WORLD
Cambridge and Bristol are the most expensive university cities while Liverpool costs £6,000 less
Baku, June 5 (AZERTAC). Cambridge and Bristol have been revealed as the most expensive student cities in Britain.
New research has revealed the true disparity in the real cost of studying at some of the UK’s top universities.
The study, based on the 24-strong elite Russell Group of universities has shown that Cambridge and Bristol have beaten London into third place as the UK’s most expensive student cities based on the cost of renting a bedroom.
Cambridge, home of the second most academically ranked university after Oxford, is the most expensive with a bedroom in a privately rented home costing on average £97.25 per week - more than £20 higher than the national average of £75.25.
However, the university says most of its students rent from colleges and pay the £97.25 figure for only 30 weeks of term.
Durham, placed fifth in the academic rankings table, appears to offer the best value for money by offering the highest ranking for lowest rental costs.
The weekly cost of privately renting a room in the northern city averages £62.
Within London, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is slightly cheaper in terms of tuition costs, falling £500 per year lower than most of the Russell Group universities, who charge £9,000 for a Bachelor of Arts course.
But this saving is more than swallowed up by the £2,236 more it costs to rent in the capital.
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive student pint can be found at London’s universities, where at an average of £3.60 for a lager, the student loan has further to stretch compared to students of Cardiff University, who pay £1.35 less for their city centre pint.
According to haart, parents are buying properties in the best value university towns for their children to live which can then be rented out when they leave.
Paul Smith, CEO of haart estate agent which carried out the research, said: 'Many canny parents are taking advantage of the strong rental markets by buying a home where their children are studying and letting the property to their offspring and their friends.
'This pays for a ‘discounted’ rent for their child and offers a long-term investment for them.
'For those students looking to save money on their rental expenses and their social life, our tip is to study in Leeds, where average rent is £58.50 and the beer averages £2.45 a pint, £1.15 less than London and 30p less than Glasgow.'