Uni costs

[WeepySheepy]

This came up on another thread and I didn't want to detail it for OP. So I just found out that my income could end up being counted when they are assessed for help with uni fees. Does this mean I am obliged to help fund their uni?! How come my income isn't taken into account when they are kids and then all of a sudden I might be expected to hand over my money to them when they are old enough to leave home?!

the kids are losing out due to the choices of their parent. yes this is true. But they are also gaining me paying part the mortgage so DH has more to spend on them now so I'm not paying for them when they are adults too.

Fair enough.
I do think life would be so much simpler for so many people if legally parents were responsible for their own children financially and step parents were never part of the equation. So having step DC meant that parents couldn't reduce CB paid to their own DC but also don't have their wage taken into account for step DC uni costs.
And really no parent, step or biological should be expected to financially support adult children. The help we give them should be bonus, for nice extras at university, not necessary to pay the rent!

@NailsNeedDoing

Yes, you are expected to contribute, and morally you have to really. Your step child will be entitled to take out significantly less in loan because of your income, so unfortunately you living with them means that they are at a huge financial disadvantage unless you make up for it.

Erm no actually op isn't morally have to pay for SC uni fees. Are you crackers ?

The SC has two parents. It's up to them provide for the child they created and unless SP was there when the parents created this life and agreed to financially supporting SC for uni.

If a SP wants to pay towards the uni fees they are most welcome but they aren't morally obligated to.

Just because the systems broken due to a load of political mumbo jumbo.

I put myself through uni, I would never have a entitled mind set to think my sp should have to.

It's not about thinking your sp should pay for you to go to uni. It's about the fact that the student cannot borrow the full amount from the state based on the step parent's income'. It's the state which is expecting the resident parent and step parent to pay, not the student. They are just the poor bugger caught in the middle.

I'd argue it's the student and the step parent caught in the middle. I expect it destroys a lot of carefully built relationships.

Yes, I agree with that too. It's a really bad policy

I'm going to see if there's a petition to sign to get it changed

You are not being obliged to fund your DSCs uni costs.

As a consequence of your income they will get less loan, then their DF needs to decide whether he funds what is required. If he wants to take it out of your joint finances then that is a discussion for you both to have.

This is not the childs or the Exs fault.

@SmileySandwich this isn’t about uni fees. All students can receive a loan for their uni fees regardless of the income of their house. It’s about their maintenance loan to cover their living expenses and rent. Students with a low household income can borrow about £11k but those with the highest is about £4k. In those circumstances the parents are expected to provide the shortfall of about £7k. This is the position I am in and if I didn’t provide the shortfall then DD would lose out and would not be able to borrow more and how would she live? My situation isn’t complicated by step children though.

This is not the childs or the Exs fault. it's not the stepmums fault either

never said it was the SMs fault - she does not need to be involved in it. It is between her DP and his EX to work out how they fund it.

If the argument is that he has less monies to put into the new house/family - this was the same with maintenance if it was paid. It also the same as when more DCS come into the new family and the maintenance drops - the shortfall is picked up by the EX.

It is not vindiictive to SMs.

What and how a parent plans to do towards financing his or her child's higher education is among those many things that should be discussed before marrying anyone who has a child.

The Federal financial aid system in the States is predicated on the principle that primarily responsibility for funding a dependent student's education ( dependent is defined by the government as being under the age of 24, being unmarried, not a veteran or ward of the state, and not having a dependent of your own for whom you provide a documentable 50% or more of your dependents support) is the primary obligation of the student's parents.

The government is totally indifferent to the parents willingness to assist in this process and parents cannot be legally compelled to assist. However, the parents' income determines whether the student qualifies for grants/gift aid and the amount of type of loans for which the student will qualify.

Students who have parents with high incomes and an unwillingness to assist them are at a decided disadvantage. It is not uncommon to see parents who desperately want their children to have access to opportunities that they themselves did not have be willing to go into considerable debt to try and provide these opportunities to their children. Some parents take a you are an adult approach and distance themselves from the process. Sadly, for aid eligibility purposes, the Federal government does not view a student as an adult at age 18 or upon graduation from high school.

The decisions made are often tied to the parents' hopes, dreams, and aspirations for their children. Those who want more for their tend to find ways to do more even if it means putting themselves in debt.

The thing is, every situation is different.
The term step parent mean different things to different people.

It can be the resident parent's recently formed relationship, but it can also mean someone who has had the role of parents for 18 years at the point the student goes to university.

If student finance and the amount you can borrow is going to be based on parents income (and whether it should or not is a whole other debate) then it is difficult to pinpoint what every different, individual family's circumstances are, and "money that comes into the house the young person is living in" doesn't seem any less reasonable than any other way.
Obviously a lot of folk on here are replying with strong views because of their own circumstances, but, choosing to live with a new partner that has teenage children is a massive decision for lots of reasons, just as much as deciding not to live with the biological parent is massive - and very valid - but a National system is always going to have individuals who would be better off if it were done differently, and then, if it were done differently, then it is just other people that would then be penalised.

It's counted if they live with you, and you are their main adress. Otherwise not.

Although your income is taken into account when assessing the amount DSC can borrow YOU as the step parent are not expected to make up the shortfall but the parent you are married to is.

Your income assumes that their parent has smaller outgoings as it is assumed that you contribute to the household outgoings thus leaving the parent with a higher disposable income and thus reducing the amount their child can borrow.

In reality if you have joint finances it does mean you are chipping in.

@SD1978
In the states it is for the Federal Government,, the custodial parent and their spouse whose income is considered. The government does not ask if student lives in your actual house nor do they care about the step parent's willingness or intention to contribute to the cost of education.

It is not a system that particularly places anyone in a good position. For those deemed to be low-income , there usually is not enough aid that the student on their own can receive to fully fund the cost of college , and students whose parents have more resources but are unwilling to contribute, find themselves in an even less desirable position.

The only students in a good spot are those students whose parents either have enough resources and are willing to cover the cost or those students whose parents care enough to be willing to go into considerable debt to make the education possible.

Students would be better off if the government would consider the 18 year old as an adult and allow them to borrow an amount sufficient to cover the cost of higher education. This would not impact students whose parents can and are willing to pay , but it would assist those students where either the resources or willingness to assist is not a part of their equation.

This is why I don't live with my partner. We both have 2 children. If we lived together only us would be expected to provide the top up for all 4, not my ex husband (who has already stated at 18 he is done) or my SC's mother. All children would get the low loan rate/amount and no other child would factor in to that calculation.

It's unfair but something we had to factor in when making the decision as to whether to live together

If student finance and the amount you can borrow is going to be based on parents income (and whether it should or not is a whole other debate) then it is difficult to pinpoint what every different, individual family's circumstances are, and "money that comes into the house the young person is living in" doesn't seem any less reasonable than any other way.
Obviously a lot of folk on here are replying with strong views because of their own circumstances, but, choosing to live with a new partner that has teenage children is a massive decision for lots of reasons, just as much as deciding not to live with the biological parent is massive - and very valid - but a National system is always going to have individuals who would be better off if it were done differently, and then, if it were done differently, then it is just other people that would then be penalised.

Yes it does seem less reasonable than "parent's income". For what reason should it take into account the income of people that live with their parent? Why should it be assumed that person is contributing? It could be anyone!