing what seems like everyone else going out every night and eating out every day, but you really have to remind yourself that it is not the same people all the time, it just seems that way. I try to keep track of how often I eat out or go out, and when making plans with friends I try to space them out into separate weeks if possible.”
While your son or daughter is researching different universities, help them to start identifying extra ways of meeting the cost of university life. Part-time work while they are in university or in the holidays is a great way for students to save some extra cash and also boost their CV.
Sarah explains, “I have a part-time job at home in the summer which helps me save lots of money. During term-time I also earn some extra money but working for the University as a student ambassador, and helping out in various University events such as International Welcome Week and Freshers’ events.” It’s worth looking for work opportunities within the University such as in the Students’ Union or work placement opportunities.
