Avoid damaging credit ratings, students advised

Students have been warned to keep their credit ratings spotless during their time in higher education by one sector expert.

Reckless behaviour while at university may damage graduates' ability to access credit in the form of mortgages, remortgages or loans, commented executive director of UNIAID Alistair Lomax.

It is important to ensure TV licences, utility bills and other household rates are paid in full, he pointed out.

"[Students] just need to be really careful at the moment not to get a bad credit rating, because it will affect their ability to borrow later on in life," he said.

Mr Lomax added that there are funds available to people finding it difficult to cope with the costs involved with higher education.

Some 71 per cent of sixth-form leavers claim money is one of their biggest worries involved with entering university.

The cost of higher education could reach £7,000 by 2009, figures from the organisation suggest.

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