Young people are being left with a “sense of desperation” for their futures amid major changes to education and a tough job market, the president of the National Union of Students warned today.

The prospect of leaving university thousands of pounds in debt and facing a scramble for graduate jobs is a major concern, according to Liam Burns.

Speaking the day before thousands of UK students are due to gather for a demonstration in London, Mr Burns said there were strong feelings on campuses around the country about education reforms including the move to treble tuition fees and financial support for students as well as youth unemployment.

Today’s students know they are going to be “tens of thousands of pounds in debt before they even graduate and they know there’s little prospect of graduate employment,” he said.

”There’s a sense of desperation that people have.”

He added: “Desperation would sum it up. They’re slowly seeing opportunities being taken away, and are powerless to do anything about it.”

Ministers’ decision to scrap the education maintenance allowance (EMA) - a grant for the poorest teenagers to help them stay in school or college - has had the biggest impact, Mr Burns said, while the final outcome of the decision to raise tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 per year is not yet known.

A new survey by the NUS reveals students’ concerns about money, with the union suggesting the UK could be heading for an “epidemic of university dropouts”.

More than two in five (42%) of those surveyed said they have seriously considered leaving their course.

Of these, almost half (49%) of undergraduates said money worries were a key factor in considering whether to drop out.

The poll also found that 47% of undergraduates say they are unable to concentrate on their studies without worrying about finances.

Mr Burns said tomorrow’s demonstration is a chance for students to pass on their feelings to Government and call on politicians to offer a better deal.

He said that in light of the situation students are facing, “I don’t think anyone would blame students for exercising their democratic right to protest that Government is not doing well enough.”

There has been a “constant tinkering and dismantling of education”, Mr Burns said, and tomorrow’s action will allow students to say to politicians that “we expect much more of those who are in power in 2015”.

”We are not just taking action to try and stop something, this is almost to try and say that we think education is on the wrong path,” Mr Burns said.

He added: “It’s also a call to politicians of all colours to say we need a different direction in 2015.”

Students will march from Temple Place in central London to Kennington Park in south London where a rally is due to take place.

Among those expected to speak at the demonstration are comedian Josie Long, columnist Owen Jones, singer Grace Petrie and a number of union leaders.