Some students owe massive amounts of student debt with some in a position where they need to pay back over £100,000.

The data reveals that one student owes over £231,000 because of a build-up of interest and studying multiple courses.

The new figures have highlighted the growing cost of higher education in the UK which leaves many students with levels of debt that they are unable to pay back. Following the release of the figures, some student organisations say it raises questions about how universities are funded.

According to the BBC, the highest level of accumulated interest by one student was an astonishing £54,050. The sky-high numbers comes almost 15 years after tuition fees were tripled in the UK, forcing students to take larger loans and rack up greater debts.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) said that on average students leave university with debts of around £44,940.

On the exceptionally high debts reported by the BBC, a spokesperson for the organisation said: “These exceptional balances are a function of government policy that in certain circumstances exempts specific courses from repeat study restrictions, permits funding for additional years of study, and results in SLC awarding additional years of funding when an individual demonstrates compelling personal reasons.”

Meanwhile, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) Nick Hilman said he had never seen anything like it during his time in the sector.

The figures have astonished Save The Student which said the figures were “eye-watering”. In the same vein, the NUS’s vice president for higher education Chloe Field said the UK could no longer pretend its universities were open to all.

Ms Field explained: “The UK cannot pretend that university is accessible to everyone when there is the possibility of students incurring over £200,000 worth of debt.”

She also said that these debts discouraged people from working-class backgrounds from applying.

In response to the findings, a spokesperson for the Department for Education claimed: “We’ve taken action to protect students from high costs by freezing tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years.

“Our reforms also mean that under the new repayment plan, no new graduate will pay back more than they originally borrowed when inflation is taken into account, and those who earn less than the repayment threshold will not have to make any repayments.”

While the new repayment plans may be welcome, the new figures have put universities under intense scrutiny to make sure those without as well as those with massive capital can enjoy the opportunities of Britain’s world-leading higher education system.