Top-up fees send student debt soaring
Students starting university this year will pay record bills for their degrees, figures revealed yesterday. Undergraduates now expect to pay an average of £33,152 to fund a three-year degree course, a 17 per cent increase on last year, according to the latest Nat West Student Money Matters survey. These costs will leave them with average debts of £14,779 by the time they complete their education. Most of the rise is due to the introduction of top-up fees, which allow universities to charge up to £3,000 a year.