The average graduate debt has dropped for the first time in six years, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Graduates who leave university with debt now owe on average 12,363 pounds, down 6 percent on 2006, according to an annual report by banking group NatWest.

The percentage of graduates leaving the education system with debts of more than 10,000 pounds has dropped too, falling 8 percent to 54 percent of students.

But the survey also found that those starting university expect to wind up in a greater amount of debt than their predecessors.

Some 72 percent of those heading off to university this year expect to graduate with debt -- to the tune of an average 14,841 pounds.

They expect to pay 34,740 pounds for a three-year course, up from 33,512 pounds last year.

Mark Worthington, head of student and graduate banking at NatWest, said: "New students seem to be much more aware about the financial realities of university and are trying to prepare themselves accordingly.

"Despite the anticipated cost of university continuing to rise, students are taking steps to supplement income and budget their spending and it is encouraging to see that the graduate debt figure is actually down for the first time in six years."

Researchers questioned 1,364 graduates, 1,104 students and 1,020 sixth-formers.

But a report by student information resource Push, also released on Tuesday, found that students who started university last year can expect to owe nearly 17,500 pouds by the time they graduate -- and many new students are likely to face debts of 20,000 pounds or more.

Its survey of 2,000 students at 130 university campuses found that the national average projected debt on graduation is around 13,000 pounds.

But the figure is more than 20,000 pounds at nine universities, largely on account of "top-up" tuition fees.

In Scotland, which has the most generous funding system, expected debts are just 2,344 pounds per year of study, while students in England expect to owe 4,295 pounds per year.