The National Union of Students (NUS) commented on figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency yesterday which show the average graduate salary to be £19,000.
NUS President Gemma Tumelty said: ‘Students entering university in 2005 are estimated to owe £20,000 when they finish their degree, which is before top-up fees of up to £3,000 a year are brought in this year.
‘This research flies in the face of Alan Johnson’s comments that students will “learn to love” top-up fees, when he also likened student loan repayments to the price of a pint of beer.
‘I very much doubt that given the relatively low average salary and the incredibly high levels of debt, that by 2010, when the £3,000 cap on fees could be lifted, attitudes will have swung in favour of paying for higher education as Mr Johnson has previously suggested.
‘What is far more likely, as survey after survey has shown, is that students may be put off from applying to university altogether, particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds where there is no history of going into higher education.’
