The National Union of Students has angered department of education officials by arguing that "students are better off on benefits".

Figures on student hardship published by the NUS, to coincide with a national demonstration, find that after loan repayments the average student is left with £13 a week less to live on than a young unemployed on Jobseekers Allowance.

The claim has been blasted as "irresponsible and untrue" by a government spokesman.

Forum Response: Universities UK

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, told ePolitix.com: "Universities are of course very concerned about student hardship, particularly that the fear of debt may discourage people from poorer backgrounds from applying to university.

"But it is simply not true to say that students would be better off on the dole. A university education is an excellent investment, both on a personal and financial level.

"In a recent Unite/Mori poll, 97 per cent of students said they considered going to university to be a worthwhile experience, and nine out of ten thought that the money they were spending on their education was a good investment.

"University graduates earn considerably more over their lifetime than their non-graduate counterparts, and are half as likely to be unemployed.

"The strong message from students, who are applying to university in increasing numbers, is that university is worth it."

Forum Response: Association of University Teachers

Sally Hunt, assistant general secretary of the Association of University Teachers, told ePolitix.com: "Staff and students are united in our opposition to the current divisive and failing loans system.

"There is public distrust of tuition fees and student loans that has spilled over from the doorsteps of middle England in the last general election and threatens to engulf the governments target to widen access."It is time for ministers to announce the results of their long overdue review into student funding."

Forum Response: Natfhe

Tom Wilson, head of the universities department at Natfhe, told ePolitix.com: "Many potential students don't arrive in our universities and colleges for fear of debt.

"Many of those who get there turn up to lectures exhausted from their jobs - stacking shelves and suchlike.

"Natfhe believes young people and older people should get access to education on ability, not by virtue of wealth or background, and have enough to live on whilst they're there.

"The government should grasp the nettle in England and follow the lead of Scotland and Wales in tackling student finance."

Forum Response: Unison

Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, told ePolitix.com : "We hope this demonstration will act as a wake up call to this government, that students are the future of the country and we need to invest in that future. Fees leave students with long-term financial burdens and deter many talented young people from going to university.

"It is no good the government claiming that students will earn extra over their life time, because when a student nurse ends their training, not only are they in debt, they will still only be earning £15,000 a year.

"It is a disgrace that student nurses are expected to survive on bursaries which give them just £2.70 an hour, less than minimum wage for a full week on the wards. In addition they have no employment protection such as maternity pay, sickness benefit or industrial injuries benefits. The NHS needs to be able to attract young people into nursing, yet it is tragic that every year more than a third drop out of their courses.

"We are calling on the government to pay nurses a decent living wage and end the financial hardship which leads to many student nurses having to take on two and sometimes three extra jobs, just to make ends meet."