How to avoid the massive student debt

Now these words of wisdom are not going to wave a magic wand and give you a quick fix of how to avoid any student debt, in fact completely the opposite but they might make you think is university the best route a child should be following? 

Children have spent the last 11- 12 years at school working towards opening the envelope yesterday when the A’Level results were announced based on the outcome of a few small exams.  There will have been tears and accolade up and down the country.  So those who got a place at University will have put their application in and filled out all the paperwork to have their place secured.  Those that may have not got the results needed are wading through clearing and perhaps not even managed to secure a place after that. 

Out of all those students who are the ones who are going to be better off? Starting with those who are accepted to go to University.   The minute you fill out the application you start to clock up charges.  If just to apply for multiple Universities there is a higher cost involved.  So yeah, you have got into university, but at what cost? Lets take a middle of the road university, the average tuition fees this year being around £ 9,250 per annum.  The degree course is 3 years, so already they have signed up for £ 27,750.  This can either be paid out of savings, buts  lets face it there are very few students that will be staring University that will have that kind of money in their savings or via a Student Loan, generously offered by the government. 

We are expecting our young people to physically take on a debt of a minimum of £ 27,750, which could take a substantial number of years to repay.  I have not even started on their travel cost, rent, food and general living costs.  My calculator has steam coming off it there are that may numbers going in.  So the question now is this really fair, but also is it worth it? 

If you then take the student who has decided not to go to University and get a job, working their way up the career path.  They were smart enough to go to University but chose not to.  They have no debts at all, they still lives at home and they have a large amount of money coming into their bank account each month.  It will be a low salary, as they are starting at the bottom, but from just leaving college to earning a wage it will be a substantial amount to them. 

Now the argument may be that they are not getting lives experience, they are not learning to manage their money or stand on their own two feet.  My response to that is, parents should charge keep as high maybe at they would have paid at University, stop doing everything for them like washing and cooking, let they do it themselves.  If they want to go out and get drunk at the weekend let them clear up their own mess.  The benefit is that they will not have a minimum of       £ 27,750 noose around their necks, which will have a massive impact on their future lives, more so now than ever.

If the government took this debt over, would that teach the next generation, that everything they want gets handed to them on a plate or does it make them think about what they are taking on?  If parents have saved for years and gone without themselves, to provide the opportunity for a child to go to University but the child comes out with very little, including low prospects of a job, will the sacrifice have been worth it? 

How to avoid the massive student debt, should  it be don’t go to university, work instead?