Abacus Daily Debt News

Debt fears ‘driving students into work’

The majority of students are finding they must turn to paid employment during their university years in order to help finance their studies and avoid a debt management crisis new research has revealed.

Findings from a study of more than 1,000 pupils by studentgems.com indicated that 79 per cent of those in higher education have a job to supplement any other income, a statistic that may only increase given the rise in the final debt figure for graduates.

Of these, over half were working more than 20 hours a week and many admitted that their courses were affected because of this necessity.

Co-founder of the website Joanna Ward stated this trend was “inevitable” and that “it is worrying that students’ studies are being disrupted after they commit themselves to a job”.

However, those that are most worried about their rising debts can now consult a money doctor, provided by more than 70 universities across the country, who will offer help and advice relating to issues such as expenditure and managing budgets.

By Sarah Adie