Student loans: ‘My debt rose £20,000 to £77,000 even though I’m paying’

Millions of graduates are trapped by ballooning debts, as their repayments are dwarfed by the interest added

Helen Lambert borrowed 57,000 to go to university and began repaying her student loan in 2021 after starting work as an NHS nurse.

Since then she has repaid more than 5,000, typically having about 145 a month taken from her pay packet. But everything she hands over is dwarfed by the 400-plus of interest that is added to her debt every month, thanks to rates that have been as high as 8%.