DEBTS for university students are set to increase under top-up fees, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

Report author Hilary Metcalf, senior research fellow at the institute, said current fee charges had translated immediately into debts.

"If the same happens with the £3,000 per year top-up fee, student debt will triple," she said.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect is that it took a survey based on 4,000 students to conclude that if fees of £1,150 are raised to £3,000, debts will become about three times worse.