A NEW study has revealed that the University of Dundee is the cheapest place to be a student in the UK.
International education provider Oxford Royale, analysed the cities that are home to the Complete University Guide’s (CUG) top 40 universities, using data from Expatistan to find where students can live at the lowest cost. The analysis was based on the average price of student accommodation as well as prices for a pint of beer, a cocktail, a fast-food meal and a taxi fare.
The University of Dundee was revealed as the most affordable place for students to live with an average weekly spending of £157. Dundee city offers the third cheapest student accommodation at £106 per week and has the cheapest taxi fare at £10.
In joint second is Newcastle University, Northumbria University and University of Aberdeen which all have a total weekly spend of £161. Both Newcastle University and Northumbria University are based in Newcastle, where the average weekly rent for students is £101, £5 less than Dundee. Newcastle also has the second cheapest taxi fare costing an average of £11 for a five-mile journey.
In third place is the University of Liverpool with a weekly total of £170. Liverpool offers the fourth cheapest rent for students costing them around £109 per week.
Unsurprisingly, London is the most expensive city for students to live in with an estimated total weekly spend of £302. The average weekly rent in London for a student shared flat is £211 and the average cost for a five-mile taxi journey is £26.
The University of Oxford follows closely behind London universities as the third most expensive place for students with a total weekly spend of £234, £18 more than Cambridge which ranks as the seventh most expensive. However, Oxford offers more affordable alcohol prices with the average alcohol spend costing £40.47 per week, £3 less than Cambridge.
William Humphreys, CEO & Founder, Oxford Royale Academy (ORA) commented on the findings:
“There is no doubt that students are always looking to save money living on a budget so it’s great to see that there are many areas in the UK where people at university can have a good time without breaking the bank. With rising student costs nationwide, it’s more important than ever for students to know how to manage their money and this list can offer some guidance and insight into where their loan will stretch further”.
The analysis was conducted by Oxford Royale, a summer school company that allows students to be taught by unique and diverse faculty from Oxbridge academics, Ivy League lecturers, and industry professionals.