Tories pledge to raise tuition fee repayment threshold to £25,000

Theresa May has announced plans to raise the income level which triggers student loan repayments from £21,000 to £25,000 a year.

The Conservative government has also promised to freeze undergraduate tuition fees at the current rate of £9,250.

At the start of the Conservative party conference held in Manchester today, Theresa May stated:

“We are pledging to help students with an immediate freeze in maximum fee levels and by increasing the amount graduates can earn before they start paying their fees back."

The Prime Minister wants to review the long-term issues concerning student funding, in a bid to appeal to young voters.

She said that when student fees were increased, there was an expectation of a "diversity in the system" where some universities would offer shorter and cheaper courses, rather than always charging the maximum student fee amount.

The party will also assess concerns over scrapped maintenance grants and consider the return of varying tuition fees for courses.

Speaking to the Sun on Sunday, the prime minister said: "Too many young people fear they are going to be worse off than their parents.

"We have listened to those concerns and we are going to act to offer a fairer deal for students and young people."