Student loans: ‘My debt rose £20,000 to £77,000 even though I’m paying’

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 7 min read 100% complete by Rupert JonesJanuary 23, 2026 at 08:00 AM
Student loans: ‘My debt rose £20,000 to £77,000 even though I’m paying’

AI Summary

long article 7 min

The article discusses the growing burden of student loan debt in the UK, focusing on the experiences of graduates with Plan 2 loans. Helen Lambert, an NHS nurse, illustrates the issue, as her debt has increased by £20,000 despite making regular repayments since 2021. High interest rates, sometimes exceeding £400 per month, contribute to the debt's growth, overshadowing her monthly payments. The article highlights that the freezing of the salary threshold for Plan 2 loan repayments further exacerbates the financial strain on graduates. Labour MP Nadia Whittome shares a similar experience, having only reduced her debt by £1,000 after six years of repayments. This has led to renewed calls for student loans to be rebranded as a graduate tax, reflecting the nature of the repayment system.

Keywords

student loans 100% debt 90% interest rates 80% repayments 70% graduate tax 60% plan 2 student loan 60% salary threshold 50% nhs nurse 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative
Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source
The Guardian - World News
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
United Kingdom

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 31 related topics
View Full Graph
Explore Full Topic Graph