Student Rent Rises Seventeen Percent

AVERAGE WEEKLY student rent has risen by seventeen percent over the last four years alone, a study has revealed.

With average weekly rent rising to £61.48, students now pay an additional £360 a year, compared to 2004 when average weekly rent was only £52.44.

Not surprisingly, London has the highest rent in the UK at an average of £102.85, an incredible 67 percent above the national average.

While student accommodation is generally more expensive in the South, twenty percent above average, excessively high rent is not limited to the South. St. Andrews tops the list in Scotland at £82.29 per week, and Edinburgh and Glasgow are not far behind at fourteen percent above average.

Manchester remains below the national average at just £56.65 per week, while the cheapest accommodation can be found in less fashionable university towns like Crewe, Wolverhampton and Bradford, with rent averaging between £40 and £45 per week.

Despite having the highest rents, London also has the most stable prices, as weekly costs have risen only by about 85p over the past four years.

The rest of the UK is quickly catching up with London rates. London rent was 95 percent above average in 2004, while it is now only 67 percent higher than average.

"Students are still accumulating large borrowings to subsidise their studies," said Simon Thompson, Co-founder and Director of Accommodation for Students, which conducted the research.

"The cost of accommodation is a critical factor in their choice of university."