The inequity of the Student Loans system

Which system do you prefer.

More than half of UK students working long hours in paid jobs | Students | The Guardian

"Experts said that the lack of maintenance support was creating a two-tier higher education system, with a widening divide between students who need to work long hours to survive while their better-off peers are free to concentrate on their studies and improve their grades."

The old grants system meant that those from poorer backgrounds got more cash - that they didnt have to pay back - and that those from wealthier families got limited cash that their better-off parents had to top-up..

Which system do you prefer.

Students from lower income families end up paying back far more loan than others - simply because they have had to borrow more. That works like an extra tax on those kids in their 20s/30s in a way that doesnt happen to those from wealthier families who have borrowed less.

There is also the issue that those at London Unis can borrow more - on the basis of higher costs.
Since many places are now as expensive to live in as London (Bristol as one example) this binary needs to be replaced with 'higher cost', 'medium cost, 'low cost' bandings - whether its loans or grants.

More than half of UK students working long hours in paid jobs | Students | The Guardian
"Experts said that the lack of maintenance support was creating a two-tier higher education system, with a widening divide between students who need to work long hours to survive while their better-off peers are free to concentrate on their studies and improve their grades."
The old grants system meant that those from poorer backgrounds got more cash - that they didnt have to pay back - and that those from wealthier families got limited cash that their better-off parents had to top-up..
Which system do you prefer.

I think there has always been issues with the Maintenance loan system for many different people.

I can only speak on the perspective of someone from a poor family.

My parents make more now than they did when I was a child but still make quite below the average income.

First
As someone who grew up where for period of time we had no electricity or heating and were splitting two pieces of bread between the four of us for dinner. It’s hard to imagine a different life. A lot of people I know from a similar background didn’t go to university as the idea of how much they would have to pay back being so daunting especially because being from a lower income family entitles you to more money. As they struggled to imagine a life where they would be financially stable 

Second
The maintenance loan system is just not made for those who have self employed parent/s especially if all parents they have are self employed. This can lead to those who don’t have family who can sufficiently financially support them being given a lower loan than what they need to live

Third
Maintenance loan is partly based on whether or not you are studying(out of the home) in or outside of London.
E.g. if your household income (net income pre tax) is £65000. Studying out of London you are entitled to about £4,767. Studying in London you are entitled to about £7,405. This is obviously a big differences. But there is nothing to account for if your household lives in London and you are studying out of London

Fourth
There is little to no consideration for many household expenses that others on the same yearly income many not have. E.g. other children in the household, medication and medical expenses, long term/ chronic illnesses or chronic pain affecting the ability to work, parents not willing to financially support and much more. These are all expenses that are necessities/ completely out of the students control

Fifth
For students who qualify for a DSA. There is nothing to account for if the disability makes you unable work while in full time study. So if you have serve dyslexia and ADHD. This may mean the amount of time you have to take for work/study is much higher and you may not be able to work without your studies suffering. This may cause issues with affording rent, food and others. These would not be things a person could use their DSA for 

And more much.
Obviously a Loan cannot account for every little thing. But would be very beneficial if there was an option for a personal assessment for those who may have issues that affect their finances that aren’t covered by other financial aid

Though not necessarily relevant there is also many things a DSA does not account for that a maintenance loan would then have to cover.

More than half of UK students working long hours in paid jobs | Students | The Guardian
"Experts said that the lack of maintenance support was creating a two-tier higher education system, with a widening divide between students who need to work long hours to survive while their better-off peers are free to concentrate on their studies and improve their grades."
The old grants system meant that those from poorer backgrounds got more cash - that they didnt have to pay back - and that those from wealthier families got limited cash that their better-off parents had to top-up..
Which system do you prefer.

The new system is much fairer on those without a degree, who typically earn less than those with a degree.

Controlling for all other factors, yes. In practice, there are messy complicating trends, such as the fact that those with degrees skew young, and younger workers tend to earn less than their older counterparts.