Homework pays off: UK universities ranked by rental affordability, with savings of £30,000 if you give London a wide berth

Living within walking distance of university is the dream for so many students. Here's where you've got to study for savings of almost £30,000 over an average three-year course.
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With this year's A-level results now out, most students will know where they're heading to university next month.

But for those going through clearing, or with tough decisions to make, there could be more to consider than course breakdowns or current rankings.

Ever-rising living costs and tuition fees of around £9,250 a year mean student finances are already stretched, while accommodation fees are often steeper than students initially count on.

London's university students pay a staggering £40,000 in rent to live within walking distance of a campus over the course of a three-year undergraduate degree, according to a new report by spareroom.co.uk.

Students at Kings College London, ranked 7th in the Times higher education league table, face rental costs of around £1,198 a month to live in nearby Holborn. Based on an average three year course length, that means your bachelor's degree will cost £43,130 in rent alone.

For rental savings of almost £30,000, students should head to Queen's University Belfast. The Russell Group university is ranked 33rd in the list of top UK universities but is the cheapest university town to rent in: the average room rent over three years works out as £10,330 or £287 per month.

Closely behind is the University of Dundee which is ranked 28th out of the UK's top offerings and second least expensive town with an average three-year room rent of £11,950 or £332 a month.

Scotland isn't always the cheaper option, however, as Edinburgh's average rent of £502 a month makes it one of the most expensive UK cities outside of London.

In the north of England, some of the UK's best ranked universities — Durham University and the University of Sheffield — record average rents of £12,960 and £13,140 respectively, which is around £365 a month over three years.

All is not lost for London's struggling students however, as moving just 20 minutes' commute from Holborn — north to Kentish Town or south to Kennington for example — could save them around £450 a month in room rents.

Although London is still by far the most expensive city, savings of around £16,000 over a three-year degree are not to be sniffed at.

The UK's top universities and respective room rents:

UK university rank 2017 University Rental location Average room rent Average room rent over three years Affordability rank
33 Queen's University Belfast Belfast £287 £10,332`

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28 University of Dundee Dundee £332 £11,952

2

12 Durham University Durham £360 £12,960 3
31 Newcastle University Newcastle £362 £13,032 4
13 University of Sheffield Sheffield £365 £13,140 5
21 Lancaster University Lancaster £365 £13,140 6
24 University of Liverpool Liverpool £367 £13,212 7
26 University of Leicester Leicester £377 £13,572 8
22 University of Nottingham Nottingham £384 £13,824 9
20 University of Leeds Leeds £386 £13,896 10
19 University of Birmingham Birmingham £404 £14,544 11
11 University of Glasgow Glasgow £405 £14,580 12
30 University of Aberdeen Aberdeen £407 £14,652 13
25 University of East Anglia Norwich £408 £14,688 14
18 University of York York £417 £15,012 15
10 University of Warwick Coventry £417 £15,012 16
8 University of Manchester Manchester £425 £15,300 17
16 University of Southampton Southampton £444 £15,984 18
17 University of Exeter Exeter £454 £16,344 19
9 University of Bristol Bristol £478 £17,208 20
36 University of Bath Bath £487 £17,532 21
29 Cardiff University Cardiff £501 £18,036 22
6 University of Edinburgh Edinburgh £502 £18,072 23
32 University of Reading Reading £552 £19,872 24
27 Royal Holloway, University of London Staines £568 £20,448 25

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University of Surrey Guildford £597 £21,492 26
33 St George's, University of London London - Tooting £653 £23,508 27
15 Queen Mary University of London London - Mile End £662 £23,832 28
7 King's College London London - Holborn £1,198 £43,128 29

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