University / College Fees

Papa Shango

Here in the UK there is a big vote about to take place concerning how students will pay for their university/colleg course.

At the moment rich parents can pay the fees.. and poor students can apply for government loans/grants. The new proposed systems my well prevent less fortunate students from getting higher education.


Whats the system concerning higher education funding your country? and is it fair?

Dr. Giganto

Here in the U.S., there are several ways a colege student may acquire financial aid. First off, the schools themselves usually offer grants and scholarships, both on a need-based and merit-based system. Then, there are grants and loans from the Federal government, which are typically need-based. The loans are offered with a low interest rate and usually interest does not begin accruing until after graduation. You can also get scholarships from private sources, which are usually merit-based.

Most colleges also have a work-study program, where the school provides a job for you to help you pay for school

DMW

In the states there is butt loads of money available in grants and scholarships if you take the time to hunt it down. Getting a four year degree is feasible for just about everyone here imo. You can do your first 2 years in a Junior college for just a few dollars a unit, and then if you are from a low income family it's quite easy to get scholarships to finish up your degree at a 4 year University. And then post graduate degrees often pay for themselves, at least at my school.

Freak

Isn't university tuition outrageously expensive in America?

I live in a really small town (10,000) but there was a rich guy named Cal Meyer who lived here for a long time and then died. He donated every penny he had to a scholarship fund for students at my high school, so as long as you're getting good marks it's no problem to leave school with at least a couple grand towards further education.

DMW

Private schools are ridiculous but public schools are quite reasonable as long as you attend school in your state of residency. When I started at UCLA I was $4000 a year. Grey Davis screwed that up however and now it's closer to 6k a year, but still not bad. Not like the $40k per year it costs to go to USC.

Mr. Hyde

Yeah fuck paying $40k a year for school. You might as well just grab a gat and rob a bank.

Freak

$40k a year?!?? My god, and that's American dollars too. The most expensive school in all of Canada is Acadia University, and tuition is something like $9500/year Canadian. It's not the best school either by any means, which is weird.

The Dude

No...

You didn't...

You just used the word "gat." :teevee:

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fullfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
...At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
Luke 21:20-28

Invictus

Couple of things and its 2am so if it doesn't make sense i'll translate later.

1.) Grants aren't available anymore, only loans which you have to pay back at a scandalous rate of interest. Fortunaltey my Uni is only an hour away so I bus it in every morning meaning I don't have a loan only tuition fees which my job pays for. If anything the current systemhas some fundamental flaws.

1.) with tuition fees at £1095 a year for a three year degree and interest on loans being at almost 30% a lot of poor kids don;t go because they can't pay back the loan. A student loan is 4k a year, which is 12K for a degree, so the interest makes it closer to 20K. Which is not nice when you've finished your degree and you'veover drafts to clear too.

2.) Unis are really underfunded. Text books are a rareity and there are no where near enough facilities for every one to do there work all the time. You want a computer between 11 and 3 you'll be waiting an hour to get one. Thesenew proposals may help this.

3.) Its not the rich or poor we've to worry about, its the ones in the middle who'll suffer because the rich can pay, the poor get loans, the middle get a tough shit, fcuk off.

Mr. Hyde

Yeah... Slang for pistol. Real funny, huh?