Student Admissions: Fair Or Unfair?

By Author: James Walsh
Total Articles: 68
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The government has several schemes to help all students who want to study, but cannot afford it, as do all reputed universities. However, all private universities/colleges do not offer financial aid, and this must be kept in mind while applying. There are counsellors, both governmental and private, to help students draw up a comprehensive finance plan before joining a course somewhere. Below, we shall look at two schemes, one by the Government of the UK, and one by the University of Oxford to gauge how the schemes function.

Government Aid

The first thing to have in hand is the eligibility list for a government loan. The document stating this can be downloaded for free in pdf format from the directgov website. This site states clearly that there are three main eligibility factors:

Personal eligibility: This depends on one's financial status, age, residence, and previous loan history. One has to provide documents to prove that the economic situation of the person concerned is bad enough and he or she really needs it. There are fixed guidelines on this, and an officer will check through ...
... the credibility of the proof supplied. If the student is beyond sixty years of age, then the Maintenance loan cannot be obtained, but there is no upper age limit as such. The ‘residence' section is a bit trickier, since there are different rules for different time spans and regions. Basically, those who have been ‘ordinarily resident' for a minimum of three years in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands before the date of commencement of study would find it easiest to get the loan. The problem does not exist at all for those who have always resided in the UK under a fixed address. Those who have ‘settled status' i.e. are long standing immigrants, also come under the ambit of this loan. If a student has received a loan earlier from the government or if his or her university/college has received a grant towards that end, it would be frankly tough to hope for a loan.
Course eligibility: The course itself must be a recognised degree, diploma, vocational certificate program, or foundation degree.
Place of study eligibility: The institution must be a UK university, a college receiving government funding, a recognised private institution, or part of the School Centered Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) scheme.

One need not repay the loan while studying. Repayment starts only after the student has started earning £15,000 per year. The site also states that, currently, a full time student needs to fish out £3,070 per year for full time study in the UK. Students get help under three heads - tuition fee loans, living cost loans, grants for living costs, and there are a few scholarship schemes and non-refundable aid schemes too.

There are different rules that apply to students from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

Oxford Opportunity Bursaries

According to this scheme, students who enter the University from 2006, and have a residual household income below £37,425 will receive a bursary towards their living costs. It is specifically mentioned that those below the stipulated government margin of £17,500, and already receiving full study grant will not need to go for another loan due to this scheme. The disbursement of funds will be higher during the first year to help the student ‘set up house'. The students don't need to fill in another form for this, it will be granted automatically on the assessment of their assets by the LEA, and in case their financial situation worsens after they have enrolled, they will start getting this fund. The amount to be granted is divided into three slabs according to income.

The Question of Fairness

While it all sounds sunny on the face of it, there are many loopholes. With the increase of urban homelessness, the ‘residence' factor attached to the government scheme is beginning to pose difficulties. If a student has got a loan during his BA or equivalent course, but not been able to save up enough money, he will not be able to access an MA. Assessment of financial status is still often inaccurate, and the rules applicable to this need revision.

It is true that the government is making efforts, but there is no need to become complacent with our existing welfare systems.