Maintenance Loan not enough?

University is essential for those that want a career where you need a degree, particularly an accredited one (as is so in my case). It's sure isn't a "luxury" either; students (should) go to university to get an education. As it is you said yourself that the reality is without a degree, there's going to be a lot of difficulty making a living.

I understand where you're coming when you say it's unfair for parents to have to pay for uni when their child is 18+ therefore legally responsible for themselves, but you forget that families that do have higher incomes anyway tend to have more stability and support from family. Because despite your age, that doesn't change. Your family is your family (if you have one) whether you're nine or nineteen. For those that have families with a higher income they usually have higher standards of living regardless of disposable income. For anyone that has a poor family, or even no family, they do not enjoy that same comfort. Partly the reason why they get more from Student Finance than richer students. The other is it's ridiculous for student finance to personally meet with every applicant to determine what amount they're going to need and whether they're going to spend that loan/grant wisely or not. It isn't a perfect system but it does try to accommodate for those that have so much less than others.

Also, your last statement does you no favours. If they are on lower incomes but have been able to make better savings perhaps it says something about how your parents spend their money?

Bottom line - If your family has a higher income you (more often than not) will enjoy a much higher standard of living. It's not always about how much disposable income a family has at the end of they day. Besides, if someone wants to complain about the people on low incomes/benefits not being able to sort themselves out, then they can just as rightly complain that rich parents not supporting their children because they "can't" is most likely because they're incapable of managing their own finances (like, maybe, choosing somewhere affordable to live) and they also need to sort themselves out.

Yet the child of the parents who don't work or have low paid jobs will not suffer because the government will supplement their studies at a higher rate than the child of higher paid parents that have higher outgoings because they don't get cheap housing or tax credits? That child will be punished for her parents not 'sorting themselves out' yet the other will be rewarded.
once again, is that fair?

I'm not saying that that's fair. I'm pointing out things a lot of people have either have not realised or neglected to mention.

Ultimately, it remains that the richer kid has enjoyed a more comfortable life than someone who is poorer. Have costs for uni supplemented pales in comparison to the hardships experienced by families on low/no incomes due to circumstances outside of their control.

Besides, those parents you mentioned that have higher outgoings because they don't get cheap housing (again, a choice) or tax credits? They have the money to pay for it because they get paid more.

I can understand where someone comes from saying that someone families/students abuse the financial support they get from SF/the government and therefore shouldn't get they get. What I can't understand is when you're parents earn plenty yet they don't have any left over to spare for uni.

I'm applying for my halls & student finance at the moment... only a slight problem. My parents earn too much for me to get anything but the basic £3,600 loan yet my halls alone will be £3,800.

My parents do have extra money to spare to help me with Uni, to the tune of £10,000 over the next three years. Added to my £3610 LOAN, that equates to around £7,000 per year. Not enough to live on and pay my £5000 rent, the cheapest halls, so I plan to get a part time job. I accept this, it is only fair, after all, I am the one who will benefit in the long run.
What I don't accept is the fact that my neighbour, who has the same house as mine, gets over £9000 per year, half of which she will NEVER have to pay back, and will not have to get any job to support her studies. Why am I being penalised because my parents contribute to the countries finances whilst my neighbours Mother doesn't and never has?

Well, I can't really comment now can I considering I don't personally know the neighbour in question nor their circumstances. It could very well be that their home is their only small comfort in a life of hardship or it could be they're taking a huge advantage of the system. Like I said, I can't comment because I don't know.

The reality is harsh. I, for example, will have to take out the full maintenance loan and grant (which means I'll actually be paying back more loan than you) and this is literally going to have to be the money I live off of for the next few years unless I get a job. I do not have the comfort of going home every holiday to save on rent at uni, I do not have the comfort of my family providing financial support because I have none and I won't be able to afford living on £7.2k for a full year, let alone term time. So you see how it actually isn't that bad for you? And assuming I meet my offer this summer, the job I hope to get after completing my degree means that I won't be part of the cohort that isn't paying back their full £9,000 a year tuition fees.

Life isn't fair on anyone, but you make do with what you can until things change. There doesn't exist an easy solution that takes into account every possible circumstance of every possible applicant.

Well, I can't really comment now can I considering I don't personally know the neighbour in question nor their circumstances. It could very well be that their home is their only small comfort in a life of hardship or it could be they're taking a huge advantage of the system. Like I said, I can't comment because I don't know.

The reality is harsh. I, for example, will have to take out the full maintenance loan and grant (which means I'll actually be paying back more loan than you) and this is literally going to have to be the money I live off of for the next few years unless I get a job. I do not have the comfort of going home every holiday to save on rent at uni, I do not have the comfort of my family providing financial (or any other kind) support because I have none and I won't be able to afford living on £7.2k for a full year, let alone term time. So you see how it actually isn't that bad for you? And assuming I meet my offer this summer, the job I hope to get after completing my degree means that I won't be part of the cohort that isn't paying back their full £9,000 a year tuition fees.

Life isn't fair on anyone, but you make do with what you can until things change. There doesn't exist an easy solution that takes into account every possible circumstance of every possible applicant.

Really? We can afford millions to be in the EU just to be dictated to. We can afford to give money to counties with a better economy than ours because ''it's the right thing to do'' (and I'm quoting Cameron there)! We can afford all of these Immigrants and the people that want to live on benefits. But we can't afford t help people that are striving to make this country better?!

Never once did I say that things were bad for me. I don't think that they are at all. I'm happy to get a job to supplement my maintenance loan and whatever my parents can give me, I have worked part time for the last four years so that I can pay for my own things.
My bugbear is that those that get the full grant and full maintenance loan don't have to. On top of their grant and loan they will get bursaries up to £3000 per year from their chosen university if they or their parents household budget is below a certain level. There is nothing wrong with this except that it means that it will get to the point where only the very rich or the very poor will be able to go to university because it won't get cheaper, that we can all guarantee.

Really? We can afford millions to be in the EU just to be dictated to. We can afford to give money to counties with a better economy than ours because ''it's the right thing to do'' (and I'm quoting Cameron there)! We can afford all of these Immigrants and the people that want to live on benefits. But we can't afford t help people that are striving to make this country better?!

Yet the child of the parents who don't work or have low paid jobs will not suffer because the government will supplement their studies at a higher rate than the child of higher paid parents that have higher outgoings because they don't get cheap housing or tax credits? That child will be punished for her parents not 'sorting themselves out' yet the other will be rewarded.
once again, is that fair?

No it won't. It hasn't got to this. Why do you think this will happen in the future?

I get where you're coming from. I just think that the poorest families need an incentive to allow any academic kids they have to go to university if they want to.

That's a very persuasive point.

But, you're making an assumption that the child from a moderately wealthy background should be 'entitled' to higher education, whereas I don't think that's the case. I think it's a gift. I also think that it's something that parents should be responsible for funding a decent proportion of.

You could say that about school lunches. If some parents (who don't qualify for free school meals) choose not to pay for their child's lunch money at secondary school, then that child suffers because the child eats nothing when he/she is at school.

But you wouldn't say this, because it is expected that parents take into account that they'll have to fund their child's lunch or send them with packed lunch. So parents think about their spending, making sure that they can afford to provide for their child.

I think in a similar way, I think parents should anticipate the high expenditure of their child going off to university, and make plans beforehand if needs be.

GET SERIOUS HELP!

Why are you so jealous of people who come from hard working families. I'd rather my taxes went to grants for uni students than immigrants!

Why are you classifying immigrants with people who want to live on benefits? v.v

So people who don't earn over £60k a month aren't hardworking?...wow...