Entrepreneurial spirit still high

The entrepreneurial spirit of Britain’s students is not dampened by rising student debt. Students planning to set up a business after they finish university appear undeterred by the debts they will incur while studying, according to new research amongst over 2,000 undergraduates out today from the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship in conjunction with Barclays.

While student debt continues to climb, with students expecting to graduate with £11,900 of debt compared to £3,400 10 years ago, the number of students anticipating setting up on their own immediately after graduation remains consistent at four per cent, or around 30,000 students, from the current student population of around 750,000.

However, student debt is likely to slow down the execution of their plans, with 57 per cent of students saying they would defer their plans to go it alone until their debts were paid off.