Figures show that the average weekly rent in
university-owned accommodation has soared from £59.17 in 2001/2 to £117.67 in
2011/12.
Data from the National Union of Students also shows
significant variations between regions and providers.
Accommodation owned by private companies, which has boomed
in recent years on the back of a sharp hike in student numbers nationally, now
costs an average of £140 a week, it emerged.
Figures show that the most expensive university flats in
London cost £415 a week or around £1,800 a month – far higher than the average
mortgage in the capital.
It is feared that the rises will price many undergraduates
out of university accommodation altogether, with the basic £5,000 student loan
for living costs barely covering rent, in addition to other overheads such as
food, travel and books.
The NUS report – carried out with Unipol Student Homes –
said that this “funding shortfall” had to be met through a combination of
family support, part-time work, savings and bursaries for the poorest students.
It comes on top of the introduction of tuition fees of up to
£9,000-a-year for the first time this autumn in move that threatens to land
students with average debts topping £50,000.
Pete Mercer, NUS vice-president, said: “Student rents have
skyrocketed, leaving fewer reasonably priced accommodation options for students
from lower and middle income backgrounds who are really feeling the pinch.
“The responsibility of universities to support their
students does not begin and end at the doors of the lecture hall.
“University heads should urgently be looking at properly
planning accommodation supply and capping rent increases to ensure students are
not priced out of living in halls.”
The research, which was based on an analysis of student
accommodation throughout the UK, found that prices had soared in the last three
years alone, despite the deepening economic crisis.
Overall, average rents across university-owned and private
halls have increased by 25 per cent since 2009. It represents a rise from
£98.99 to £123.96 a week, or £5,244.04 a year.
Martin Blakey, chief executive of Unipol, said: “Costs of
private sector accommodation and educationally provided accommodation have
moved much closer together over the last three years.
“It is important for universities and colleges to
acknowledge the vital role they have to play in enhancing access and the
student experience by providing distinctive and affordable accommodation for
their students within a not for profit framework."
Source: 9 November 2012, The Telegraph by Graeme Paton –
Education Editor
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