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Graduate Debt: A Growing Burden

• Record debt levels: In the 2024‑25 academic year, the average English graduate finishes university owing around £53,000, up 10% year-on-year. Total student loan debt in England has surged to an estimated £266 billion, up from £64 billion just a decade ago. 

• Thousands now hold extremely high balances: over 800,000 have debts between £50,000 and £100,000, and more than 8,000 owe over £100,000. 

• Meanwhile, universities are projected to charge £9,535 per year from September 2025, pushing future student debts close to £72,000 for complete degrees. 

Benefits Dependency: 600,000+ Graduates Claiming Support

• Between March–May 2025, approximately 639,000 degree‑qualified graduates were claiming Universal Credit—about 12% of all benefit recipients. 

• While 88% of graduates are employed, many face underemployment, low wages, and precarious job prospects.

• The median graduate salary is just £26,500, with only medicine and dentistry offering significantly more (~£37,900), while graduates in sectors like media earn ~£25,000. 

Job Market & Career Stagnation

• Around 30% of graduates struggle to secure skilled employment within 15 months of graduating, according to Office for Students data. 

• Since 2019, graduate job listings have dropped by 67%, while salaries have risen only modestly (~8.6%), trailing inflation and the cost of living — exacerbating financial stress. 

• Many graduates report avoiding promotions or higher-paying roles to minimize loan repayments, describing their debt as inhibiting career advancement, stability, and even mental health. 

Growing Emigration: The Brain Drain Effect

• Rising debt and limited job prospects are prompting some graduates to move abroad in search of better financial and professional opportunities.

• Historically, UK graduates working overseas were exempt from loan repayments unless they reported income — a loophole contributing to emigration trends and leaving many debts unpaid. 

• Though official numbers are hard to pinpoint, policy proposals like a graduation tax raise concerns of further incentivising graduate departure. 

Why 6,000+ Graduates Are Considering Leaving

While your reference to “6,000 graduates” may be symbolic, the pattern is unmistakable:

1. Sky‑high debts that overshadow any early-career earnings.

2. Underemployment and wage stagnation, with salaries failing to keep pace with rising living costs.

3. Psychological toll of debt—many describe feeling trapped, exhausted, or regretful about attending university. 

4. Poor return on certain degrees, especially in fields like arts or media where graduate earnings underperform.

5. Low-cost or no-debt pathways abroad, such as degree apprenticeships or education systems in Europe with minimal tuition fees. 

Potential Solutions & Reform Options

• Graduate Tax or Funding Reform

Graduate tax proposals aim to simplify higher-education funding but risk encouraging emigration if graduates can easily dodge payment by moving overseas. 

• Degree Apprenticeships & Alternative Pathways

Options like earn-while-you-learn apprenticeships, international study in countries with little or no tuition, or accelerated two-year degrees offer alternatives that reduce debt exposure. 

• Aligning Degrees with Labour Market Demand

Emphasizing workplace-ready, high-value subjects—and closing failing “low‑value” courses—is key to improving job outcomes and reducing graduate underemployment. 

• Welfare & Supports

Enhanced targeted bursaries, maintenance grants, and welfare reforms could alleviate the pressure, rein in public benefit dependency, and discourage brain drain. 

 In Summary

• The average English graduate now ends university with around £53,000 of debt, with total student liabilities skyrocketing into the hundreds of billions.

• More than 600,000 graduates currently claim Universal Credit, reflecting widespread financial distress.

• Graduate job prospects are weakening, many struggle with underemployment, and low growth in wages pushes them toward considering their options abroad.

• Without meaningful reform in funding, degree value, and welfare support, the UK risks losing a generation of skilled professionals to emigration.

Attached is a News article regarding 6000 graduates on benefits in the uk 

https://www.gbnews.com/news/benefits-graduates-concerns-universal-credit-mickey-mouse-degrees

Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley