Only one in six on-campus University rooms in the UK affordable for students, the activist group Generation Rent claims. 

It says 17% of on-campus accommodation was found to be affordable for students in the UK, with the group claiming students in their first year of university were most likely to find accommodation hard to afford.

The group’s study was very small – just nine university campuses, University College London, the University of Birmingham, the University of Leeds, Warwick University, Manchester University, Nottingham University, the University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University and Queen’s University Belfast. 

The research included an analysis of 49,161 rooms across the UK, including those with shared facilities, ensuite rooms, and self-catered and catered offerings. It did not include larger-scale rooms such as studios and family suites.  

For the purposes of the research, Generation Rent decided that ‘affordable’ would mean 55% or less of the total maximum student loan.

The group also cites the National Union of Students as saying that 35% of rooms should be offered at 55% of the maximum student loan, meaning that UK universities are offering only about half the quantity of affordable on-campus accommodation needed for students. 

The chief executive of Generation Rent, Ben Twomey, says: “University is an exciting time for people, especially young people embarking on the next stage of their lives. It should not be a time mired by money problems and difficulties covering the rent, as too many universities claim to look out for  their students’ well-being while raking it in as their landlords. 

“Our homes are the foundation from which we build our lives, relationships and aspirations. Student accommodation is no different. Universities must offer their students enough affordable accommodation so that every person undertaking their degrees and qualifications is able to thrive and to reach their full potential.”