The National Union of Students has launched “Don’t Freeze Our Futures”, a nationwide push to reform the student loan system, alongside plans for a mass Lobby Day in Parliament on March 11th. The campaign comes at a time when student finance is once again dominating headlines, with growing concern over frozen repayment thresholds, rising interest, and the long-term burden placed on graduates.
Campaigners argue that the current system is failing students, parents, and graduates alike. With repayment thresholds frozen, more graduates are paying back larger portions of their salaries each month, even as living costs continue to rise. Interest accrues quickly, loan terms are widely described as confusing, and for many borrowers the debt will never be fully repaid before it is written off decades later.
The campaign is calling on the Chancellor to unfreeze the repayment threshold, reform interest rates, and introduce clearer, simpler loan terms so that graduates are not burdened with escalating deductions from every pay cheque. Organisers say momentum is building and believe coordinated national pressure could force meaningful change.
We know the student loan system isn’t working.
NUS UK President, Amira Campbell, said, “We know the student loan system isn’t working. It isn’t working for current students in the cost-of-living crisis whose loans barely cover rent. It also isn’t working for graduates, whose interest is spiralling out of control while the freeze in the repayments is effectively freezing their futures.”
Central to that strategy is the National Lobby Day on March 11th, where Sabbatical Officers from across the country are being asked to travel to Westminster to meet directly with their MPs and parliament staff to ensure their concerns are heard.
Alongside in-person lobbying, the campaign is leaning heavily on digital activism. Students are being encouraged to post short videos explaining how the current loan system affects them, tagging NUS channels to increase visibility. With MPs’ offices closely monitoring social media, organisers believe online pressure can be as impactful as formal correspondence. A petition calling for the repayment threshold to be unfrozen has already attracted more than 1,500 signatures within days of launch, and students are being urged to circulate it widely across campuses, group chats, and society networks.
The timing of the campaign’s launch is significant. As Newcastle students cast their votes in the NUS referendum this week, questions about the value and impact of national student representation are front and centre. Supporters of the campaign say “Don’t Freeze Our Futures” demonstrates the power of coordinated action at a national level, bringing together students from universities across the UK to push for concrete policy change. Critics, meanwhile, continue to debate the effectiveness of the NUS and its ability to secure tangible wins.
For many students, however, the issue is less abstract. Student loan repayments are not a distant concern but a reality that will shape their finances for decades after graduation. Whether through travelling to Westminster, posting online or signing the petition, Newcastle students are now being asked to decide whether they want to be part of a collective effort to challenge a system they say is no longer working.
MPs, journalists and the public are waking up to how broken the student loan system really is
“Through the power of our collective movement we are making this a national conversation - and MPs, journalists and the public are waking up to how broken the student loan system really is,” Amira said.
As referendum week continues, one message from campaigners is clear: the cost of higher education does not end at graduation, and this generation should no longer have to accept a frozen future.