Independent UK: Student debt will soar to £200bn, official figures show

The crippling legacy of the coalition's new system of tuition fees is laid bare today, with a government analysis that shows Britain will be loading almost £200bn of debt on to the students of the future.

As tens of thousands of teenagers attempt to secure a degree place before tuition fees rise towards £9,000 a year, a devastating official forecast of the price they will pay for a university education estimates that total student debt will rocket to £191bn over the next four decades.

The analysis, compiled by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), concedes that the fee increase, from a maximum of £3,290 a year, will add £124bn to the burden of personal debt by 2047.

Last year, before the changes were finalised, BIS estimated that total student debt will stop rising in 2027, having peaked at £67bn. The figures were obtained by the Liberal Conspiracy website following a Freedom of Information request. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/student-debt-will-soar-to-163200bn-official-figures-show-2341382.html