SIXTH-FORMERS are seriously underestimating how much they will spend on alcohol at university, says a report out today.
School leavers expect their parents to contribute a combined £442m to their term-time living expenses during the first year of university alone, the Royal Bank of Scotland study found.
Overall, the generation starting higher education courses this autumn are underestimating the cost of university life by about £110m, the bank's Financial Realism Report said.
The biggest reality gap was found in students' estimates of what they will spend on alcohol.
Sixth-formers said they expected to spend an average of £186.30 on alcohol during a university term.
But a recent poll of current university students found their actual spending on drinks each term reached an average of £274.
The study found school leavers heading for university in Aberdeen were most likely to underestimate their university expenses, potentially finding themselves £660.50 short every term.
