04/01/2006 14:08:00
A fear of student debt will see fewer students applying for university this year, careers advisers are predicting.
A survey of school and college careers advisers found that three quarters are expecting the number of students applying to university to fall this year, the Guardian reports.
The decline is attributed to the introduction of £3,000 'top-up' tuition fees this September, which will see the total cost of obtaining a degree soar for most students.
However, it is unclear whether a fear of debt or the actual costs themselves are to blame for the declining number of applicants.
The government has consistently maintained that top-up fees should not disadvantage poor students: while those from low-income families will no longer have their fees subsidised, they will not have to pay back the cost of tuition until they are earning £15,000 a year.
In addition, the government has launched bursaries worth £2,700 for disadvantaged students, while individual universities are promoting their own bursary schemes, with some touting figures as high as £10,000.
However, careers advisers warn that this message is not getting through, with nearly a third of those surveyed claiming to have no or very little information on the various university funds available.
Additionally, a third of tutors surveyed by the Guardian claimed that pupils do not understand the new financial arrangements.
The closing date for UCAS applications is next week, after which official figures will be published and the full impact of top-up fees can be assessed.
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