I can't believe that 175,000 students throughout England still haven't recieved their loans! Student Finance England, run by the Student Loans Company has taken the responsibility of processing the first year applications from Local Authorities around the country.
SFE said that if students have applied on time then they will receive their loan when they register onto their course, but this hasn't been the case. One student I spoke to said they had problems with applying. He sent his application off on time, but they sent it back to him asking for a correction. He sent it back and they sent it back for a 2nd time with something else to correct...why couldn't they have sent all the corrections in one mail? This meant his application was in late and he didn't recieve his loan until 22nd October. He now owes his parent's over a grand.
But what do those students do who can't borrow from their parents and can't afford rent or even food? Well, some have had to quit before they've even started! That's says a lot for the education system in Britain doesn't it!?
I find out what the students of Bournemouth Univeristy think. Take a look at the full report in SUBU News on 23rd October 2009 - http://www.subu.org.uk/content/197615/subu_news/
Staying on the money topic, there is to be a review of tuitions fees coming up; the cap is looking to be lifted. This means that Universities throughout the country are going to be allowed to charge anything up to £7,000 a year and can charge different for each course and each university. So what does this mean? Well it means that students are only going to be able to attend a University they can afford, if at all. There is going to be a prominent divide in the rich and poor and higher education is going to be inaccessible to the less wealthy. Empolyers could end up rating degrees more by where they came from, giving some students less chance in the rat race.
The change will also take its toll on the public and voluntary sector. Graduates will be looking for the highest paid jobs to pay off £32,000 worth of student debt. Some will be suited to the higher paid jobs, but what about those who are driven to pursue a dream in a career they enjoy, may it be in the voluntary, public sectors or the creative industry.
It really is important for students of the future for the votes in the general election to go to the party with tuition fees in their priority. This shouldn't be a subject to be taken lightly.
In SUBU we are working on a campaign against the lifting of the cap. All will be updated in due course.
If you have an opinion on the tuition fee or loan situation please email me at suvpcomms@bournemouth.ac.uk
Keep your money safe and Stay Classy Bournemouth
Hannah x
HI Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you and the stance the SUBU has taken with the potential lift on the student cap. From an international perspective, I can see more harm in this as well as more than likely the fee's charged to internationals will rise as well. No one benefits from this except the government and the universities and sadly these are the people who are suppose to be helping pave the way for future generations.
I for one would like to do what ever it takes to fight to see that the cap remains the same. However, the only problem is how do we get other students to see the problem as well, as they feel it will not affect them since they are already in uni or about to finish?
Ardel Richardson