Average student debt rises to more than £50,000

• Those from the poorest backgrounds graduate with debts of over £57,000
• Interest charges will have accrued £5,800 in interest charges by the time they have graduated from university
• Loans not repaid after 30 years are written off. The IFS forecasts that about three-quarters of students will not pay off all their debt, despite making payments from their earnings into their 50s
• The lowest-earning third of graduates are paying 30% more than in 2012, when the £21,000 threshold was introduced

Higher education in England has been subject to near-constant reform over the past two decades.  The most notable of these was 2012 trebling of tuition fees to £9,000. Higher education is an area where England is a genuine world leader having long boasted several of the world’s finest universities, yet that position is increasingly under threat from increased global competition. Understanding the impact of various reforms on government, universities, and students is therefore crucial.