The problem with education funding

I have mentioned this in the past in other venues, but I think it's time to mention it here.

The problem with the current student aid model is that the "financial need" of unmarried students is calculated taking into account their parents' income. This is inappropriate because the vast majority of post-secondary students are legally adults, and as such are not entitled to support from their parents. Many parents do give their adult children some help during their schooling, either through financial contributions or by providing a place to live, but it is inappropriate to base policy on the idea that unmarried adult students will necessarily and under all circumstances be supported by their parents. The students, after all, are legal for a reason.

What is needed is a model where student financial need is calculated based on the student's means only. If a parent chooses in reality (not hypothetically) to help out their adult child by giving them some money, then the student's financial needs will be less, so the student will need less of a loan and have a smaller debt load upon leaving school. That's fine. And if the parent chooses not to help their adult child at all, the student can still get enough financial aid so that they can survive through however many years of schooling are required, no matter how much money their parents make. But for governments to go around mandating a certain level of parental contribution by basing student aid policy on this level is like making parents legally required to give their children a down payment on a house as a wedding present.