1. A good education
ispriceless
But howmuchwillitcostyou?
This brochure was last reviewed in September 2013. Please confirm with your financial adviser that this is the most
up-to-date document for your product or servicing needs.
2. The rising cost
of education
No parent questions the value of a good education. It’s the stepping-stone
to a satisfying career and a self-sufficient future. It has a real economic value
too as graduates tend to be higher earners.
Unfortunately that value comes at a cost to parents and grandparents.
2
It pays to study the maths
More and more children go on to university,
which means the state is less and less able
to provide for them without significant help
from parents. In the UK, grants no longer
exist, fees have sky-rocketed, and loans can
turn into huge debts.
The Push University Guide predicted that
average debts may have reached £53,000
for UK students starting in 2012, double the
figure for the previous year.
Even if fees are capped, there’s the rising
cost of their accommodation, computers,
transport and food to consider. If your
children are young now, those costs could
rise to over £100,000 for three years of UK
university education.
And if you’re considering educating your
children privately the news isn’t any better.
The 2013 Independent Schools Council
survey shows school fees in the UK rose by
3.9% in 2012. Fees for UK private schools
average £12,153 a year for day places and
£27,612 for boarders.
If you aspire to the very best, the figures are
even more dramatic. American Ivy League
colleges cost around $40,000 a year, and
that’s just the fees*. A figure that could easily
treble by the time your children leave school.
Don’t they grow up fast?
When your children are young, university or
even secondary school seem a lifetime away.
But they come round quickly.
Careful planning for your children’s university
education can help cover the costs and
spare them a debt created by high fees and
increasing costs of day-to-day living. It’s a
debt that could take them up to 30 years to
pay back and seriously affect their ability to
afford a comfortable lifestyle in the future,
debt free.
Acting now will make a big difference. The
cost of living is continuing to erode your
saving power, so the sooner you plan, the
more you can save.
*Source: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2012
3. 3
You can’t predict what kind of education
will be right for your child. If you’re reading
this, the chances are you expect them to go
to university and before that, perhaps a fee-
paying school.
The one thing you can predict is that costs
will have risen considerably by the time your
children start. The question is: by how much?
What will your
children’s education cost?
University tuition fees for 2012
Fees detailed below give you an idea of the vast difference in
educational costs around the world.
University Country Annual Domestic Annual International
fee (US$) fee (US$)
Cambridge UK 14,000 - 16,000 24,000 - 26,000
Edinburgh UK 2,000 - 4,000 22,000 - 24,000
Imperial College London UK 14,000 - 16,000 38,000 - 40,000
Oxford UK 12,000 - 14,000 30,000 - 32,000
Swansea University UK 14,000 - 16,000 20,000 - 22,000
Harvard US 38,000 - 40,000 38,000 - 40,000
Washington State University US 8,000 - 10,000 20,000 - 22,000
Yale US 40,000 - 42,000 40,000 - 42,000
Australian National University Australia 6,000 - 8,000 26,000 - 28,000
University of Melbourne Australia 8,000 - 10,000 34,000 - 36,000
Indian Institute of
Technology Delhi India < 2,000 6,000 - 8,000
United Arab Emirates University* UAE 8,000 - 10,000 8,000 - 10,000
National University of Singapore Singapore 6,000 - 8,000 12,000 - 14,000
University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 8,000 - 10,000 14,000 - 16,000
Source: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2012
*All figures are for undergraduate courses. For United Arab Emirates University, the only prices available are
for graduate courses.
4. 4
Whatever educational path your children
follow in the future, it’s unlikely to be a cheap
one. Even a standard education comes at a
price now. And if your children have a unique
talent that needs a more specialist education,
the costs can be very high indeed.
Being clear as early as possible about the
sort of education your children will require,
will hopefully put you in a much better
financial position to save the desired sum
to cover the costs.
Talk to your financial
adviser for objective advice
Speak to your financial adviser about your
education goals and Royal Skandia’s range of
products available to you, all designed to help
meet your investment objectives.
Whatever you do, don’t put this off. Delaying
your education savings plan by just one year
can have a dramatic effect on the end sums.
For your protection
As the Isle of Man based arm of Skandia
International, Royal Skandia is a leading
provider of innovative offshore savings
products and market-leading solutions for
investors all over the world. During our long
heritage in this market we have built an
enviable reputation for technical excellence,
both locally and internationally.
In short
• Don’t look to the short term in education. Fees now will be vastly more in 10 years’ time
• Don’t forget living expenses, these can virtually double the yearly cost of fees.
• Don’t make assumptions about the sort of education path your child will choose.
Be prepared for every eventuality.
• Talk to a financial adviser about Royal Skandia’s range of investment products.
• Relax knowing you’ve done your best for your children.
Be clear about
your objectives
5. 5
be clear about
your objectives
• Do you know what sort of education will suit your children best? Are they
likely to want to go to university? Do they have special talents that need
nurturing at a particular kind of school?
• Is the system changing where you expect to send your child? The recent
rise in the cost of UK university fees on top of increasing living costs took
a generation of parents by surprise.
• Do you have a savings plan in place? Is it enough to combat the impacts
of inflation and low interest rates as well as rising education costs?
• Are you confident that your savings are in an economically stable
environment? How do you keep control of them against different tax
regimes and widely varied national laws?
The questions
parents need to answer
6. SK8482/INT13-0610/September 2013
www.skandiainternational.com
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Royal Skandia Life Assurance Limited is registered in the Isle of Man under number 24916C.
Registered and Head Office: Skandia House, King Edward Road, Onchan, Isle of Man, IM99 1NU, British Isles.
Phone: +44 (0)1624 655 555 Fax: +44 (0)1624 611 715.
Authorised and regulated by the Isle of Man Insurance Pensions Authority.
Royal Skandia is a member of the Association of International Life Offices.
Skandia International, part of Old Mutual Wealth, is the international group of companies which provides offshore and cross-border
investment solutions.
