I suspended my university studies (Leave of Absence) in December as my father’s in palliative care, because of this my student maintenance loan has been paused. This loan was what I was using to pay rent for my student house and because they demanded repayment for last semesters payout I’ve had to rinse my savings. Now this next round of rent (2k as I pay quarterly) is coming up and I don’t know how to go about making money quickly. I applied to multiple jobs all December but to no luck, there’s barely any postings on indeed and even when I go in person they tell me that they’re either fully staffed or to apply online. I refuse to make my parents foot the bill as they’re already struggling with hospital expenses. I don’t know how to go about getting a credit card as my score is 500s low (never used one) and if I’ll be able to get a decent one. I can’t leave the house as it’s a student house and it puts my other roommates in jeopardy until I can find a replacement tenant. Any advice would be much appreciated as I’m feeling really desperate
Edit: Timeline as I think people may be confused. Paid a quarterly rent payment of 2.3k start of semester 1 – this came from my maintenance loan. Suspended studies in December, had to repay back the loan as I’m not entitled to student finance until next academic year, now it’s January and second quarterly payment is due.
How do I meet rent this month?
byu/Usual_Ad_3373 inpersonalfinance
Posted by Usual_Ad_3373
5 Comments
Damn that’s rough, sorry about your dad. Have you looked into gig work like DoorDash or Uber Eats? You can start pretty much immediately and work around your schedule at home. Also check if your uni has emergency hardship funds – most do and they’re specifically for situations like this
A credit card wouldn’t help. You need income, plain and simple. Sell stuff too if you can.
Def need to find someone to rent your room. $2k a month is super high for any salary to cover
$2k a month in rent as a student? Jesus, why is your rent so expensive?
I lived in a larger overpriced apartment near a uni in a major metro area. It had 3 bedrooms and 2 other roommates several years ago and the total rent for all 3 people combined (adjusted for inflation in 2025 dollars) was $3000…so about 1k per person. I also lived in a small studio place for about $700 (2025 inflation adjusted). 2k per person sounds crazy. I have never rented anywhere that expensive in my life (even the 2 brs near me right now in a major metro are under $2k).
Unless you live in some super expensive area like the heart of a city, you might be getting ripped off.
Find a roommate asap. If you have a landlord, ask them to find a tenant and break the lease because you have no money. If you have no money, then they can’t get blood from a stone.
There are no secret ways to make money. You can’t open new credit cards without means to pay it back, why would a financial company offer such a thing?
You need a job, or you need to re-enroll in school. If neither of those are possible, then you need to find somewhere else to live. Can you move in with friends or family?
> I refuse to make my parents foot the bill
Sure you can, you just don’t want to. If they can afford it, then it’s a viable option. Or else you move in with them, or you go homeless?
> I can’t leave student housing
Again, yes, you can. And at some point you will be kicked out for non-payment.
You’re in a crappy situation, and you’ll have to make some tough choices.