Move over tuition fees, rent rises are the hottest topic for students
Tuition fees have been fiercely debated in recent years. But rising rents are having just as big an impact on student debt, with the university you choose making a huge difference to how much you owe when you graduate.
There’s been an annual rent rise of up to 10% in some university cities, meaning students are up to £600 a year worse off. However this year students aren’t just battling rising rents, they’re also affected by a private rental market struggling to cope with demand – in parts of London and Edinburgh, 5 people are competing for every room available. Overall this means that where you go to uni can have a huge impact on your housing experience and post graduation debt (no one mentions that at the open day).
For example, the difference between rent for students at Imperial College in London compared to those studying at St. Andrew’s in Scotland is a massive £792 a month. Over a three-year course the difference is eye watering – over £28,500. Even choosing Durham over Oxford could save students more than £7,000 in rent over three years.
Durham students have one of the best chances of finding a student-friendly house share, with 92% of rooms available to students – over 20% more than the national average. Durham is also arguably one of the best cities to be a student as rents in the area have actually decreased over the past year – bet you’re feeling smug now Durham students!
Check out our table below for all the facts, figures and average room rents in 30 of the UK’s top university towns and cities:
| **Rank** | **University** | **Location** | **Ave monthly room rent Q2 2016 (£)** | **Annual % difference between Q2 2015 & Q2 2016** |
| 1 | Cambridge | Cambridge | £541 | 6% |
| 2 | Oxford | Oxford | £557 | 10% |
| 3 | St Andrews | Kirkcaldy | £339 | 3% |
| 4 | Surrey | Guildford | £574 | 9% |
| 5 | Loughborough | Loughborough | £350 | 3% |
| 6 | Durham | Durham | £362 | -1% |
| 7 | Imperial College | London SW7 | £1,131 | 4% |
| 8 | Lancaster | Lancaster | £371 | 5% |
| 9 | Warwick | Coventry | £388 | 5% |
| 10 | Bath | Bath | £448 | 2% |
| 11 | Exeter | Exeter | £434 | 4% |
| 12 | London School of Economics | London WC2 | £1,034 | -5% |
| 13 | Birmingham | Birmingham | £405 | -2% |
| 14 | UCL | London WC1 | £870 | 4% |
| 15 | Coventry | Coventry | £388 | 5% |
| 16 | Leeds | Leeds | £374 | 6% |
| 17 | Southampton | Southampton | £436 | 4% |
| 18 | City | London EC1 | £920 | 2% |
| 19 | York | York | £400 | 6% |
| 20 | Sussex | Brighton | £511 | 4% |
| 21 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh | £469 | 7% |
| 22 | Kent | Canterbury | £418 | -1% |
| 22 | UEA | Norwich | £401 | 7% |
| 24 | Nottingham | Nottingham | £374 | 4% |
| 25 | Glasgow | Glasgow | £390 | 4% |
| 26 | Heriot-Watt | Edinburgh | £469 | 7% |
| 27 | Dundee | Dundee | £323 | 4% |
| 28 | Aston | Birmingham | £405 | -2% |
| 29 | SOAS | London WC1 | £870 | 4% |
| 30 | Manchester | Manchester | £414 | 7% |
As usual we’d love to hear your stories. Are you struggling with the cost of renting? Did you choose your university based on the cost of housing as much as the course? Let us know in the comments.