The debt burden carried by graduates is set to double under the government's higher education reforms, making it even harder for young people to get a foothold in the property market.

Housing experts have warned the double whammy of bigger fees for many courses and higher interest rates on student loans will stifle graduates' ability to save for a deposit, a crucial hurdle to home ownership.

Architect of HECS: Bruce Chapman. Credit:Sean Davey

A director of the centre for housing, urban and regional planning at the University of Adelaide, Andrew Beer, said the changes were bad news for housing affordability.

''Young Australians are going to be finishing study with more debt than ever before and that is going to make it harder for them to save a deposit and get into a financial position where they can move to home ownership,'' he said. ''Access to home ownership is going to be much, much more difficult.''