Top up fees

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by dellwear

Another point is that you will be able to pay back your fees AFTER you graduate, rather than while you study, thats got to be a good thing

The problem is that after you graduate you have to start paying it back. Unless you are in a damn well paid job, that will be difficult, espacially if you have any notions of buying a house as well.
Education should be free (in this country)

[Julian]

Originally Posted by deadite66

i think they should have done it differently.
jobs the country needs (Doctors, Teachers etc..) should be free as long as you sign up to the nhs/school etc for a minimum number of years.

any one else to want to take a media studies, beckham nonsense type courses should pay the full wack.

Afaik teachers are treated differently and get around 50% of their fees paid for by the local authority.

It still doesn't excuse the general concept though.

[Dupre]

Originally Posted by Julian

I'm puzzled here, where do you get the 42% of income figure from please?

afaik it is 9% of disposable income.

That means a person earning 20000 per annum would pay back about £74.00 a month.

BTW I am not in favour of the system - just asking.

It was on breakfast with Frost on Sunday, Charles Kennedy said it as did Frost :-D

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Dupre

It was on breakfast with Frost on Sunday, Charles Kennedy said it as did Frost :-D

Ah, but presumably that is the total amount you would pay (Including NI and income tax)?

While I see your point, I don't think the comparison is completely valid. You wouldn't be paying back for the rest of your life. If you were to earn 100k (unlikely I know), you'd have paid off the student debt in no time

[Jarandco]

THE GOVERNEMTN WON!

(B*st*rds!!!!!!!)

I look forward to a life of no-money and a debt hanging over my head for like froever now!

[Julian]

I'd love to know what double dealing has taken place this time to get mp's to change their minds.

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Julian

I'd love to know what double dealing has taken place this time to get mp's to change their minds.

Probably had their testicles in a vice

[Chimaera]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Probably had their testicles in a vice

Even the women???

[Julian]

Originally Posted by Chimaera

Even the women???

They may look like women....

[luftys]

Originally Posted by Chimaera

Even the women???

They are the vice

[Nor]

If you earned 100k a year and paid 60% of your wage towards your debt surely you'd pay it off in about 6 months max ? Unless your student debt is over 30k that is

I agree with what someone said earlier, if you are doing a degree in a subject which is needed in the UK, doctor, nurse, teacher, then it should be free. If you are doing a degree in david beckham you should be forced to pay it all. If you are doing it in something else its somewhere in between, which it will be when the top up fees are introduced. I'm all for the top up fees but I'm also for a lowering in the target of 50% to goto university. The fact is, there are too many crap universities out there handing out crap degrees which do nobody any good.

At the end of the day, if you want to have a university education you should contribute to the cost of it. You are going to benefit from it so you help to pay towards it. If you don't think you'll benefit from the degree and the debt is too scary to be saddled with, well then the degree isn't worth doing. There is far too much importance placed on doing a degree these days. Most students I know are hardly very diligent when it comes to finances anyway. To expect those who aren't benefiting from tertiary education to pay for it for them when so many p*ss it up against the wall isn't fair.

[Jarandco]

Nor i notice your from scotland, you dont have to pay them up there!!! Thats why your not against it! :p

I do get what you mean though, but most studnets wont be so lucky as to fall into a job where they earn 100k a year straight away, a lot of students are lucky to get jobs in certain sectors!

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Nor

If you earned 100k a year and paid 60% of your wage towards your debt surely you'd pay it off in about 6 months max ? Unless your student debt is over 30k that is .

You forget that if you earn £100k then you are paying 40% tax
and 40% + 60% is......

[Jarandco]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

You forget that if you earn £100k then you are paying 40% tax
and 40% + 60% is......

True, but also who said we could afford to put 60% opf it towards the debt, house prices round here are huge, affording to pay a mortage, and other general bills just to live will be expensive, let alone having a huge debt, its gonna take a long time to even get a house!

[Nor]

It doesn't matter that I'm from Scotland I'd be for it if it applied to Scottish Universities too. The whole 100k thing was facetious. But.... how can people use the argument that houses cost alot of money so we should get our tertiary education for free. It just doesn't make sense. Education costs alot of money to provide too.

I just believe that too many people are being pushed through the university process without actually giving it much thought. Students paying part of their tuition fee will achieve several things. It'll make students actually think about what real impact a degree will have on their career. It'll enable universities to actually properly provide good services. It'll perhaps result in the death of all these paper and pointless 'david beckham studies' degrees.

I firmly believe that we should pay our way. A good degree will benefit those doing it, therefore they should pay at least a small proportion of the cost if the universities are having funding problems, surely that make sense ? I'm sure if I was about to start university I'd be dead set against it too, but I'd like to think because I'm not, I'm being objective.