Tuition fees: How much does university cost in the UK?

Most students will leave university owing money.

The Student Loans Company says graduates in England leave university with average debts of £48,470.

In general, most graduates can expect to earn more than non-graduates, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)., external

However, it suggests the amount of extra money earned after a university education has declined.

According to HESA’s survey of 2020-21 graduates, the average salary reported 15 months after gaining a degree was £29,699., external

Earnings also depend on the subject studied and university attended.

Research by the IFS think tank, external in England suggests, on average, women who studied creative arts and languages degrees earned the same amount in their lifetime as if they had not gone to university.

Women who studied law, economics or medicine earned over £250,000 more during their career than if they had not got a degree.

Men who studied creative arts on average earned less across their lifetimes than if they had not attended university. Male medicine or economics graduates earned £500,000 more.