Want to head to uni but terrified it’ll leave you bankrupt? Fear not. The clever folk at Marbles.com have gone and figured out where it’s cheapest to study in the UK – and you’d be surprised by the results.
Comparing vital student factors like the cost of rent on a weekly basis, the price for a travel pass, gym membership, and the all-important cost of a kebab and a pint at the top 50 universities across Britain, Lincoln University has come out on top as best value for money – with Glasgow’s Strathclyde a close second.
Lancaster proved to have the cheapest pint at £2.80, while in Belfast, students at Queen’s saved the most money on the price of a taxi (just 78p per km).
The top five is as follows:
- Lincoln – You can get the bus for £30 a week, a pint for £3.10 and taxis charging less than a pound per km, Lincoln proved to be the most affordable for students.
- Strathclyde – In Glasgow, Strathclyde climbed five paces from last year, offering a kebab at an average price of £4.47 and gym membership for £7.58 per month – handy for working off all that greasy meat.
- Cardiff – You get the best price for cinema tickets in Cardiff – just £6.50.
- Queen’s – As well as offering super cheap taxis, the Belfast university has the cheapest weekly rent.
- Leicester – Leicester came out on top for travel, asking just £29 for a weekly travel pass. Bargain!
The Marbles research showed what we probably already knew – London-based universities did not perform well at all in terms of affordability, and universities north of Coventry made up 90% of the top 10. Students at King’s University in London are paying an eye-watering £232 a week in rent, compared to just £102 for Edinburgh students, the cheapest in the country.
Check out the full findings here.
Would money affect your choice of university? Let us know on Twitter, @SourceMag!
