If you’re still considering which university is the right one for you, then Sunderland could be a good place to look, particularly if you’re on a budget for your student accommodation. A new study shows that Sunderland is the cheapest university city to rent student digs, coming in at under the £3,000 per year mark. That means students in Sunderland could save almost £2,500 per year on the UK student accommodation cost average of £5,353.
However, it’s not the only city with university accommodation that has come in below the national average. Some 18 other cities also cost students less than the £5,353 average. They are:
- Bradford
- Pontypridd
- Swansea
- Wolverhampton
- Middlesbrough
- Bolton
- Southampton
- Bangor
- Plymouth
- Liverpool
- Gillingham
- Chester
- Sheffield
- Portsmouth
- Canterbury
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Huddersfield
Managing student budgets
While student accommodation costs are far from the only detail to consider when you begin deciding on your preferred university, it is an important one. That’ particularly the case if you’re on a budget and want to manage your outgoings carefully.
The research from StudentTenant, analysed a combination of property booking and available property data for the 2019/20 academic year. As well as finding Sunderland student accommodation cost an average of £2,897 per year, both Bradford and Pontypridd were only just over the £3,000 mark at £3,008 and £3,078, per year, respectively.
“With the cost of living for students on the constant rise, and the threat of landlords increasing rents to offset costs due to the tenant fee ban and other legislative changes, it’s good to see that there are still certain areas in the UK which offer affordable student accommodation,” said Danielle Cullen, Managing Director at StudentTenant.com.
“Unfortunately, it seems that there are still many cities across the UK that are financially out of reach for some students, which could lead to talented individuals having to sacrifice places at top universities because of high rental prices,” Cullen said. “We would suggest that those prestigious universities with places they would like to fill with talented young people (particularly during clearing), should consider subsidising rents for students who might not have the family financial support of others,” she added.
Not all highly-rated universities are expensive to live in
The study also found, that while many of the most highly rated university cities could provide only more expensive student accommodation that was above the UK average, Southampton, which is in the top 100 universities in the world, is still affordable. The average annual student accommodation rent is £4,093 per year, over £1,000 below the UK average.
Of course, as we said, paying for your student rent isn’t the only detail to consider when you select the University you’ll be studying at for the next few years. Your course is the priority and how you feel about the city is also important.
Starting university is an exciting time, but it’s also a time when you will feel nervous about so many unknowns that are ahead of you. Take a look at our ‘Top tips for moving into student accommodation’ post, to find out more about what to expect from your new home? That’s at least one area you can feel a little more confident about before you begin your years as a university student.
