Average student in England leaves university with £47,700 debt - is a degree worth it?

Average student in England leaves university with £47,700 debt - is a degree worth it?56 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHazel ShearingEducation correspondentGetty ImagesGraduates in England leave university with more than £47,500 in student debt, according to new statistics.Figures from the 2025-26 financial year suggest that the amount borrowers owe when they first become eligible to repay has, on average, fallen compared to the year before.But what happens years down the line? Can graduates still expect to earn sufficiently more than those without a degree to cover the cost of going in the first place?How much are tuition fees in England and Wales and why have they gone up?Last August, the annual cost of an undergraduate degree in England and Wales went up to £9,535 a year. It is set to rise again to £9,790 in August 2026.The increases came after universities expressed growing concerns about funding pressures in recent years, pointing out that tuition fees had been frozen at £9,250 since 2017.They argued that inflation meant those fees were worth less in real terms and there had been fewer international students to help make up the financial shortfall.In October 2025, the government said that university tuition fees in England would go up every year in line with inflation from 2026. They are expected to increase every year by an inflation measure called the Retail Price Index minus mortgage payment interest, or RPIx.How much are university fees in Northern Ireland and Scotland?UK nations set their own fees.In Northern Ireland, the maximum annual cost of an undergraduate degree is £4,855 for Northern Irish students or £9,535 for other UK students. That will rise to £4,985 and £9,790 respectively in 2026-27.In Scotland, undergraduate tuition is free for the majority of Scottish students and £9,535 for other UK students - rising to £9,790 in 2026-27.How do student loans work?Student loans are made up of two components: a loan for tuition feesa maintena...