Thousands of British students are choosing to skip out on the traditional gap-year travels in the effort of avoiding upcoming tuition fee rises.

The trend comes just ahead of recent Government measures that will see university fees more than triple in some cases beginning next year. In response, many teenagers look to be the last to take advantage of the current fee of £3,290 by scrapping gap-year travel plans.

According to recent studies, students that begin a university education in 2012 will end up with an average debt total of £56,000, whereas those able to squeeze in next month will only face an average of just £27,000. As a result, universities have taken to the phones to contact students opting for a gap year to ensure they understand the massive difference in fees.

University of West London’s Clare Beckett said that gap years were becoming a thing of the past and said that the school had very few people that actually wanted to defer. Fees at West London are set to rise to £7,500 next year.

Competition for remaining places will be at its fiercest through this week, as only 40,000 places remain for some 350,000 students seeking last-minute placement.