Page 6 | It's normal to have a student loan isn't it?

elliejjtiny · 2026-07-11T16:11:14+00:00

Dc1 and dc2 have student loans as we did at university and most of my friends did. I think there was one girl whose parents paid for everything and then bought her a flat at the end of university but she was the only one. We visit them, take them out for dinner and do a food shop. I've found out a relative has saved enough money for their children to go to university without having to pay anything and then enough for a house deposit. The dc aren't even teenagers yet. That's not normal is it?

Recyclingbinday · 10/08/2026 10:30

SugoRose · 10/08/2026 10:26

85-90% of students take out a student loan so it’s more than normal.

The real question is whether loans should be given out in the first place. If someone has picked a subject that means they will never pay back what they’ve borrowed they should have to self fund or not go to uni at all.

This would bring tuition fees down for STEM and medical students who are likely to pay it back.

How would it bring down fees for STEM and medical students? Their fees are the ones least likely to cover their costs.

Pacificwave · 10/08/2026 10:55

ohbutyes · 10/08/2026 10:08

The fact that they're 'foreign' is less relevant than the fact that the Times states they are not 'planning' to earn enough to pay back any of the loan. That puts them in the same category as many UK-born students who take the loan but aren't 'planning' to earn enough to ever start paying it back.

There is no checkbox on the loan application to ask "Do you plan to earn more than minimum wage after graduating?". In many/most cases they might aspire to earn more but can't.

Show quote history

It’s all part of how unserious and un analytical we are about this problem and what needs to be done to tighten up the program so that our higher education system is sustainable and serves the students who will go on to be the backbone of this society, paying taxes and raising children in the UK.

ohbutyes · 10/08/2026 11:20

Pacificwave · 10/08/2026 10:55

It’s all part of how unserious and un analytical we are about this problem and what needs to be done to tighten up the program so that our higher education system is sustainable and serves the students who will go on to be the backbone of this society, paying taxes and raising children in the UK.

Show quote history

That's a sweeping statement.

I agree the system needs to be tightened up to minimise the number of loans going to people who won't even begin to pay them back - but I can see that work is already being done on that. It's not just about targeting people who may be exploiting the system. Its also about targeting HEIs that provide low quality qualifications, and about providing alternative pathways to employment, like apprenticeships.

Pacificwave · 10/08/2026 13:26

Basic principles tend to be “sweeping statements.”

I do agree that higher education needs a top to bottom audit. Many things are out of whack due to second order consequences that should have been nipped in the bud.

Notanorthener · 10/08/2026 14:26

poundshopkardashians · 10/08/2026 07:02

This thread is cracking me up, it’s so skewed. The ‘it’s cheaper that school fees’ brigade - only 7% of kids go to fee paying schools, so this affects very few people. Dd is at Durham which has the biggest proportion of private school kids but even so, most of her friends are living off loans and not mum and dad (she is in one of the hill colleges where most of the kids were from ‘normal’ family backgrounds where finding 20k a year to pay for uni is not the norm)
OP nearly everyone takes both loans out - this thread is full of wealthy people.

I posted the official figures upthread. 18% don’t take the loans they are entitled to (a combination of those who take neither and some who take only tuition loans or only maintenance loans.) I commented that it will be interesting to see whether the % of those only taking tuition loans grows as these are most likely to be people staying at home and going to their local uni - those tend to be some of the poorest students as going away to uni requires a parental/extra contribution even if you get full maintenance loans.

ohbutyes · 10/08/2026 20:14

Notanorthener · 10/08/2026 14:26

I posted the official figures upthread. 18% don’t take the loans they are entitled to (a combination of those who take neither and some who take only tuition loans or only maintenance loans.) I commented that it will be interesting to see whether the % of those only taking tuition loans grows as these are most likely to be people staying at home and going to their local uni - those tend to be some of the poorest students as going away to uni requires a parental/extra contribution even if you get full maintenance loans.

Show quote history

It's not just about wealth - some Muslims won't take out student loans because the accrual of interest is incompatible with their interpretation of Islamic law.

Myskyscolour · 10/08/2026 20:19

IlovedLadybirdbooks · 10/08/2026 09:47

Not sure what you point is?

I'm refuting the claim - made several times on this thread - that those who don't take out loans keep quiet about it. Some do, some don't.

DD doesn't care how you feel. She thinks her housemates would benefit from at least trying to find a job. They certainly don't spend more time studying or socialising than DD does.

What is it to do with her if her flatmates are looking for a job or not? She (or you?) sounds jealous but of course you will tell us that it is not the case, she is v happy to have to work in addition to studying, she is so glad nobody is paying for her etc. Right.

ohbutyes · 10/08/2026 20:25

Pacificwave · 10/08/2026 13:26

Basic principles tend to be “sweeping statements.”

I do agree that higher education needs a top to bottom audit. Many things are out of whack due to second order consequences that should have been nipped in the bud.

Your sweeping statement implied nothing was being done. The DfE is already tackling some of the problems, including the alleged exploitation at the heart of that Times article, and the current Government are reviewing the student loan system. I think all party policies from right to left say they want to reduce the number of low value degrees and increase the number of apprenticeships. Everyone recognises that the Blair-era targets for HE expansion have had some unforseen negative consequences.

IlovedLadybirdbooks · 10/08/2026 21:08

She (or you?) sounds jealous

😂oh that MN trope!

she is v happy to have to work in addition to studying, she is so glad nobody is paying for her etc. Right.

Don't you have a work ethic? Don't you enjoy having a full, balanced life? Weren't you capable of studying, getting excellent grades, socialising, having a boyfriend and a part time job? It's not difficult. And where did I say nobody is paying for her? Nowhere.

A 21 year old student is really getting under your skin ...

Recyclingbinday · 10/08/2026 21:19

IlovedLadybirdbooks · 10/08/2026 21:08

She (or you?) sounds jealous

😂oh that MN trope!

she is v happy to have to work in addition to studying, she is so glad nobody is paying for her etc. Right.

Don't you have a work ethic? Don't you enjoy having a full, balanced life? Weren't you capable of studying, getting excellent grades, socialising, having a boyfriend and a part time job? It's not difficult. And where did I say nobody is paying for her? Nowhere.

A 21 year old student is really getting under your skin ...

A lot of projection going on there me thinks.

IlovedLadybirdbooks · 10/08/2026 22:05

A lot of armchair psychology too.

But, yes, it's normal to take a student loan.