When I say life without tuition fees, I do not mean its complete abolishment although that would be marvellous. What I mean is without having to worry about paying then immediately as I study at University. There are some students out there who are in my position due to the interest based students loans which are impermissible for Muslim students to take out.
Many are left stranded by the government and the Muslim community who really could be doing much more to help.
It seems to be an issue no one is willing to tackle but let me tell you what a difference help would make. Recently, the government have proposed a new system which would be suitable for Muslim but I have not allowed myself to dwell much on the matter simply because it is what it is, a proposal and whilst it certainly is possible for it to come into effect by next year, I am not about to get my hopes up only for them to shatter to the ground.
So how would life be without having to worry about paying £9,000 each year?
For starters, I would be able to enioy life a lot more. They say student life is meant to be a tremendous time but with the worry of money weighing you down, it certainly isn’t.
Not having to worry about finance would allow me to cut down on the hours I work in order to concentrate on my studies as well as other interests. Writing a book is quite a difficult thing to do at the best of times but when you have to worry about money, it becomes impossible.
Becoming free of the worry of tuition fees would be a huge burden off my head. I find myself thinking about paying for fees at the most random times, doing calculations in my head to see if I will be able to survive university. I fear this worry will not allow me to enjoy life for the next three years. It is a burden that a working adult would find difficult to bear and yet I must deal with it at eighteen, without help or aid.
Furthermore, I would be able to save the money I earn for the future as well as to help my family. So that is how life without tuition fees would be but currently it is a far-fetched dream as nothing is being done to help Muslim students.
When will help be given? And by whom?
(And to the ‘professional claims’ company that just called me up, no this is not an invitation for you to try again.)
A WORRIED STUDENT 
I understand what you are talking about here, how can the education system expect a student to pay £9000 per year on tuition fees and be able to focus on their studies without worrying about money!
I am in a very lucky situation that the Scottish government will cover the costs of my tuition fees up until I am 25, but then I still have to worry about my rent and living money which in total comes to around £800 a month.
I think their should be more help out there for student because after all we are the future of this country!
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Thank you. Yes you certainly are lucky that there are no fees in Scotland. I think every student wishes to be Scottish at the moment!
It definitely is difficult, working while studying can only be done up to a certain extent before it begins to affect your performance.
Wow that is a lot and another effect of the fees is I cannot even contemplate living away from home as that would increase me financial issues even more! Do you receive bursaries along with the fee waiver?
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We won’t have to pay back our tuition fees, the government expects to make the money back through taxes we will pay when we, hopefully, have a well paying job.
We do get a loan not a bursary but it depends on how much your parents make and a lot of other factors. So right now my loan doesn’t even cover my rent. Thankfully we don’t have to start paying it back until we make more than around £20,000, don’t quote me on that!
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Aah but that still is a much better system than the one in England. We will be paying into our 40s and 50s apparently and even then the government may not make all of its money back.
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That seems like a really broken system! I think there needs to be a massive overhaul of the education system. In my opinion a larger proportion of the tax payers money should be spent on education and health and much less on the armed forces.
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Oh yes it is. Definitely although the government will surely not reduce spending on the armed forces. It is silly that in trying to promote growth, they have cut funding for education whereas other countries in the world who are aiming to develop their economy have placed such a large emphasis on the importance of education. If only England wasn’t broke…
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Have you thought about studying anywhere else in Europe? There are lots of courses available in English in other countries that have FREE education. Why not study in Poland? Or Bulgaria? There are many students going to study medicine in Bulgaria, through English, for free. The cost of living is much cheaper there as well… This is what EU was meant to do, give you more options.
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To be honest I haven’t really thought about that. This is due to two factors and one is as you said, lack of information and the second being parents. As I am part of the first generation in my family to go to University, my parents haven’t really liked the thought of me living away from home, even in the UK. Yes it is annoying at times but currently those are the boundaries!
Also, the reputation of the University you study at is apparently important when seeking a job in the UK so perhaps many students are reluctant to study abroad because employers in England may not view them as favorably?
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