High student debts are putting off the next generation from going to university, according to a specialist website.
Push.co.uk said today that the current financial conditions were putting the budgets of recent graduates under severe pressure.
The student advice website was reacting to figures released by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills last week, showing that the typical 2008 graduates was burdened by a debt totalling £7,800.
This comes as the economy suffers its worst recession in decades, pushing unemployment up above 2.1 million and limiting job opportunities for university leavers attempting to pay off their debts.
According to the report, financial support from parents and family members has also dropped by 13 percent in the past year, as Britons everywhere attempt to deal with the economic downturn. This shortfall could push graduates into using expensive unsecured credit to cover their costs, building their debts still higher.
The site suggested that this financial pain could have far-reaching implications for the demographic makeup of universities themselves. "We may see the population of students - the demographic becoming less progressive - less of a cross-section of society than the government has said that it wants at university," said Johnny Rich, editor of Push.co.uk.
"In other words [that] those are most challenged by finance are the ones who are most likely to be put off by going to university by the serious debt."
