Students will today escalate their campaign to stop Con-Dem ministers privatising loans so their City pals can turn a profit from graduate debt.

Marches, rallies and stunts will take place on more than 50 campuses as part of the Student Assembly Against Austerity week of action.

Visits to MPs' constituency offices are planned and students will join in with a third national strike by university workers over pay on Thursday.

Action supported by the National Union of Students will culminate on Friday with a London march to the doors of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Lib Dem Vince Cable's department commissioned the Rothschilds bank report which proposed the privatisation of student loans taken out between 1998 and 2012.

Lifting the 1 per cent cap on interest rates was among proposals to drum up interest among privateers.

NUS black students' officer and assembly spokesman Aaron Kiely said it would mean a retrospective rise in the cost of tuition fees for graduates.

"The government's plan to sell off the student loan book represents a massive attack on millions of people," he said.

"We are clear that privatisation of student debt will lead to higher interest rates and therefore a higher burden of debt will be placed upon graduates."

Students will also target MPs during the week, visiting their constituency offices to demand they back an early day motion (EDM) in Parliament to oppose the privatisation.

The EDM - tabled by Jeremy Corbyn MP - has already won the support of 58 Labour, Plaid Cymru, SNP, SDLP and DUP politicians.

Comedian Francesca Martinez will speak at a major campaign rally being held at the School for Oriental and African Studies (Soas) tomorrow.

The central London school will also be the launch for Friday's march on Whitehall.

Soas student Marienna Pope-Weidemann said: "This is a direct attack on public education, handing over the tuition fees they said they needed to fund education into the hands of private corporations.

"The potential for an exploding rate of debt will discourage poorer young people from applying to university in the future."