Many youngsters are put off applying for university because they are worried about student finance.
This is the warning of consumer campaigner Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com, who spoke as part of an initiative being run by numerous universities, schools and colleges.
Establishments such as the University for Creative Arts (UCA) are taking part in Student Finance Day, where talks will be held to reassure youngsters and their parents about the new student finance system that will come into force across England in 2012.
UCA Farnham will host an event on November 14th, while UCA Rochester is holding the same talk on November 16th.
Mr Lewis – who has a trademark title of Money Saving Expert and often offers advice on shows such as ITV’s Daybreak – is heading the range of events and said there is a “near national crisis” regarding the perception of student debt.
“Prospective students are making their decision based on headline fee levels rather than how much it’s actually likely to cost them.
“Many students, especially from lower income families are unnecessarily being put off,” he claimed.
The talks hope to allay some of these fears and separate fact from fiction.