Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been criticised for “hiking tuition fees to record levels”, with new figures revealing cost increases of a “staggering” 879% since their introduction.
Higher education costs for English universities currently stand at £9,790 per year for UK undergraduates, compared with the £1,000 annual rate set when Tony Blair’s government first created them in 1998.
House of Commons library research shows students borrowing the maximum loan could leave higher education owing around £70,000, a sum rising to £81,000 for individuals studying in London.
Students graduating in England in 2025 accumulated an average debt of £53,010, according to the data.
In contrast, Scottish graduates exiting university in 2025 carried an average debt of £17,990, as local students in Scotland are exempt from paying tuition fees.
Mr Burnham had previously vowed to scrap tuition fees and implement a graduate tax, arguing it would “lift the millstone of debt” from undergraduates.
He made this promise back in 2015 while running in the Labour leadership race that was won by Jeremy Corbyn.
SNP Westminster economy spokesperson Kirsty Blackman said: “Andy Burnham once promised to follow the SNP’s lead and scrap university tuition fees but instead they are rising to record levels under his leadership.
“It is shocking that, thanks to the Labour Party, thousands of young people beginning university in England this year will start their working lives burdened with £81,000 of debt.
“There is simply no excuse for the fact that tuition fees have risen by a staggering 879% since the Labour Party introduced them – and it means that Andy Burnham is breaking his promises to millions of students and young people.”
Ms Blackman said the situation contrasts with that in Scotland, where she vowed “university tuition fees in Scotland will always be free under the SNP”.
She said: “Scottish students graduating in 2025 left university with a whopping £35,000 less debt than students in England.
“Andy Burnham promised he would be different, but he’s already performed more U-turns and broken more promises than Keir Starmer.
“He said he would reduce the cost of living but tuition fees are up, energy bills are up, inflation is up and families are struggling to get by.
“Burdening young people with £81,000 of debt before they’ve even started their working lives isn’t tackling the cost of living – it’s making it increasingly unbearable.
“When Andy Burnham went to university in the 1980s, he paid no fees and received a free maintenance grant, so why is he breaking his promise to scrap fees for this generation and hiking them to record levels instead? It’s the same old broken promises.
“It’s all well-and-good Andy Burnham spending his time making fancy TikTok videos, but what families want to see is real action to put money in their pockets – not another Labour Party tuition fee hike that will take even more money away from hard-pressed households.
“Andy Burnham must come clean and admit whether his promise to scrap fees is another broken promise on the Westminster bonfire.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We know the student loan system we inherited is broken and unfair, and some graduates feel the weight of this more strongly.
“We will continue to look for ways to make the system fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers in a financially sustainable way.
“We’re breaking down barriers to accessing university by increasing maximum maintenance loans this year, targeting the largest amount of support to students from the lowest income families, and we’re reintroducing targeted maintenance grants to help people from all backgrounds access university or college.”
