More than half of Britons support interest-free student loans (54%), a 13ppt increase from 2023

• More than half of Britons now advocate for interest-free student loans (54%), a significant rise from 41% in May 2023
• 44% of Britons believe attending university is worthwhile, 27% say it is not
• Among those who do not think it’s worthwhile for young people today to go to university, rising tuition fees and potential debt dominate concerns

New data from Ipsos in the UK, taken in February 2026, explores British attitudes to University. The research shows some public misunderstanding about how Student Loans work and whilst more think University is worth it than not, there are concerns about the cost and potential debt incurred by students.

Key findings 

Preferred loan repayment structure: 54%percent of Britons now advocate for interest-free student loans, a significant rise from 41% in May 2023. When asked what they think the current arrangement is 4 in 10 say they don’t know and only one in four correctly say an interest rate above the rate of inflation is charged.

Is going to University worth it? 

44% of Britons believe attending university is worthwhile, a decrease from 49% in August 2024 (though similar to the 45% saying it was worthwhile in May 2023). Parents of children in education are more likely to believe in the value of higher education than the general public (55%); however, this group has also seen a 5ppt drop in support since 2024 (59%).
Financial Concerns

• Among those who do not think it’s worthwhile for young people today to go to university, rising tuition fees and potential debt continue to dominate concerns, with 54% saying that fees are too expensive and 50% worried about the debt burden of student loans. A further 46% do not feel there is a link between going to university and getting a good job. 

• Student Debt Anxiety: Around three quarters of the public are concerned each about students ending university with high levels of debt (76%) and people from poorer backgrounds being put off from going to university due to the cost (73%). More than 2 in 3 further cited students taking subjects that will not help them get jobs after they graduate (69%) and the cost of student loan repayments preventing graduates from being able to achieve key life milestones (68%) as a concern.

  

  How tuition fees should be handled?

  When asked what they think the government should do with tuition fees for undergraduate programmes in England, the most popular solutions were reducing the limit that can be charged to students (currently £9,535; 23%), making university free by being paid through general taxation (23%), and replacing the current system with a graduate tax which would be paid by graduates after graduating (18%). Though there was no public consensus about the way forward.

  Commenting on the findings, Keiran Pedley, Research Director at Ipsos said:

Our findings reflect that there is some confusion in the public about the Student Loan system. Whilst a majority think students should not pay interest on their loans at all, many do not know how the current situation actually works. With significant public concern about the cost of University and debt incurred by students, there is the potential for this to be a significant policy debate in the short to medium term

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 2,260 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 13th-17th February 2026.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.