Which unis to think twice about due to housing shortages or cost in Y2 and 3?

[Windingriver]

DC is using this as one of their filters when shortlisting unis. Durham has expanded so much and student housing not kept pace - we saw the queues outside estate agents in the news last November! Manchester has issues too apparently? Perhaps it would be more helpful if I listed where DC considering and you could flag up if any issues with getting housing in years 2 and 3 of degree?

Warwick
Bristol
Exeter
newcastle
liverpool
exeter
birmingham
sheffield
surrey
reading
nottingham

Thank you in advance!

Just yesterday, someone on here described the price of York accommodation as "eye-watering".

My two both lived in Manchester and haven't had issues getting housing. A quick look on rightmove suggests prices have risen but there's availability.

Check out all the towns you mentioned in the rightmove student housing section and you'll be able to compare prices?

Exeter is expensive for Y2 3. And halls at top end too.

Son in Sheffield no issue with official accommodation for year one. Year two private house via uni housing fair held October time! Overall the city has more accommodation than students I believe. Wide range of pricing from terraced housing in Crookesmoor to purpose built blocks with cinema rooms and gyms on site

Spot on based on personal experience. It causes a huge amount of anxiety for the kids as far as I can tell. DS might have secured something but it’s not signed (& at enormous cost). Plenty of his friends still looking with only a few weeks left of first year left (semesters).

Nottingham has plenty of property but prices seem to have risen (like everywhere I guess). Beware of your student rushing in in November because they think that what’s on offer then is all there will be. I had to reassure my dd that new houses would come up every week. In the end she held fire and they got a house for £80pw. Friends had rushed in and will be paying £120-150pw. No difference in location or house quality, hers is right in the middle of the desirable ‘Lenton triangle’.

Another one with a kid in Manchester who's not had any major problems. You have to be on it but it's never been an issue finding somewhere

I have a son at Durham. There was still housing to be had months after all the queues and headlines. The massive queues outside of agents are usually for the Viaduct area housing which is close to town and lectures. There is always housing available but it may be further out than they wish. Sometimes budgets play a part in this too or numbers of students wishing to share.

I can find over 60 student let properties available from 1st July this year ranging from 2 beds to 8 beds.

Some of the problems were caused by the covid years and increased numbers in those years. I recently visited York with my DC and the accommodation officer there said that while they had had to bus people from Hull in 2021, it wasn't an issue any more. I assume some of the issues with second/third year accommodation in e.g. Durham this year is a result of the same bulge year(s). That DC has firmed Durham and the accommodation does worry me but not enough to not go there. Bristol is a bit easier than Durham, my other DC has friends who only signed up to a house this month and it's in a good area close to the uni and same price as others. I believe St Andrews is bad, with students having to live in Dundee. I have to correct a PP, Warwick is very close to/on the edge of a big city, Coventry! (It's not in Warwick). However a lot of students opt to live in Leamington Spa which is a 30 min bus ride away. Leamington definitely nicer than Coventry, but you certainly don't have to live there.

No personal experience of Exeter, but I gather a particularly high proportion of the students there attended private school. In other words, many students there will come from households where the parents have been accustomed to forking out literally tens of thousands of pounds per year in school fees. Their definition of "affordable" accommodation may therefore be different to yours. So if anyone tells you the accommodation situation in Exeter is fine, it's worth asking them for specific figures!

No issues in Bath at all, DD and her friends had loads of really lovely places to choose from. Also a lot less than I'd imagined having read the "very expensive" comments on here last year.
Both on here and on Wiwikau the towns that come up regularly as having problems are Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow and Liverpool is often mentioned as being very surprisingly expensive.

I suppose "expensive" is relative though.

No personal experience of Liverpool, but I seem to remember seeing someone quote some surprisingly high costs for first year halls at Uni of Liverpool, so probably worth checking out first year accommodation prices there.

Can’t comment on accommodation availability but just wanted to add that Warwick University is close to a city centre (a pp had said it wasn’t). It’s only 2.5 miles from Coventry City Centre. Some students are based in Leamington but some are also in Earlsdon or Canley in Coventry.

This is my first time so I'd be really interested to know what constitutes cheaper and what is expensive. I.e what is the range that parents are paying for student accomodation in first year hallsz and then in flats/houses in subsequent years?

And if anyone knows what the accomodation situation is like for Southampton Uni and Lancaster Uni which are the 2 places he is considering.

We will only qualify for the minimum maintenance loan so will be paying for all accomodation costs for my son and food, he will be getting a part time job for spending money. I'd be really interested to know what others give them for this too.

3 of mine went to Bristol and found year 2 house in term 1 of year 1 with friends from year 1 halls Friends had a variety of budgets so they searched within the relevant budget.
For first year hall it is currently https://www.bristol.ac.uk/accommodation/about/residences/wills-hall/ where two of mine went. Year 2 private rented was cheaper but unlike that catered hall no food and heat/light included.

I think it would be a pity of children of parents whose income means the teenager only receives the minimum maintenance loan have to pick universities which are less good. Durham Bristol London Exeter Warwick York are all good. Some of the others not so much. Using cheap as chips as the way to choose where you will spend at least £9250 a year on fees is may be not the best way to enter the lifetime investment in a career.

My personal experience matches this. Barely any have jobs. And Y2 is not much cheaper than halls.

newer halls of residence - both private and university one - tend to have higher standards of provision - ie ensuite rooms etc - which boosts the price per week. it's worth noting that university halls or university sponsored private halls often offer shorter tenancy period - 39-44 weeks rather than 50/52 and that makes a difference to the overall cost

DC in Bristol. She found it hard to get accommodation for 2nd year and is staying put for 3rd year thankfully. She says it’s easier to get houses for larger groups than smaller (she is in a group of 3).It is very expensive and rents are even more next year.

@Xenia but back in the real world this is exactly what many students have to do. Money is a big factor in going to Uni. Yes it's 'a shame' and v v unfair, but I think you've missed the cost of living which has affected many families. Bristol is pricey and many can't afford it. Unless someone comes up with a subsidy for students, it, and London, will be out of the reach of many students for a long time.

Southampton? Lancaster? (Both top 10 for my DC subject btw Xenia, not that I think it matters hugely. He hated Bristol and the subject talk was crap).

I'd be really interested to know what the general uni accomodation range is, outside of London, purely for my budgeting purposes since he will only get the minimum maintenance loan that everyone gets, as I understand it.

This had no bearing on his choice of unis to apply for, that was to do with subject choice, subject league tables, predicted grades and him wanting to be at a campus uni outside of London. But as I have younger children I do need to know roughly what to allocate towards him for the next few years, especially as I will probably have multiple kids at uni at some points.

Liverpool. Fairly cheap city to live in, and a good university.
Bristol is expensive and other than the nice bits is not a great place to live

Isn't it the case that the non-nice bits of any city aren't a great place to live ?

Or have I missed your point ?

DS is at Surrey. He's in halls this year (which are pretty nice) and has a shared house lined up for next year. I personally think it's expensive but I paid about £20 a week when I was at uni. DS and his friends could have got something a bit cheaper, there are lots of student houses and flats there, including some with all bills included. I spoke to someone in Student Accommodation at the uni (before he committed to the course) who said the rents were competitive because there is so much student housing there. Then again she could have just been lying to reel me in.
I'd suggest looking online now to research rents.

Note - Xenia thinks the most hard done to families are those where parents earn enough so that the loan is the minimum loan : even though those are the parents who are expected to, should and can and do top it up.

Lots and lots of people cross Bristol , London (and others) off lists because they are simply out of reach. This perpetuates the issues with a rather skewed intake, of course.

There will be other posters who will come along and say that your DD should not let accommodation concerns sway uni choice but I think she is being wise to factor it in.

I agree with you @PerpetualOptimist and @mumsneedwine. I think some people just don't understand the reality of cost being a factor in where you go to university. Not every student is on a course that allows enough hours for them to work to support themselves or have parents who can or will support them.

Lots and lots of people cross Bristol , London (and others) off lists because they are simply out of reach. This perpetuates the issues with a rather skewed intake, of course.

Good point @Piggywaspushed. DD crossed London off.

@Windingriver No issues for student accommodation in subsequent years in Newcastle, although after DD graduated and wanted to stay and rent with friends it took ages to find somewhere to live as there is a shortage of rental properties there for non students.