One should remember it's a loan, not a grant like Erasmus nor a scholarship and it carries its responsibilities. If one is all happy to get the loan for the whole 60 ectc but is too lazy to complete them, it's their fault. And if they don't wanna live in stress of possibly being not able to pay it off in case of failing a course- don't risk it and don't take the loan. And if one is assured that they can only handle 20 ectc per semester, instead of 30, oh well, then just apply for a loan for 20 ectc. Not a biggie. Or a get a job AND a loan. Some do it and pass everything with excellent grades. Just be hard working and focused and you won't end up in bullshit. Petitions like these are just dumb, and the excuse of being stressed before the exams just because of the loan, not because of an actual academic failure- purely pathetic.

#6: x - ...

I think you're completely missing the point.  First of all, if you want to get a loan for 20 ects, according to the new requirements you can't . It actually is a biggie. The minimum credit requirements is 22 ects, which doesn't correspond to the courses offered at most departments ( 8 and 10 etcs courses are a lot more common than 5 and 6 etcs, rendiring it very unlikely for a student to pass exactly 22 credits in a semester). Just the fact that you are unaware of this makes me wonder if you even know what this petition is all about.

Secondly, it's not about being lazy. Not at all! It's about the fact that with the new requirements there's no room for slightest mishaps for a large number of students. Many departments have 10 etc courses so if a student is unlucky and gets sick during the final exam of a single course, he/she will not get any student loans and will be stuck with a massive dept with his/her bank. In that case the student will most likely be forced to quit university studies while getting the finances fixed.

Also, many Icelandic students have families and most of them are parents of young children who are unable to take care of themselves. These students often don't have the same amount of time to devote to their studies and they need to be flexible if anything should happen during peak points of their studies, such as if their children get sick. Plus, these students carry major financial responsibilities, so needless to say the risk of not getting any student loans due to failing a single class will worry them. I'm pretty sure that if you were dependent on student loans to feed and clothe your child you would be worried about that risk.

Furthermore, this is awful news for students with limited number of credits left before graduation who have already planned their upcoming semesters. On my last BA semester I had only 20 credits left. Not because I had been lazy the previous semesters (like you suggest must be the case if you take a smaller loan than a full semester), but because I went on exchange the year before and had some obligatory classes left. According to the new rules, I would not have gotten any student loans at all that semester. If had happened, I would not have been able to afford my studies despite my part time job.

Having said this, there are multiple other reasons why some students go slower than the full 30 etcs per semester, such as illness and learning disabilities. It's great to finish a semester of with full 30 etcs but there are multiple reasons why some students go slower. So, if you finish all your semesters with full credits, that's awesome! But please don't assume that everyone that doesn't is simply lazy.

#6: x - ...

Well, what we are actually opposing is the fact that one can no longer apply for a loan for only 20 ects (or 18 as it was before). One can only apply for a loan of 22 ects and up which is problematic since it is very hard and even impossible to match that requirement with the courses available in Icelandic Universities. 
Many Icelandic students, maybe even most Icelandic students that take loans, work as well since the loans are very scarse. Let me assure you, this is not about people being lazy. What about students that have children and people that have learning disabilities, physical disabilities that prevent them from taking a full semester? Getting sick happens to the best of us and sometimes our relatives get sick and we have to care for them.

The system as it is now has no room for exceptions.
People should be allowed to learn and study at their own speed. If you are forced to study at a speed you can't handle, you won't learn as well. 
So.  Do we want everybody to learn, or do we just want them to graduate as fast as they can.
A degree is not an education.

Best regards
Anna Marsibil Clausen
SHI International Communications Officer

#6: x - ...

The point of the petition is that you will need to complete 22 ECTS per semester to even get a loan INSTEAD of 20 before and the short time people have to change their plans. People have already paid their tuition for next year and with this change won't be able to attend. It is non-refundable. Many courses are 10 ECTS which means that a lot of people will have big problems if they are sick for one day during exams, as make-up tests are now only in the spring in some departments. If you fail one exam in december, you won't get any money untill june the following year. Maybe you should interest yourself in the matter before you shit all over it :)

#6: x - ...

yeah, IT'S a loan, that's why it's stupid to have greater risk factor on it than grant or scholarship. some people have anxiaty, and having that hanging over you CAN make people like me buckle, even if my academic history shows I'm a hard working student, I'm still scared to death that I will fail one course and all of a sudden I have to pay student loan all at once, declare bankrupcy, quit uni because I can't afford it without the loan, and move back in with my parents. and THAT makes me get a lower grade than what I'm studying. I should be able to relaxe once I've gotten my loan, not panic because I might not be able to finish my education cause of stright rules about loans

what I'm trying to say, it was fine as it was, why do they feel the need to change it?