Is EMA Fair???

Oldernotwiser

rev_henry wrote: »

I do think this problem of parents not paying their fair share is an issue though. The reason you don't get as much in the way of uni grants is because the government deem that your parents can make up the difference. When they don't it does result in those from higher incomes being disadvantaged financially in real terms.

It's always been like this, even back in the dim and distant days of grants. If parents don't choose to support their children then there's nothing to be done to make them and I don't see how there could be, actually.

patchwork_cat

The one point that we are not addressing is why the income of a parent is taken into account when assessing funding for an adult at University. Is it not ludicrous that a parent's income is assessed for a final year Medical student who is 22/23 at least? At 22 a parents income should not be used, to this end the loans system is fairer than the old pure grants system. I didn't receive a grant and nor did my DH, in his last six months of Uni my DH's father refused to pay his covenant! ( did relent eventually) With loans this would not have happened.

To answer that is the way it has always been is not valid, just because it has been so for a number of years doesn't make something right!

bestpud

The system now is actually fairer for students from well off families with parents who refuse to support them.

Under the old system, they had to pay their tuition fees if their parents refused to provide financial details, or were assessed as needing to contribute and refused. Universities could do nothing to help those students and some probably ended up dropping out or not starting.

At least now everyone gets the tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan. Yes the maintenance loan may not be the full amount but they can at least use it towards living costs rather than fees!

Oldernotwiser

patchwork_cat wrote: »

The one point that we are not addressing is why the income of a parent is taken into account when assessing funding for an adult at University. Is it not ludicrous that a parent's income is assessed for a final year Medical student who is 22/23 at least? At 22 a parents income should not be used, to this end the loans system is fairer than the old pure grants system. I didn't receive a grant and nor did my DH, in his last six months of Uni my DH's father refused to pay his covenant! ( did relent eventually) With loans this would not have happened.

To answer that is the way it has always been is not valid, just because it has been so for a number of years doesn't make something right!

I was just making the point that parental contributions are nothing new, not necessarily saying this is right.

On the other hand, if this means that students from lower income homes can be better funded (as they are), I don't really see the problem with parental assessment. With the number of students that now go to university, giving everyone the same amount of funding really isn't viable.