Can't help you with universities, but tuition was free at UK universities in the 1980s - fees only came in during the late 1990s (I was the last year of no fees in 1997). He would probably receive a maintenance grant from his local authority too. Mine didn't cover my battles (Durham for fully catered accommodation costs), but friends who were at university in the 1980s have told me it was much more generous and easy to get then.
I went to a British Uni in 1988 and at that point tuition was free and I got a Local Education Authority grant of £2,000 which was enough to cover my accommodation and (frugal) living expenses for the year. It was still possible in the early '80s to 'sign on' for Income Support over the summer holiday, too. Most students did do part-time and holiday work, too, but it wasn't essential.
Any of the Red Brick universities - they all have very solid and well-earned reputations in their fields but don't have the social cachet of Oxbridge or other older universities. Tuition would be free and he would have a student grant (plus parental support) for living expenses. They're all very good, take a lot of students, and don't have the poor reputations that the former polytechnics tended to have in the 80s.
In the 1980s tuition fees were paid by the local education authority, so most students were not even aware there were fees. There were also maintenance grants to cover the basic living costs. These were means tested, based on family income and expenditure
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My aero applications (made in late 1988) were Loughborough and Imperial. Imperial actually had lower requirements, but that might be because Loughborough couldn't be arsed to figure out the Irish equivalents for A-levels.
I was at Uni from 1975 - 1978, and I agree with what thismaz has said.
thismaz said The parents would be expected to make up the balance
This is true, but it should be noted that as far as I know, this is not legally enforceable, so it is perfectly possible for a student with comfortably-off parents to be a lot poorer than one whose parents have nothing. I knew of students in my own time, and at least one now amongst my son's friends, who were kept very short by their parents. This might be because the parents simply don't want to pay, but it should also be borne in mind that just because the calculations say that the parents should contribute, doesn't mean they can actually afford to do so.
he doesn't quite have the academic resume You haven't said whether your MC is actually British. If he is, that's not how he would describe the situation. I can't help with Scottish usage (their exams are different for a start), but in general in the UK we don't use the term résumé, we use cv. However, a school-leaver at that time would not have a cv at all,
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I was an electrical engineering student at Manchester uni from 1987 onwards. If I can be of help then please ask.
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thismaz said The parents would be expected to make up the balance
This is true, but it should be noted that as far as I know, this is not legally enforceable, so it is perfectly possible for a student with comfortably-off parents to be a lot poorer than one whose parents have nothing. I knew of students in my own time, and at least one now amongst my son's friends, who were kept very short by their parents. This might be because the parents simply don't want to pay, but it should also be borne in mind that just because the calculations say that the parents should contribute, doesn't mean they can actually afford to do so.
he doesn't quite have the academic resume You haven't said whether your MC is actually British. If he is, that's not how he would describe the situation. I can't help with Scottish usage (their exams are different for a start), but in general in the UK we don't use the term résumé, we use cv. However, a school-leaver at that time would not have a cv at all, ( ... )
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