Too many students left with debts for ‘too little payback’

Too many graduates in England are being left with big debts for too little payback, MPs are warning.

Nearly half of recent graduates were not working in graduate roles in 2017, the Commons education committee says.

Its chairman Robert Halfon also highlights the excessive pay of some university vice-chancellors, saying that is not value for money.

The government is reviewing post-18 education and funding to see how it can ensure that value.

The Augur Review, which is due to report early next year, is looking at the system under which students take out tuition fee loans to fund courses costing £9,000 a year.

But the committee warned that the scope of this review, which has been limited by the government, means there is a risk it “will fail to overhaul the system” in a way that will benefit graduates and students. Read more.