Graduates in England & Wales carry crippling debt for an education that students in Scotland receive free — and that most of Europe has recognised as a fundamental right. This is a political choice. We are demanding it be reversed.
Since 2001, students domiciled in Scotland and studying at Scottish universities have paid no tuition fees whatsoever. Scottish universities continue to rank among the world's best. The same UK government that funds the Scottish Government also imposes fees of £9,535 per year in England — the first increase since 2017. This is not an economic constraint. It is a political decision, made repeatedly by Westminster governments of all parties.
Germany, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Greece charge no tuition fees. France charges under €400 per year at public universities. The OECD's Education at a Glance 2025 confirmed that England's fees exceed those of every other country in its analysis, bar US private institutions. The argument that free higher education is economically impossible is contradicted by the experience of more than thirty countries whose graduates emerge without debt.
Plan 2 loans charge interest of up to RPI + 3% — currently 6.2%. The Institute for Public Policy Research found that "for many, the balance isn't even going down at all as the repayments they are making are dwarfed by the interest on the debt." One graduate testified on BBC Question Time that he had paid £32,000 in interest alone on a £37,500 original loan. HEPI found some graduates face a 51% combined effective tax and loan repayment rate.
Affluent families can pay tuition fees upfront in cash, bypassing the loan system entirely. The IPPR described the result as "a de facto graduate tax, except the wealthy are excluded because their parents pay upfront." Martin Lewis called the government's decision to freeze repayment thresholds for three years "a breach of natural justice" and "a stealth tax" — one he argued would be illegal if done by any commercial lender. The 2025 Autumn Budget made this threshold freeze policy.
It's a kind of graduate tax — but having a loan that you are paying off in work, but you're not actually making any progress in paying it off, and that feels endless.Lucy Powell, Labour Deputy Leader — LBC, February 2026
Unilaterally changing the terms of the loan would not be allowed for any commercial lender. It would go against all forms of consumer law. It's a breach of contract and a breach of promise.Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert — BBC Newsnight, 2026
For many, the balance isn't even going down at all as the repayments they are making are dwarfed by the interest on the debt.Institute for Public Policy Research — Student Loan Reform Analysis, March 2026
Was it mis-sold to me when I was told it would cost nine grand a year? Yeah, I'd say so. I left with £37,500 of debt and have paid £32,000 in interest alone.Anonymous Graduate — BBC Question Time, 2026
Political pressure is building across parties. Your email adds to it.
England's tuition fee system is an international outlier. The following data is drawn from the OECD's Education at a Glance 2025 and the House of Commons Library briefing CBP-10155.
| Country / Region | Annual Tuition Fees | Average Graduate Debt | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏴 England | £9,535 / year (2025–26) | ~£53,000 | Fees Apply |
| 🏴 Wales | Up to £9,535 / year | ~£40,000 | Fees Apply |
| 🏴 Scotland (Scottish students) | £0 | ~£7,000 (living costs only) | Free |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | €0 (~€300/semester admin fee) | Minimal | Free |
| 🇫🇷 France | €170–€380 / year (public) | Very Low | Effectively Free |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | £0 | £0 tuition debt | Free |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | £0 (EU/EEA citizens) | £0 tuition debt | Free |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | £0 (EU/EEA citizens) | Minimal | Free |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | £0 (EU/EEA citizens) | £0 tuition debt | Free |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | ~€726 / year | Very Low | Low Cost |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | £0 | £0 tuition debt | Free |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | ~€1,000–€3,000 / year | Low | Low Cost |
Universities produce doctors, engineers, teachers and researchers whose contributions benefit all of society. The OECD consistently finds that the returns to higher education accrue substantially to the public, not merely the individual. A system that privatises the cost while socialising the benefit is economically incoherent and morally unjustifiable.
Scotland abolished tuition fees for domiciled students in 2001. Scottish universities have remained globally competitive, producing world-class graduates without the burden of personal debt. The Scottish Government has stated it remains "resolute in its commitment to free tuition." There is no principled economic case for England not doing the same — only a political one.
Wealthy students can have fees paid upfront, bypassing the loan system and its decades of repayments. The IPPR called this "a de facto graduate tax, except the wealthy are excluded because their parents pay upfront." Middle-income graduates bear the heaviest effective burden: too affluent for full grants, too indebted to build wealth at the same rate as those whose parents paid. This is the inverse of what an equitable system should produce.
Plan 2 loans were introduced with the promise that graduates would repay "a little each month" with the debt eventually written off. Instead, RPI + 3% interest — currently 6.2% — means many graduates' balances are growing faster than their repayments. Martin Lewis described the government's unilateral threshold freeze as something "no commercial lender would be allowed to do." It is a structural trap dressed up as a student support system.
HEPI found graduates face an effective 51% combined marginal rate on salaries, between income tax, National Insurance, and loan repayments. Multiple surveys show graduates delaying homeownership, pension saving, and family formation because of debt. The £267bn outstanding balance — forecast to reach £500bn by the 2040s — represents a drag on consumer spending and productive investment that affects the whole economy, not merely individual borrowers.
The NUS staged protests outside Parliament in February 2026. Labour's Deputy Leader acknowledged the system feels "endless and unfair." The Green Party backs full abolition and debt cancellation. The Liberal Democrats have tabled reform proposals. Political pressure from constituents — emails, calls, surgeries — is the mechanism through which this debate becomes legislation.
Abolish Student Loans is a grassroots political campaign founded by graduates, current students, and educators who believe that access to higher education should be a fundamental right — not a financial burden that follows young people for three decades.
We were founded out of frustration. Students 200 miles north of the border pay nothing. Students in England graduate with an average of £53,000 in debt (House of Commons Library, 2025). Our European neighbours — in Germany, France, Norway, Denmark and beyond — long ago established that an educated society benefits everyone, and that education should be funded collectively.
We are non-partisan. Students in Germany under conservative governments study for free. This is not a left-right question — it is a question of basic fairness. We campaign through direct democratic pressure, empowering individuals to contact their elected representatives and demand systemic change.
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