Student Loans - Problems and the Future

Around 100,000 students are yet to recieve their student loans, following on from the pattern from last year where around 80,000 students recieved their loans alot later than promised. For students in more affluent families this doesn't pose massive problems, maybe just an increase in the money loaned from dad and them having to pay it back at a later day. However, what about the less affluent students; The students whose parents are not in the top half of earners and who have to graft so they can earn money?

Student Finance, the body to approve and supply students loans need to sort their act out. Their reputation, the confidence of students, the future generation of our country; these are some of the things that are now in tatters and have the potential to be in tatters. Students need the incentive to go into higher education, they need to be sure that they can go into higher education with the security they need. At the moment, Student Finance are not in the position to do that. The government need to think again about the body who support our students.

Students who are educated privately ultimately do not share the same problems as those who are educated by the state. Those in private have the fallback of dad's money, they have someone to go to when times get tough and who can bail them out, therefore the lack of student loans may not be an essential part of university life to them. However, for those who dont have that luxury, their student loans are essential, both for their livelihoods and for the student experience. Being a student is about taking responsibility for your work and your play, but to do this (as said above) you need the security of money in the bank.

Not only does this pose problems to the current generation of students, but it could have implications further down the line, not only for student finance but for the number of future university applicants. Student Finance already find their reputation in tatters, confidence in them evaporated, but this poses the question are they still up to the job? Can we still trust them to juggle with the lives of our children/siblings? As for future university applicants, I doubt very much they would want to submit their application without some knowledge that their financial state at university is secure. If it isnt, the monetary problems students face at university will get worse, and the level of student debt will increase.

A students time at university is meant to be the best of their lives; a chance for them to release themselves. Obviously there is studying to be done, but it is a chance for students to explore, to open up new windows in their lives. But how can they do that if they dont have the money to do so? Not getting student loans not only impacts on the financial side of university, but on the students development as an individual, and surely that is something that should be avoided at all costs. JK