Students of my generation have been through a lot during our uni years. All the way from my Foundation year to my Master’s degree, my peers and I have been giving everything we got to enjoy our university experience, dealing with Covid and lockdown, lecturers’ strikes and the cost of living crisis.
From personal experience and experiences of friends, uni housing has always been known for being messy, rundown and mouldy, which sometimes adds to its charm. However, typical uni houses have been affordable for broke students who do not mind sacrificing certain luxuries.
This has changed in recent years, with the rents increasing more than 8% this academic year, compared to 2022-2023, according to a survey by Cushman & Wakefield real estate firm. Students are struggling to find affordable housing, with student accommodation halls rent being much higher, and which has gone up by as much as 27%. From 2021 to 2023, the rent for the tiny room I occupied in a rundown house with a mouldy washing machine the landlord would not change went from £280 to £350 a month, bills not included.
A study by Unipol and the Higher Education Policy Institute in 2023 showed that the average student is left with only 50p a week after paying rent. It was calculated that the average annual student rent in England is £7,566, and the average maintenance loan is £7,590, leaving students with 50p a week to pay for everything else. In many cases, parents and guardians are unable to financially help.
It is practically impossible for the average student to get by just by their student loan, which leads to most students getting a job on the side of their studies. It has always been common for students to work part-time jobs alongside their studies, but many students nowadays end up spending more time working their minimum wage job than doing uni work. During my second and third year of my undergrad, I would pick up as many extra hours as I could working as a server, just so I could have enough to get by. I have spent many weekends working in a busy restaurant instead of joining friends for a night out.
The cost of renting uni housing therefore takes a toll both on academic life and social life, which are two of the most important parts of university. Student life is often portrayed as a time to have fun, to be carefree and enjoy those last few years before you have to get a real job and have real responsibilities. In films and books, we often see students constantly hanging out and partying, while also finding the time to do their work and study things they are curious about. In reality however, most students cannot afford to go out as much as people think. Those with part-time jobs are often busy working on the busiest days of the week, while others are too broke after paying rent and bills. According to a survey by the Morning Advertiser, 82% of pubs charge more than £4 for a pint. Although partying is not a necessity, it is one of the things most advertised to students, and it is to be expected during the ‘best years of our lives’.
In addition, many students are discouraged from attending their dream university because they cannot afford the rent in that specific city. Without considering London prices, which have always been more expensive compared to other cities, students have had to decline offers from Bristol, Bath or Leeds due to the high rent costs. Therefore, this makes certain universities accessible only to those who have the privilege to afford renting in those cities, while less privileged students end up struggling to get by. It is natural that those not struggling will have more time in their hands to focus on deadlines and exams, as well as more money to spend on socialising with their peers.