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Government warns about rising credit card debt Debt - the 12-month view Amount of `bad debt` written off reaches 16-year high Deeper into debt: middle-class poverty Debt taken on by individuals increased in January Debt Relief Order (DRO) rules may be changed Overdrafts: five million Britons `permanently` in debt Mortgage lending drops to decade low The cost of debt falls Two thirds hope to have cleared mortgage debt by 50 40% of people approaching retirement `saddled with debt` Repossession `may be best` for homeowners struggling with debt Bankruptcies in Scotland - the worst may be yet to come Good news for people with energy debts US: new law provides debt-free date More debt taken on than repaid in December Savings rise as consumers pay down debt Household debt `could trigger another downturn` More families could fall into debt with energy companies Recession ends

Student debt `has tripled since 2002`

02/11/2009

Today, the average student will graduate with £23,000 of debt - three times as much as was the case in 2002 - according to the recent Push Student Debt Survey.

Most of today`s graduates have to `contend with an avalanche of debt`, as well as an increasingly difficult job market. So says the Guardian, in an article which looks at how graduates are coping with the practical and psychological issues which debt can cause.

The article quotes a couple of recent graduates. One talks of putting most of her MA debt on a credit card, while another describes the feeling of living in a "culture of debt" in which her deteriorating finances "almost didn`t mean anything. You know you`re not the only one facing big debts - all of society is too."

Over the last ten years, according to Dr Ruth Caleb, Head of Counselling at Brunel University, there has been a significant rise in the number of students looking for help with their money worries. She noted that being in debt tends to lead to other problems too, such as `depression, social difficulties and conflict in relationships`.

"Many talk about their mounting debts," said Dr Caleb. "It`s a package, really: rising debts often come with other problems."

The article also points out that levels of debt among students vary from region to region and from course to course. In Scotland, for example, levels of debt have fallen. And people studying medicine can have £50,000 of debt, or even more.

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Debt Advisers Direct offer free debt advice and a range of debt solutions, including debt management plans, debt consolidation loans and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements).

Government warns about rising credit card debt 05/03/2010 - The latest figures from the Bank of England (BoE) have Debt - the 12-month view 04/03/2010 - In January, UK citizens - between them - borrowed £500 Amount of `bad debt` written off reaches 16-year high 03/03/2010 - The latest figures from the Bank of England (BoE) suggest Deeper into debt: middle-class poverty 02/03/2010 - The recession has also affected a lot of people with