Punitive student loans threaten the future of UK science

Debate around the contentious plan 2 student loan system has garnered widespread attention over the last year: retrospective changes by successive governments have led to spiralling graduate debt and increasing cost-of-living pressures for the newest entrants into the workforce. A generation of students feels betrayed by the establishment and the hidden inequalities embedded into this flawed system are now becoming apparent.

Beneath the radar, the plan 2 loans’ predatory terms have quietly taken a disproportionate toll on the UK’s science graduates, with the most punitive features hitting this group hardest. More than 20% of the loan holders Chemistry World surveyed in a recent poll said they were considering cutting their losses: leaving the sector, moving abroad, or restricting their hours and responsibilities. More and more are simply choosing to cut their losses: leaving the sector, moving abroad or restricting their hours. This steady drain of talent from the UK scientific workforce is a worrying trend, and one that is only set to get worse as the next generation begins to make career choices, says Neil Walsh, pensions officer at the trade union Prospect. ‘There’s a complete undermining of science as a sector and where it gets really problematic is when that starts seeping through to secondary school students deciding where their career future lies.’