AIBU To judge parents who refuse to pay their contribution to student maintenance loan at Uni?

[ThunderandPharoah]

Have got some friends who are not going to stump up for their parental contribution when their DD starts Uni this year. Can't help thinking that this is a pretty low thing to do as they are not exactly short of money. Would you judge?

Yes, nobody suggested people weren't aware itwouldtake, merely wondered how exactly this squares with your views.

My view is that if you borrow money you should make every effort to pay it back. If you borrow money from a source that could sell your debt then you still pay it back. I fail to see what difference there is in who holds the chit?

Too many people go to uni these days, and whilst I understand the good intentions behind the move to expand uni education, the reality is that most of the extra students are just mediocre middle class kids. There's not really any more social mobility than there was in the 80s (first in my family to go to uni here)

I thought the whole point of going to university was to get the better jobs. The jobs that need a university education and a degree

fullfact.org/education/about-17-students-are-forecast-fully-pay-back-their-loans/

This forecasts that it is 17% that will pay back the loan

I think atm it Is only 15%

I thought the whole point of going to university was to get the better jobs.

This makes me so sad.

Really itwould?!

There's a whole host of reasons why education and degrees should be valued which have nothing to do with job prospects. Education on its own should be enough of a reason.

People should feel they can do a degree in whatever excites them/that they're passionate about. Sadly (and I can understand why) people are often thinking that they like X subject but it doesn't really lead to a job so they better study Z instead.

Education on its own should be enough of a reason

Coupled with a £30-50,000 bill at the end and it begins to look more like a self indulgent vanity project.

Yes @vulpine

I thought the whole point of going to university was to get the better jobs

This makes me sad too

Most 18 year olds I would say want to go to University because they are away from home and it is Party Time.

The others want to go because they think it will get them a better paying job

In dds peer group and those that she knows who are older. Not one person went to university purely to study a certain subject.
I think those that do are in a tiny minority.

If all these 18 year olds actually thought about their careers and their financial futures I think there would be many universities that wouldn’t survive.

Should say at least 5 of dds peers that we know of have dropped out in the first year purely down to seeing Dd earning and in jobs that according to the job description need to have a degree.

Part of the loan amount is based on parents income.

I don't think it should be. They are 18 year old adults, some don't even live at home anymore, some moved out at 17, why would their parents be expected to pay for uni? Are an 18 year olds parents expected to contribute money to anything else an adult chooses to do, to dentistry work or anything else? No, so why would their income be taken into account here.

But then I don't agree with tuition fees anyway, but heyho

should only rich kids become doctors

In years gone by only rich kids could afford to go to university.

And that's so wrong we should be living in a meritocratic society where those who are able to do a certain job or study a certain course to become dentists or doctors or surgeons are able to, regardless of whether they are poor.

In dds peer group and those that she knows who are older. Not one person went to university purely to study a certain subject.

Perhaps that's more of a reflection on her peers....

But then I don't agree with tuition fees anyway, but heyho

The fee loan does NOT depend on parental income - all students are entitled to it even if their parents earn millions a year.

titchy
We have had threads on here about university open days where children have not been impressed about the amount of partying and alcohol that seems to be a way of life at uni.

We have had threads on here about university open days where children have not been impressed about the amount of partying and alcohol that seems to be a way of life at uni.

How do children know how much partying and alcohol happens by visiting on an open day?

Anyway, about 20% students are teetotal. There are much more alcohol free events than there used to be as well.

I am a carer for my parents so on a very low income, I have never received CMS as ex H disappeared off the face of the earth after an acrimonious divorce when DD was 10 and DS was 4. Presumably he is either hiding under a rock or moved abroad as CMS could not trace him.

My partner and I have been together many years but are not married, he had debts to pay off from before we met and his own children to support as well as our mortgage/bills, as such his outgoings were high despite his good salary. When DD went to uni she only qualified for the basic maintenance loan because of his salary which did not cover her rent yet alone food etc.

She was completing a course at a uni that does not encourage students to work as they have an immense workload and often have supervisions swapped about at short notice including weekends so any free time was different every week. She was also only resident for 10 weeks each term and we could not afford rolling rent so she had to move in and out of her accommodation at the beginning and end of each term. This made part time jobs impossible to get. She put her name down for in college bar jobs etc but their was always a wait list and was unsuccessful.

She secured work in her first year summer break, her second year summer break involved paid internships in London which meant her money earned went on rent and food.

I couldn't contribute towards DD's shortfall in finances as I simply didn't have the means. DP was great and said even if we lived hand to mouth we had to help DD with this opportunity and he paid for her rent, college charges and books each year (£5000) and she lived off her loan (worked out at about £75 p/w).

It really was a financial stretch and we breathed a sigh of relief when she graduated. There were some sticky patches like when our boiler broke down when we were really panicking.

Our situation has now thankfully considerably improved so we are saving money each month for when DS goes to uni next year.

The system has lots of flaws and basing an adult students loan on a household income that includes salaries of people who may have no financial responsibility towards that student is unfair. I have a friend who had to postpone moving in and marrying her partner for 7 years until her DC had all graduated. I have no idea how people with multiple DC's at uni at the same time cope either.