Managing student debt

Spend money wisely

• It can take months or years to pay off an overdraft or credit card, or even longer if you have store cards or a loan as well.
• With careful budgeting you can avoid creating a difficult debt situation for yourself.
• Knowing your incomings, outgoings and what's left over should mean you won't end up with huge bills you can't pay.

Manage any debts you already have

• Figure out what you can do without so you can make savings.
• Don't get another loan – you might just end up paying more interest.
• Instead, set up a realistic payment plan so you won't have to worry about it and you can focus on your studies instead.
• Then hopefully you'll finish your studies with as low a debt as possible.

You can find a list of organisations offering free debt advice on the Money Helper website.