On one hand, I remain astonished that parents don’t look ahead the point where their child will be 18 and consider uni costs, when it’s widely known how expensive it is. Would people really approach retirement and only consider their pension once in their 60s. Actually do t answer that....we know lots of people do it.....but it’s daft and we all know that.
On the other hand, I think awareness that many students won’t be able to borrow the full whack for living costs isn’t known. More needs doing so people are aware of it.....someone...the student through working or the parents will need to top up to the equivalent of the full loan.
Some families will never be able to contribute...fair enough. Others could if they planned ahead and re-prioritised some spending and I find it hard to understand why people with decent incomes don’t do at least a bit of that. If your kid is 14, their 18th birthday and possible uni is only 4 years off. In that time, some re_adjustments from a decent income in terms of cheaper holidays for a couple of years, telling kids to get a job to fund driving lessons themselves or perhaps delaying a new car or in the Ops case, reducing the extra curricular spend (not totally, just a bit) can mean some money out aside each month for those uni costs. People living on very low wages don’t have any scope to make these adjustments but people with good incomes do.....but don’t do it. It always surprises me.
Is it because people value the driving lessons or the big family holiday instead of cheaper one more than they value the education their child will have at uni? Or is it because they think their child should work during uni and pay....I get that a bit more as a view - it seems more thought out, than simply suddenly saying ‘oh you’re 18, I didn’t know there would be these costs and we can’t afford it’
We often think of those from really low income backgrounds not being able to go to uni and being really phased by the big debts incurred. Actually, lots of mid income families also seem to be leaving their children in the same position or probably worse, because the full maintenance loan isn’t available if their families earn more than the threshold. Perhaps then those children are out off applying by the prospect of working and studying or their families put them off or give very limited options they will help with such as local unis.
Just shows that these things are becoming more polarised. Some kids are strongly encouraged to go and apply to whichever course appeals most to them, whilst quite a chunk of others, including those from comfortable backgrounds are being faced with less choices because cost is a key factor in it all.
And then those same students will also find they haven’t got access to the internships or jobs in expensive areas or their families cannot give any support to post graduate study. It’s a great inequality and shame. But I do think that some families could plan ahead a bit more and provide some help to their children, but seemingly lots who could, don’t.