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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Sam Barker

Join us LIVE as our experts explain all the student money 'dos and don'ts' as university starts

More than a million students start university this week - and will have to tackle money worries as well as academic study.

The cap on interest rates for student loans in England and Wales is being cut from September - but will still be 6.3%, and is set to rise beyond that in the future.

Students will also have to tackle the cost of living crisis, from rising energy bills to high food prices.

Some slightly better student money news is that banks are competing to offer the best student current account perks - with two giving away £100 in cash.

Consumer champion Isobel Lawrance from MoneyMagpie will be joined by Mirror Money reporter Sam Barker at 1pm to take you through everything you need to know about university and money.

Join us at 1pm live on the Daily Mirror Facebook page

They will cover everything from how student loans work to how to save money as a student, as well as which bank account is best for you.

They will also cover off budgeting tips and tricks, as well as clever ways to make money as a student.

We’ll be taking your questions live - you can do this by dropping us a comment during the Facebook Live - or you can email us beforehand at mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk.

Government figures show that around £20billion is loaned to around 1.5million students every year.

These loans are then repaid, plus interest, when graduates start working.

But the way the loan repayments works is complicated.

How much you repay mostly varies depending on when you went to university and how much you earn.

Student loan debt repayments are often called a "graduate tax" for this reason.

The student loan interest cap of 6.3% came in after the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned students could end up paying up to 12% interest.

The interest rate on student loans is currently set at 4.5% and is calculated by adding 3% to the Retail Price Index (RPI).

The new lower figure affects students in England and Wales with Plan 2 (undergraduate) and Plan 3 (postgraduate) loans.

You’ll be on a Plan 2 repayment plan if you started an undergraduate course anywhere in the UK on or after September 2012.

There is a major change happening with student loans next year, as you will start to repay them with 9% interest if you earn £25,000 and above.

The repayment threshold is currently £27,285 - this applies to students starting university this September.

Student loan interest rates will be reviewed again in December.

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