Uni Minister Jo Johnson says NO to my letter asking 'please be honest & ...

badmemory wrote: »

I, and I am sure most people, can see no reason why students and their parents cannot be told the expected parental contribution.

There is no expected parental contribution, only a fine for having rich parents. If you don't make a big deal about the fine then everyone is happy.

We live in a post truth world, I wouldn't expect them to offer up some actual truth when there is no real demand for it as it might shock people into expecting it in the future.

BobbinAlong wrote: »

My daughter lived with my high earning ex and so only received the minimum allowance in the first year. Instead of finding out how the system worked (doing that would be beneath him as he thinks he knows everything!) and giving her the additional money she desperately needed, he paid her tuition fees for the year. Despite part time jobs she ended the year owing much of her accommodation fee and has only managed to pay off that debt two years after finishing uni.
Her brother started uni around the same time but was living with me as a single parent, very average wage earner and got the full allowance and managed well from day 1. Both went to smaller town universities well away from London.
I have always said that students should be given the full allowance and the difference recouped in taxation, either on both parents or as a graduate tax or just added to the normal student loan repayments though many will never pay especially if they work abroad.

If you and your children's father are divorced, your daughter could have used your information on her application. It's a shame that her father didn't make more of an effort, as despite saving her some debt in the long run it's not a good situation to be in short-term!

Living abroad does not affect student loan repayments; you have to repay 9% of anything over 21k earned, here or in another country. You'd be surprised how dogged the government will be in trying to recoup the loan money. Makes a change from their attitude to the super-rich and large corporations ...

I do wonder if giving everyone the same amount regardless of parental income would be a better system. Yes, those with high-earning parents would be better off on average, but equally university should give everyone equal opportunity to earn the same wage, e.g. I should be able to apply for that 50k/yr job just as much as someone from a more affluent background.

Besides that, MSE calculations showed that low earners pay back more on their student loans than higher earners due to the interest the loan accrues and the rate at which they pay back the loan. A problem that continues to exist is that we don't live in an ideal world and that students from more affluent backgrounds will still go on to earn more than their less affluent counterparts. Perhaps a graduate tax would indeed be more effective (set % of income over 21k + inflation for life).

i.e. instead of paying back 9% of income over 21k until the loan is paid off or 30 years has elapsed, have them pay a lower percentage but for a longer period of time (regardless of how much loan was taken, or if one was taken at all). That way, low-earning graduates aren't being financially penalised compared to those who can afford to pay off their student loans quickly, or who have the benefit of rich parents who can finance most of their costs of university.

Just some stray ideas!


Lingua