Over 85% of Warwick students are worried by student debt

Despite this, the majority of respondents shared that they felt the money they spent on higher education was worth it.

These findings reflect the concern that recent changes to the student loan system are causing: in October 2025, Education Secretary Bridget Philipson announced that university tuition fees will increase in line with inflation.

Outrage at the student loan system further increased in November 2025, when Rachel Reeves announced that the threshold at which graduates start making repayments would remain frozen at £29,385 from April 2027.

Together, these changes essentially mean that, respectively, students will typically end their university degree with more debt and will have to pay this back while earning proportionately less than previous graduates.

A degree is a significant commitment of time, effort, and financial investment

University spokesperson

The situation is however constantly changing and adapting to the political climate: Plan 2 student loan interest rates, which is the designated ‘plan’ for current university students, have been capped at 6% in response to to the rising rates of inflation due to the war in Iran.

Despite these changes increasing the level of concern students feel, a University of Warwick spokesperson has said that: “the decision to study for a degree is a significant commitment – of time, effort, and financial investment. At Warwick, we believe that a degree should deliver lasting value: opening doors to rewarding careers, developing critical thinking and transferable skills, and empowering graduates to make a meaningful impact in the world.”

With students across the UK questioning the value of higher education, The Boar has investigated how Warwick students perceive and are responding to the situation.

Nearly 65% of students think that the money spent on their higher education is “well spent”, and some seem to accept the student loan system”. One student suggested that they view their student debt as a “graduate tax”, while another argued that “the student loan system is very flawed, but there are no better alternatives.”

Other students delve into these flaws in their own responses, showing more frustration at the way the system is run and treats students: the means-tested nature of a student maintenance loan, whereby the amount a student qualifies for depends on parental income, was a particular topic of annoyance.

One respondent emphasised the unfairness of the way that the Student Finance England (SFE) loans system works, “because it is largely not in line with inflation and does not take into account other household costs like other siblings.”

Another student argued that: “it is harmful that SFE assumes that wealth equals generosity. Many students from backgrounds considered wealthy enough are left to fund their living costs with part-time work.”

Going to university should level the playing field, but because of the debt I’m still going to be economically behind everyone else”

Anonymous student

Multiple students reported that the frustration their feel and the student loans system is reflective of wider class-based inequalities. One lamented that “despite how hard I work and how educated I become, those from higher classes will always be better off than me”, because they will not end their degree with the debt this student anticipates having.

The respondent continued, saying how “this annoys me because going to university should level the playing field, but because of the debt I’m still going to be economically behind everyone else”, bringing into question the extent to which a degree sets people up for success.

Despite students therefore seemingly having a complex relationship with their student debt and the value of university, the University of Warwick attempts to ensure that there is “no barrier to talent”.

While multiple types of scholarships are provided by the University, The Boar can reveal that less students are applying for this financial support. Bursaries like the Warwick Hardship Fund, the International Students’ Emergency Fund, and the Dean of Students (DoS) Hardship Fund had fewer applicants in the academic year 2024/25 than they did in 2023/24.

Scholarship and funding opportunities can be found on our Scholarship Search Tool

University spokesperson

While this would suggest that the number of students who require financial support is declining, one student told The Boar how receiving a bursary “has been useful for me to be able to enrich my student life with things like getting a gym membership, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”

However, the same student also suggested that there is not enough awareness of the types of financial support available to Warwick students, telling The Boar that “I was not aware I would get it [a bursary] until after I had applied [to university], and I wish they had told me sooner as it would have helped ease my anxiety about finances a bit.”

Indeed, other recipients of Warwick’s bursaries told The Boar that the system is not reliable enough: “I got a bursary in first year and then, even though nothing had changed in my financial situation, they said I didn’t qualify for a bursary in second year, which put too much pressure and stress on me”.

Although the university therefore has bursaries in place, their efficacy varies and financial difficulties still arise, preventing students from completing their studies: a total of 21 Warwick students permanently withdrew from their studies because of financial pressures during 2023/24 and 2024/25.

A University of Warwick spokesperson has said that “as a world-leading teaching and research University, we offer a range of scholarships, bursaries and tuition fee discounts. All of these are non-repayable and are intended to assist students in meeting the costs of their course, their living expenses or both.

“Scholarship and funding opportunities can be found on our Scholarship Search Tool and students from lower income households receive bursaries to support their studies. Bursaries are sometimes available to enable students to participate in opportunities such as work experience, internships, study abroad or field trips”.

With the rise of degree apprenticeships and other alternative pathways, the issues associated with student loans and debts have the potential to reshape higher education in the UK. Although most Warwick students view their university education as money well spent, there is simultaneously discontent and frustration brewing, as the systems in play are challenged and concerns about rising debt intensify.