Students now need up to £56,000 to get them through university even after taking out student loans, a think tank has found.
The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) found rising costs are increasing the burden on families of sending their child to study away from home.
A family hoping to support three children through degrees would have to find up to £168,000.
While everyone gets loans to cover the full cost of tuition fees, maintenance loans for living expenses may only cover as little as a quarter of the cost.
It means families need to start saving early if they want their child to be financially comfortable during their studies.
