By Ed Towner

Student life is "normalising" a debt culture, a damning statement from one the UK's largest finance charities warns. This comes after a new survey revealed that 36% of young people see being in debt as a normal part of university life.

The research by money education charity Credit Action shows that 27% of prospective students have never received any form of financial education and 46% have never even had discussions with parents or relatives about personal finance.

Lack of understanding about debt and personal finance is being blamed for the ignorance of our next generation of university students. The charity has urged students and their parents to find out as much as possible to prevent financial difficulties in the future.

While under a third of those who took part in the survey cited financial issues as a fear of university, only 10% spontaneously cited getting into debt as a concern. This suggests students aren't as oblivious as we may think. Nearly 65% students said they were actually concerned about their ability to cope with money and finances at university.

This news comes as every prospective student in the UK is set to receive a Student Moneymannual from Credit Action, which is aimed at ensuring they have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of university finances.

Michelle Highman, chief executive of Credit Action, is worried about students who continue to build more and more debt without realising it

He says: "I am very concerned that many students are sleep-walking into significant debt, which is now the norm for most students."