Cyprus-Forum.com

[apc2010]

sorry GIG..........

Cypriot students owe the most — a total of more than £15 million.
Defaulting students from Greece owe more than £4 million and those from Ireland just under £4 million.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z2nRE3CKUB
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[GreekIslandGirl]

Well, it's not personal to me as I have never had a student loan nor have any of my kin.

But, this is another of those long-running anti-Cypriot attitudes hyped by the British media which needs truthful clarification.

Notice the article states the Daily Mail's opinion: they have no "intention" of paying! How did they assess "intention"? This is more of their scaremongering.

As far as I know, student loans were set up to be paid off when the graduate earns above a certain level and certainly over the course of some 20 years. Many UK students remain unable to pay because they have not received good enough jobs, and certainly one person (Brit) I met a while back in the UK was telling me she intended to remain part-time for a few more years so that her loan would be written off.

- But the Daily Mail wants all the money now, right away, despite loan-contracts, from foreign students or it will keep weaving these hate-filled reports.

Anyway, Cypriot students do seem to be in the majority considering the size of our population. This was something that was welcomed by the UK despite the 2 to 3 thousand euro loans they may give out, the Cypriot students reportedly bring in some 20,000 plus of their own money. So it's a win for the UK. They bid for these students rather than have them go off to competitors such as the USA or Germany etc.

Furthermore, the UK knows it can get ALL its money back from Greek and Cypriot students as they are in the EU .... if they do not fulfill the terms of their loan-contracts - but those are dependent on rising salaries and full employment. There's the crux! It cannot hope to get them back from those Turks (?) or Asians such as per their examples because they are not in Europe ... so they will fuss over Greece and Cyprus.

The Daily Mail will keep re-hashing this story annually to keep feeding the hate their readers love to gobble up with their stuffed turkeys ... thanks apc ... another anti-Cypriot outlook to add to your file.

[kurupetos]

If the system allows them not pay, why should they pay?

There are plenty of universities in Cyprus. I reckon most of these students go to London for shopping and to watch Everton.

[Milo]

There's a call circulating amongst ex UNI students that has sprang up, my four kids from 27 to 35 yrs old all had student loans two had further loans to achieve PHDs, they have been informed about this non payment from others and let me know.

Most are calling for degrees to be rescinded unless certain steps are in place for those eu students ' misplaced ' I don't understand how Cypriot students numbers of non payment are the largest, as they are not the largest number of eu students in the UK to my understanding. How it's risen to £15 million owing must only be for historic reasons as some loans unpaid go way back apparently.

I think and fully expect unless the conditions are met that degrees will be rescinded, they have time to pay them back, they have a threshold to start paying them back ( higher in the UK because of higher salaries ) they have low interest rates and IF they never reach the threshold rate for 30 years the loan is written off, of course their word on this isn't the only one and has to go thru the inland revenue.

If the SLC haven't been given bum information in the first place and I suppose that they didn't check on it all of the time, so some blame lies with them, but the rescinding of degrees for those who've disappeared is fair, IF those students find their names on lists of rescinded degrees they will be given a timeframe to appeal ( along with all their correct details and work details of course ) plus assurances from authorities that their young will in future do the right thing and not bring shame on their countries by not paying back money loaned to them from other eu countries.

[GreekIslandGirl]

The bulk of the student loan pays for the hefty university fees ... so those who take out these loans are directly supporting the UK universities - as was previously done purely via the British taxpayer. The universities are crying out for these foreign students. The UK spends a lot of money promoting its universities abroad and this speaks volumes for how much they need the money that foreign students bring to the universities and the economy generally. I don't recall the exact figures, but something like for every pound a foreign student "loans" to pay for fees they bring in £3. According to some British Council statistics, simply teaching English to international students brings in about £2 billion and that's just ONE subject.

[Paphitis]

That is not just a problem in the UK. Foreign students pay full fare. This can be up to 100,000 per year for a Medical Degree and there are plenty of Foreign Students who have parents prepared to pay these sums. The Government Legislates fee caps for local students to a tiny fraction and in return the Government provides funding provided the university complies with policy.

So you can see why universities fall over themselves trying to get as many foreign students as possible.

[kurupetos]

That is not just a problem in the UK. Foreign students pay full fare. This can be up to 100,000 per year for a Medical Degree and there are plenty of Foreign Students who have parents prepared to pay these sums. The Government Legislates fee caps for local students to a tiny fraction and in return the Government provides funding provided the university complies with policy.

So you can see why universities fall over themselves trying to get as many foreign students as possible.

That is correct, but EU students (incl. Cypriots) are not considered foreign. They pay the same amount as Brits.

The better option is to study in Scandinavian countries, where tuition is completely free... and much better than most UK universities!

[Milo]

So if they're free and better in Scandanavia, why dont they go there then? Could it be they can't live the high life unless they borrow money from other people.

Could it be the loan that attracts them? that some have no intention of paying back?

Sign a contract and don't honour it, what a good start to working life, it's basically thieving.

Take their degrees back unless they start paying.

[CBBB]

So if they're free and better in Scandanavia, why dont they go there then? Could it be they can't live the high life unless they borrow money from other people.

Could it be the loan that attracts them? that some have no intention of paying back?

Sign a contract and don't honour it, what a good start to working life, it's basically thieving.

Take their degrees back unless they start paying.

Cypriot students do pay their loans back when their income reaches the required level, and the Student Loans Company does check up on them, even in Cyprus.

[GreekIslandGirl]

...Could it be they can't live the high life unless they borrow money from other people.

Could it be the loan that attracts them?

What a bitter thing to say about young people - based on the usual preferred ignorance, no doubt.

Foreign and EU students are not eligible for maintenance or living grants. Foreign and EU students are ONLY allowed the TUITION FEES which as I said above, go directly to fund the Universities which otherwise the UK taxpayer would have to fund or would see closures on a massive scale.

Even if the tuition fees were never paid back, the UK would have done very well out of the money the students have to bring with them to live.