For students starting Sept 2023 onward · threshold £25,000 from April 2026 · interest RPI (3.2%) · written off after 40 yrs · gov.uk ↗
02 — THE VERDICT
RED
Creative Arts / Design either never breaks even against the alternative path, or sits in a high AI-displacement bracket. Proceed with eyes open.
Break-even point
Never
Total borrowed at grad
£51,750
Balance after 20 yrs
£78,760
🔒 unlock to view
03 — SALARY VS. LOAN BALANCE
Yearly gross salary against your loan balance — rising with interest, falling with repayments, until it's cleared or written off.
Y0Y15Y30
Gross salary
Loan balance
Still £81,408 owed at year 30 — written off entirely at year 40 under Plan 5.
04 — YEAR-BY-YEAR BREAKDOWN
The material impact, spelled out: gross salary, take-home after the 9% graduate tax, and what's still owed.
Year
Gross
Take-home
Loan balance
Year 0
£21k
£19k
£54k
Year 2
£25k
£21k
£58k
Year 5
£30k
£25k
£63k
Year 10
£38k
£30k
£70k
Year 20
£46k
£35k
£79k
Year 30
£56k
£40k
£81k
🔒 Years 10 / 20 / 30 unlock with the full report
05 — DEGREE PATH VS. ALTERNATIVE PATH
Creative Arts / Design doesn't strictly require a degree to enter. Cumulative net earnings, degree route vs. direct work / apprenticeship — the crossover is the moment the degree route pulls ahead.
Y0Y15Y30
Degree path (cumulative)
Alternative path (cumulative)
06 — AI-RESILIENCE
HIGH RISK
automation exposure for Creative Arts / Design
Confidence: High. Full driver analysis of task-level automation exposure for this role, sourced from occupational risk modelling.