HALF of first year university students across the UK are worried about debt, a new study shows.
Lloyds TSB's third annual Student Finance Report also reveals greater numbers of students are struggling to make ends meet.
Around one in five full-time students at university in 2012/13 said they did not have enough money to meet monthly outgoings.
And 40% said they were just meeting their monthly outgoings, but money was tight.
With many students' annual income derived from student loans, over half think they will be in debt by more than £10,000 on completion of their course, with the average estimated debt at £16,909.
As a result, half of students surveyed said they had a full or part-time job within the last academic year, compared to 48% the previous academic year.
Seeking employment to supplement income is having an adverse affect on an increasing larger proportion of students, with 29% of those who worked during term time in the past academic year admitting it has affected their studies in a negative way, compared with 25% in 2012.
A smaller proportion of 37% of students who worked during term time said they had the right balance between study, work and being able to socialise.
Philip Robinson, director of current accounts at Lloyds TSB, said: "Our research shows that the majority of students are expecting to leave university with a high level of debt, with most expecting to see this extend well into five figures.
"Increasing debt has seen many students take on paid work, however, despite their best efforts, students are still struggling to make ends meet."
The figures come from a YouGov poll of 2099 full time students at a UK university in 2012/13.
Although the figures are from a UK-wide survey they do not necessarily represent the experiences of Scottish students because they don't pay tuition fees.
In May last year, it emerged that a significant gulf had opened up between the debts of students from Scotland and their counterparts in the rest of the UK.
The 2012 UK Graduate Careers Survey shows average student debt across the UK was £19,400, but lower debts of up to £15,700 were recorded at Scottish institutions.
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