But you'd still be paying off the full tuition fees, surely? And when Anytown Poly is charging £9k a year for a 3 year course, that's a lot to payback before any living costs are added, regardless of how much you have to earn before you start paying.

anyone who voted for their LOCAL politicians on NATIONAL policies is a dimwit.

I fear for HCC, special measures inside 36 months methinks.

Its not traditional debt in that form - you don't need to pay it back, the government just takes it out with your PAYE when you are eligible, if you never pay the full amount back, nothing happens

- and it doesnt effect your credit rating

Hardly an encouragement for the graduates of tomorrow to push themselves into decent jobs

for the sake of £40 a month?

I'd agree with that. I'm sure there are a number of decent hardworking Lib Dem councillors (there are some!) will be delighted that they've been booted out because of Clegg's lust for any sort of power.

When I went to university (under labour) I had to pay my fees upfront before I could start university, this system would have made it easier for me to go to uni

or £27000 in total?

Wrong again.

For a start, the average graduate starting salary is >£25k so the 'you don't pay anything back until...' argument falls at the first hurdle. For a second, because of the way interest is now added to the loan a graduate who stays at an average salary grade throughout his career will pay back a lot more than someone who earns a packet. That figure of >80k total was calculated [ibased[/i on an average student with an average career.

Your only chance to pay less under the new system is to either be rich enough to not need a loan, become rich enough to pay the loan off quickly, or be poor enough to get support. The [iaverage[/i student is getting screwed over.

When I went to university, under the Tories (but following a system that had been in place for years) my fees were paid for me by the local authority and I received a grant from them for my living costs. Didn't cost me a penny.

More than that. You forgot to add interest and living expenses.

unfortunately, due to the currently economy, the average starting salary for a graduate is more in the 18-20k bracket (trust me), and graduate unemployment is at around 20%, those people (the majority) will only be paying inflationary levels of interest, which means that the their loan stays at the same real level as when they borrowed it

Indeed, and said lust has also meant the shoddy compromise of AV will get voted down and we'll not see PR within 10 years.

educatioin and good healthcare IS the future of our country