Random Outburst: This JOKE of a country

[Bruce Wayne]

It wasn't intended to be contradictory, I no doubt didn't explain myself properly. Universities need more money, and I think that money should come from those who use them. This could be undergraduates or alumni. American universities for instance are often in receipt of large donations from alumni, something British institutions have traditionally lacked. Oxbridge are getting better in this regard but other universities are far behind.

Regarding the value of a degree, it's obviously not possible to talk in terms of each and every student but there are various things one can consider to analyse the value of a degree from a particular institution. League tables have been around for a while and most universities publish graduate employment rates. Many universities offer internships mid-study, which no doubt improves prospects after graduation. Whilst of course these aren't perfect measures they can give an idea as to the quality of your education. You could even investigate your tutors, see what kind of work they've had published etc. too if you were so inclined. Talk to graduates on open days.

I'm a little surprised to hear you had such problems as engineers are reported to be in high demand in the press. Of course I don't know your individual circumstances so can't really comment on them (and wouldn't wish to).

 

[Desaparecido]

Bruce I suspect your opinions on the matter are out dated.

£50 a month interest, on top of the £3140 tuition fee per year.... No one pays anything other than myself for my education. In fact, the government profit in that I am paying 4.80% interest.

It was only a few years ago Labour introduced £3000+ tuition fees per year, so adding at least £9,000 to the average degree. To then double the interest on loans is ridiculous. The government are exploiting students too much.

Er I think the government does pay for most of your Uni education, you're paying a bit of it but not the majority.

 

[TX Bill]

Oh, sorry.

Thought this was another thread about the USA.

Nothing to see here then.

Moving along.

 

[Welton Toffee]

What does annoy me though is that one of my mates has £50k sitting in a bank account that he inherited off a rich auntie. Yet because his parents don't earn all that much salary (don't need to), he gets a grant off the government. wtf?! He's loaded, I'm skint, and he gets more money for free?! Mental.

He got EMA all through 6th form as well. Guess who buys the drinks when we're out!

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Er I think the government does pay for most of your Uni education, you're paying a bit of it but not the majority.

They do? What do they pay?

News to me

Thanks for informing me. Last time I checked I paid 95% of my own fees, the other 5% being funding from the University but I must be seriously mistaken...

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Thats what I thought. Then when I noticed the average graduate debt in each country I realised it was a myth.

Consider New Zealand as an example. Average debt of their graduates is £6,000... ours is £13,000. "Students due to start university this year expect a three year degree course to cost them £28,600, and they predict they will graduate with debts averaging £13,680. "

As for cheap credit, 4.80%?

their predicted incomes are far lower though danny, when i was there they were running off abroad (here) to avoid paying it back, the example there of a dental student was that the debt they would incurr during their time as a student would prevent them from ever owning a home as it would take so long to pay off.

the grass often looks greener but in reality there's just as much [Poor language removed] to ruin your forest hills, sorry 'keds' in your case. i am totally against having to pay for education, i have 3 kids who i want to have a better life than me, but i wont be able to afford to put them through uni, if i put the eldest through then it will affect the youngest as there will be less available for him. of course if this 'crunch' develops into a full blown 'splat' then i could do quite well out of all the repo's etc and be loaded.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Regarding the value of a degree, it's obviously not possible to talk in terms of each and every student but there are various things one can consider to analyse the value of a degree from a particular institution. League tables have been around for a while and most universities publish graduate employment rates. Many universities offer internships mid-study, which no doubt improves prospects after graduation. Whilst of course these aren't perfect measures they can give an idea as to the quality of your education. You could even investigate your tutors, see what kind of work they've had published etc. too if you were so inclined. Talk to graduates on open days..

Bruce I dont see your point to this thread?

My University has the highest graduate employment rate in the UK, higher than Oxbridge... but that hasn't got anything to do with funding

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

What does annoy me though is that one of my mates has £50k sitting in a bank account that he inherited off a rich auntie. Yet because his parents don't earn all that much salary (don't need to), he gets a grant off the government. wtf?! He's loaded, I'm skint, and he gets more money for free?! Mental.

He got EMA all through 6th form as well. Guess who buys the drinks when we're out!

so on that basis anyone with cash in the bank pays themselves ?

my son has money held by the courts due to an 'incident' when he was born, he will carry a scar that goes 1/3 of the way round his head for the rest of his life, so are you saying that when he hits 18 and can access it for the 1st time then he should have to use it for fees, and give it staright back to the government ? if it was tied until 21 then he wouldnt ? the amount he got was at the time the amount that they also reconned it was to get through uni. the gov invest this money and so far this year they have lost him about 5k, we have no say in this at all.

 

[Bundy]

My degree is interest free but it is indexed with inflation. We pay it off through tax when we start to earn over $40 000 i think.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

thing is though bundy, there are other things to take into consideration as well. e.g. i read a report from the nz herald this year and aus and nz have some of the least affordable housing in the world, it said that in nz the average house on the av. salary takes 17 years to pay off, not taking into account living expenses, just putting it all into the mortgage.
a lot are dazzled by the sunshine etc and dont realise other things like salaries, house prices etc etc. as i said the grass always looks greener, but if you end up coming back it can take a long time to get back on your feet. i would do it again but i know the pitfalls to look for now.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Is anyone thinking about the graduates who are trying to pay back their student loans. The interest on a student loan is charged in line with the CPI, which is rising rapidly. My student loan repayments from the last year haven't even met the interest that has been added. This was certainly something I was not made aware of by the government or my university when I first applied for it - that my loan would in fact be increasing quicker than I'm paying it off even though I'm out of university.
Alissia Knight, Southampton

Pretty much sums the issue up.

 

[toffeestillidie]

Thats what I thought. Then when I noticed the average graduate debt in each country I realised it was a myth.

Consider New Zealand as an example. Average debt of their graduates is £6,000... ours is £13,000. "Students due to start university this year expect a three year degree course to cost them £28,600, and they predict they will graduate with debts averaging £13,680. "

As for cheap credit, 4.80%?

i gotta say, i'm sorry but your thread made me laugh out loud. there are a couple reasons why graduate debt isn't as high here. first, from your post it sounds like most kids in the UK pay for their own education. fewer students in the US pay for their own education, generally speaking mommy and daddy foot the bill for them.

the average cost of attendance at my school is $50,240 per year, including tuition, room, board, and books. now granted this is a private school and one of the more expensive ones at that, but still not a whole lot of 18 year olds can afford that expensive of a bill.

also, since as a general rule tuition is higher in the US, i don't have the stats to prove it but i'd guess that in the UK more people in general go to college, whereas not as many people that aren't wealthy can afford to send their kids to college.

that being said, tuition at the best public school in my state, the University of Virginia, is $9,490 for an in-state student, making the total cost of attendance for a year roughly $20,000. i'm not good with exchange rates, but since that amounts to about $80,000 for a 4 year degree, i'd say we're still a good deal more expensive. so yea, maybe new zealand or canada, but i wouldn't worry about [Poor language removed] off over here just yet

 

[GrandOldTeam]

i gotta say, i'm sorry but your thread made me laugh out loud. there are a couple reasons why graduate debt isn't as high here. first, from your post it sounds like most kids in the UK pay for their own education. fewer students in the US pay for their own education, generally speaking mommy and daddy foot the bill for them.

the average cost of attendance at my school is $50,240 per year, including tuition, room, board, and books. now granted this is a private school and one of the more expensive ones at that, but still not a whole lot of 18 year olds can afford that expensive of a bill. .

End of argument really there mate.

What was funny about my post?

Not sure what your getting at either? Whats America got to do with anything?

 

[toffeestillidie]

Bruce I suspect your opinions on the matter are out dated.

£50 a month interest, on top of the £3140 tuition fee per year.... No one pays anything other than myself for my education. In fact, the government profit in that I am paying 4.80% interest.

It was only a few years ago Labour introduced £3000+ tuition fees per year, so adding at least £9,000 to the average degree. To then double the interest on loans is ridiculous. The government are exploiting students too much.

aren't schools subsidized in the UK to keep costs down. the fact that costs of attendance are mandated by the state would lend me to believe that. to be fair, those are ridiculous interest rates, but trust me, the system in the UK is much better in terms of affordability.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

aren't schools subsidized in the UK to keep costs down. the fact that costs of attendance are mandated by the state would lend me to believe that. to be fair, those are ridiculous interest rates, but trust me, the system in the UK is much better in terms of affordability.

When I mentioned America, I meant for a career

After paying over £3000 a year in tuition fees alone, the government then lend me money to fund my education... with a 4.80% interest rate.

No one informed me that I would never be able to pay these loans off because of the interest rate alone.