Student loans will ensure route to university stays open

As a student I begrudge being asked for money I do not have. As a student I am always being asked for this same money that I do not have. While I am not an advocate for tuition fees I can see the arguments for them.

As with most European countries after the recession, Ireland currently has a national deficit measured in hundreds of billions of euro (€182.8 billion at the end of last June), a third-level funding gap and several universities seeking investment to grow and improve.

Free education is a wonderful concept but it is not realistic. I am not an economist but I know money has to come from somewhere; and which party, in the run-up to the general election, is going to suggest increasing taxes to cover the cost of free education?

This raises the issue of who should be paying for third- level education. The Government has some responsibility but the burden will fall on students. If fees were levied, loans would be an inevitable and necessary accompaniment. Loans would keep the pathways to university open, relieving the financial burden on students and their families.

In England I went to a community secondary school with the knowledge that my fees would be covered should I choose to go to a UK university. I could also expect to have received extra money for maintenance – accommodation and living costs – that would be based on my family's income.

Financial aid

A quick survey of my school peers is telling. They would not have been able to continue their studies to third level without the help of Student Finance. It is important to note that that is what the financial aid system is called: Student Finance.

This is because it not only gives out loans but also distributes a huge amount of money in grants. The service also advises those from “non-traditional college-going backgrounds” such as disabled students, student parents and those returning to college later in life. All are informed of the financial help available to them.

In post-recession society we live with a fear of the word “debt” that is not entirely unfounded. It and other similar terms have been used to demonise a system that ultimately does a lot of good, however. Loan repayments are associated with your earning potential after you finish your course. A graduate is not expected to pay a penny back until he or she earns more than £21,000 a year. The loan is paid back at 9 per cent of earnings.

The UK system is far from perfect but it is essential to ensuring people from all walks of life can continue to access the expensive but rewarding world of third-level education. Fee rises are often cited as evidence of a broken system.

Cap on fees

However, the removal of the cap on tuition fees in 2012 was heavily opposed and was the result of a unique political situation. The Liberal Democrats, in whom many students had put their trust, failed to deliver on a manifesto promise to defend the cap.

This is not symptomatic of the situation as a whole and negotiations surrounding fees are ongoing. For students, a system still exists where they can get the financial support to go to university in the first place.

Even after I chose to study in Ireland, Student Finance contacted me repeatedly about an application I had made to study in the UK. While this was annoying, it provided an instructive contrast with the Irish equivalent.

Student Universal Support Ireland is notorious for being difficult to contact about changes in economic circumstances or failure to pay the grant.

If there was a national system of loans and grants, closely regulated by the Government and used by all students, it could be held to a higher standard of efficiency and transparency.

Moreover, universities receiving greater amounts of income would be even more accountable for the working conditions and salaries of their academic staff, as well as their commitment to growth and rising in the international rankings.

I cannot vote in the forthcoming general election but I do know that the issue of student fees and loans will be a contentious issue during the campaign.

Alice Mac Pherson is a student at TCD and this piece first appeared on the Irish Times Student Hub.