They pay for uni in England and Wales as well. £3070 which a student pays is actually just a contribution. The LSC and DIUS pays for the rest. They also pay for ATC (partly), shipping officers, etc. So why not pilots (which are cheaper than Doctors and Shipping officers). Yes the financial risks stop people coming in on a whim but they also stop those from working class backgrounds like myself. Thankfully I've got on to FTE which means I'm going to be just about able to get myself through. But as I say - flying is one profession that hasn't been allowed to move with the times - in the past only the rich or those willing to risk thousands could go to uni. This has changed - pilot training hasn't.