What you actually sign
Tuition is paid to the university by the Student Loans Company. You owe a balance that grows with a rate linked to RPI or a government formula, and you repay a percentage of income above a threshold. Remaining balances write off after a set term. You cannot generally be chased like a credit-card debtor, and the obligation dies with you in the usual case.
That mix — income-contingent, write-off, non-transferable in the consumer market — is why some analysts say it is closer to a tax or a levy on graduates than to riba al-nasi’ah. Others say any contract that increases a debt for time is riba, full stop, and the write-off is just a lenient lender.
The two live positions
Permit for need: university is a near-necessity for many careers in Britain; there is no widely available Islamic alternative for tuition; the repayment is contingent and capped. Several UK scholars and bodies have written in this direction, sometimes distinguishing maintenance (cash in your pocket) from tuition (paid to the school).
Prohibit: the contract stipulates an increase. Need is not proven for every course. Maintenance loans are cash plus increment. Take the degree another way, work, or choose a course you can pay.
What this guide will not do
It will not tell you to sign. It will not tell you that a computer-science degree is a necessity. If you already have a balance, repayments collected through PAYE are not a new contract — talk to a scholar about whether accelerating repayment is required. If you have not signed, read both papers, then a person you trust, not a Twitter thread.