Debts of £37,000 forecast for medical students

Undergraduates studying medicine may be graduating university with debts of £37,000, according to new figures.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has said that top-up fees will mean that the average debts of new medical students will double compared to current levels of £20,000.

Furthermore, if tuition fees are increased in line with Government proposals, debts for medical graduates could escalate to £57,000 or even £67,000 for those living in London, the BMA stated.

Chairman of the Medical Students Finance Subcommittee, Tom Foley, called for an independent review into the problem.

'We're worried that medical students are being unfairly penalised and more importantly, that this will put off prospective students from even applying to medicine,' he said.

Ian Noble, the Chairman of the BMA's Medical Student Committee, warned that medicine could become 'the preserve of the wealthy.'

The average student debt is £17,500, figures from push.co.uk revealed last year.