Should NRP pay maintenance if their child goes to uni

[timelord92]

Just a general discussion about university and maintenance.

Is it fair that it stops when the child is 18 and goes to university? To a lot of people they are still children and still learning.

However, to the government they are adults now and therefore are old enough to support themselves, even tho how much loan they receive is determined by what the parents earn.

What are your thoughts?

I think maintenance should stop and both parents should arrange some sort of financial support to the student, inline with what ever they can afford (which for some may be nothing). Students should be encouraged to get part time jobs and take some financial responsibility for themselves.

@Hellohah might be a shock to you but grants don't exist anymore, in very extreme cases there may be some.small bursaries from the university. A full loan is a huge amount that will attract a lot of interest unlike the old system. Your DC might need help from their NRP.

thegreylady

I didn't think uni counted as full time education? for example child benefit stops even if at uni

Maintenance for the rp should stop at 18. A Student is an adult and should be able to manage their money by then. Presumably they got some advice & did their budget before they signed up for the course.
If parents can afford to help with rent then that’s great but many can’t. I worked all the time I was an undergrad, mostly bar work, so by graduation and a full time job, I had plenty of customer service experience. It all adds to the cv.

Haha, MrsStowman
DS's dad does everything he can to avoid paying maintenance now, not a cat in hells chance he's is going to contribute to university when he doesn't have to 😂😂

One of my children has just left university and the other is currently at university. I disagree that students get enough to live on through the student loan. When worked out on a weekly basis my children receive approx £80 per week. That is fine, but their rent is roughly £100 per week with bills on top and that is without buying food. I have paid for both my children's rent which is £450 per month. This is not money I had spare but have had to make cuts and go without holidays etc to make it work. Both my children were/are doing degrees that the universities "advised" us that the workload was such that they preferred that the students did not have part time jobs during term time.

@Seniorschoolmum so did I worked throughout, but my tuition fees were £1200 a year not over £9000 and my rent was considerably cheaper than it was and maintenance grants existed. Students now have none of that. The T&C's on my loan we also a lot more favourable than the current system. It's more of a struggle for them now even if they do work, which I agree they should.

@Hellohah there are reasons someone is an ex right... 😁

@Hellohah the student loan system is based on household income, so your son’s loan will be assessed based on your income. However if you have a new partner it will also take their income into account if you live together.

@AamdC I think it was clear I was talking about 23 yo's that are still in full time education 

full time education or not, receiving maintenance at age 23 is ridiculous imo.

enough people already go to uni and do fuck all for three years to waste a bit of time before they actually have to work for their own money, you're just encouraging that!

@flamingofridays I take it you didn't go to uni, you sound quite angry at those who do. I've worked from 15, part time term time, full time holidays. I took a year out between sixth form and uni to work full time and save as much as I could, I then got a good degree that's allowed me to do the job I do which helps and protects an awful lot of people and couldn't be fine without my degree. But don't worry stick to your assumption that I did fuck all for three years just to put off working. I'm not a rare case, lots of people have done similar.

nope, I didn't.

I am not angry at all about people who go to uni, do a degree that's worthwhile and then end up in a good career, and of course, plenty of people do this.

I said "enough" people go to piss about for three years, not "all"

you seem very defensive.

@flamingofridays nope, I want to encourage (usually) absent fathers to support the children they made whilst the mothers still are. Most people I know were supported during studies by their parents. The government expects it.

My daughter graduated 18 months ago. Even will a part-time jobs she needed support from me and her Dad. We both have her money directly. University is very expensive now.

kaytee not everyone can support their (adult) children - absent or not.

When I turned 18 (still at college) my dad stopped paying maintenance, my mum still had house, feed me etc. I had a weekend job which funded transport to college and things I needed to buy for university. I was lucky that my student grant/loan was just about enough to live on but didn't leave spare to give my mum any money in holidays. I had a part time job to start with but my course was very full on. I looked for work in holidays but this was hard to come by where I lived. My mum was fantastic but it was a struggle for her. My dad never offered any help for me or her and this hurt me as I felt he had abandoned me (don't see him much now anyway).

I think both parents should support if the student needs it.

Hell no! Why should the NRP be subsidising the RP? I think where possible both parents should support their DC financially at university but as far as maintenance is concerned I definitely don't think it should be paid.

As maintenance to the RP: no
As a fair contribution to being at Uni: yes, why not?

The amount you can borrow is dependent on parents income and maintenance is calculated into that equation. It's reasonable though to give it straight to the child. You still need a home in the holidays whilst at university so if maintenance is stopping, you should expect to provide 50% of their living costs outside of term time too!

They shouldn't no. The government are right on this.

If they wish to continue to support their child with direct payments to them (to help cover rent, tuition, books etc oh and of course clothes, booze, maybe even worse...) then that's fine.

The RP doesn't need the money any more frankly as i) if child is at halls, shared house etc they are living there typically 30-39 weeks a year and ii) they are now an adult, so if RP is desperate for money during the holidays they should encourage them to get some temporary work and pay some board.

At that age too if the NRP doesn't wish to help out with uni costs etc, they are likely to face the consequences if DD/DS decides they don't want to keep in contact etc.

The amount you can borrow is dependent on parents income and maintenance is calculated into that equation

Surely it's not counted? I thought student finance only went off taxable income?

Yes student loan is calculated against taxable household income. They don't ask about maintenance.

Since the amount of student loan depends on household income, it is quite obvious that the government expects parents to support their children through university. The loan available is insufficient, even supplemented by a part time job. One would hope that both parents step up to that expectation.

CM is expected to be divided 50/50 between the child and the resident parent, since it is they who will continue to house and feed the child during the holidays (June to October in many cases, plus Christmas).

Unlikely to be until 23, as some pp have suggested, because the expectation is for their first degree only, although I suppose it could be the case with medicine. That would all be negotiated as part of the divorce settlement.

Urban in my experience this 8s wrong: Accommodation at uni is usually 12 months a year unless you have halls
DDs student lets were all for 9 months and she had to get out over the summer.