The majority of adults have little or no understanding of the new university fees system, with many believing it will make higher education less attractive, a poll has suggested.
Finance experts said the figures were a "national scandal" and accused politicians of leaving the nation "ill equipped and uneducated" about how the system will work.
From next year fees will triple, allowing English universities to charge up to £9,000 annually, with graduates paying back loans once they are earning £21,000 a year or more.
But a poll of almost 2,000 adults, commissioned by the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information, found that many do not understand the system.
More than half (59%) of those questioned said they had little or no understanding of how the new fees system will work.
And more than a quarter (26%) thought that students will have to pay their fees upfront. Just over a third (37%) said students will pay nothing upfront.
Over half (55%) said that the new tuition fee system will make going to university less, or much less attractive, the poll found.
Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert, who is chair of the Taskforce, said: "The communication of tuition fees by all parties over the last few years is a national scandal.
"They've left us as a nation ill-equipped and uneducated about how this crucial and very different form of finance works.
"We need to start a war on this ignorance - after all, if students don't understand the true cost, how can they decide if it's worth it?"