The post you are reporting:
It does seem unfair that parental income is taken into consideration when a person supposedly adult intends to go to university. On the other hand, it's realistic, in that most parents will contribute towards their child's undergraduate and even post-graduate career. There are quite a few parents who can afford to do so as well, and not miss the £1s.
However, there are parents who really can't, or students whose parents have nothing to do with them. For them there is extra help, such as bursaries from the universities, etc. (Though it should be said that even so, those just on a loan and a baursary usually struggle.)
Regarding student loans, it is the case that young people enter working life with a large amount of debt. It isn't inconsequential; it's considered when going for a mortage or other credit for example, and desp[ite the fact that terms seem easy in comparison with some other loans, it nevertheless can and does cause stress when there's an inability to pay anything off at all - and each year the statement comes through with bigger amounts on it. There's the worrying thought that terms could be changed retrospectively, There are also discussions about penalties for paying off early, and while I'm no financial guru, that suggests to me there's a little more agenda in there than merely providing support for students at university, while they aren't earning full-time (many students do have part-time jobs.) All that's before we start thinking about the further education some professionals will need before qualification, and how that's funded.
The greater part of a student loan goes on paying not tuition, but accommodation. That's my particular bugbear, that students are required to pay so much for this, whether university or privately-supplied. That, in a way, brings me on to another thought.
Anyway, I'd be inclined to suggest that before anyone can attend a higher education course, a prerequisite should be having worked a couple of years. There would be a number of advantages to this; earning (where possible, saving) saving money to help fund the course, gaining experience and a few life-skills, maybe discovering that university isn't for you after all.
There are, furthermore, a heap of degree-coutes now that could be studied without attending full-time university. With sufficient discipline it's possible to keep a full-time job and still gain a degree. There are also work-sponsored degrees.
Perhaps tuition fees, loans, etc, aren't really the issue - merely a crack that's showing that the whole system underneath needs a thorough re-thinking.
