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!

I’ve lived in a few uni towns/cities in my previous life as an academic, and I agree I’d avoid Manchester. It was really difficult to find a nice place to live, much of the student accommodation is really grim. That was a long time ago now, but I think things have probably got worse rather than better. I LOVED living in Birmingham. That was a surprise to me tbh, I just went where the job was, but it was easy to find a nice house, within an easy commute of the Uni, in a nice area. Students mostly live within walking distance of the uni. I loved the city, and, it has the advantage of the Uni being a bit outside the centre in quite a nice part of the city, but v easy quick transport (it’s own train station) into the city Centre. It doesn’t get enough good press imo, as it’s a fab uni and a fab place to live.

Oh yes, Birmingham. One of my dcs went there for a masters and lots of accommodation and it was a really interesting diverse city.

My DS is at Birmingham. Accommodation surprisingly (by my standards!) expensive but hen he has foolishly befriended people who went to boarding school and/or reside in the Cayman Islands....so that rather affected their tastes for second year houses.

It is giving him a good experience, he has settled well, the campus is great and transport links brilliant.

Ah - dd is with a load of struggling medics. Their house has no curtains and terribly ineffective heating 🤔 cheap though 😄

Well said @mumsneedwine. Unfortunately this scenario is very true for a lot of students.

DD had friends at university from all kinds of backgrounds, from privately educated to students with contextual offers because they came from a much less privileged background. Several of her friends had to work to support themselves at university because the parents couldn't or wouldn't support them financially.

Interestingly, Newcastle has a surprisingly high number of privately educated students with just over 23% of them having been to private school.

@RampantIvy 100% I was querying the other day why the heck a northern conference had been booked for Manchester.

New to this part of Mumsnet so apols if you all know this - but or those of you wondering how much you will need to top your kid's there's some really useful info on Money Saving Expert site about how much govt assumes you will add based on your household income.

My daughter's in Birmingham is £85 pw excluding bills which I think is cheap - but luckily has friends who wanted cheap housing. The house is a bit gross though. She is happy there but I hate it!

I was factoring in first year halls as well which I think are quite pricey.

His older brother at a different uni found everything much cheaper, so it's all relative. DS's Birmingham friends wouldn't countenance not having en suites...

£85 a week is really cheap!

We definitely got spoilt by DS1 (Lincoln). Rent is always about £90- 100 per week, always includes all bills and is never 52 weeks. Birmingham stung a bit after that!

@uggmum out if interest how long ago were those prices in York? They are bargainous compared to what my ds is paying.

Part of the issue as MSE alludes to is that the current maintenance loan (for those domiciled in England at least) has not kept pace with inflation.

Whilst it pains me the RG have provided a useful update on this:

https://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/students-to-lose-out-on-1500-as-maintenance-loans-fail-to-keep-up-with-inflation/

as have the greatly respected IFS

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/student-living-cost-support-cut-lowest-level-seven-years

A very different story in Wales of course.

The RG also recently published

https://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/students-facing-poverty-as-cost-of-living-crisis-hits-studies-new-research-shows/

with the full report at

https://russellgroupstudentsunions.org/cost-of-living-report

whilst from the OfS

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/universities-take-steps-to-address-cost-of-living-as-poll-highlights-impact-on-students/

Although I've had two at uni for both this year and last I feel I have got off quite lightly for all my three , accommodation costs wise, as compared to many on the HE board.

Bristol is ridiculous. Having to start finding housing in the second month of the first year. Who knows if friendships will survive from Sept 23 for the next academic year? Indeed some have not, after paying a deposit on flats etc. Poor kids.

The costs for second and third year are horrific. And what you get for your money is pathetic. Mouldy flats above commercial
properties for over £800 a month with no bills included.

Add in being an all-male group not doing STEM (so fewer lectures), then you are at the bottom of the landlords’ pile (a local estate agent told me that).

It’s rubbish.

@FantasticWishesEverywhere that’s dreadful - so sorry if you have a DC there going through it. Tbh, there is no way on earth mine going to Bristol - and fortunately he doesn’t want to anyway as he’s read similar horror stories!

@Hayliebells we love the look of Birmingham so are going to an open day!

Yes, I was emphasising the issue, not trying to suggest it did not exist above. I was just thinking whether it will ultimately mean that unless you have a very very low household income (or very high) then some universities are too expensive if you cannot live at home. Same with the best state schools in rich areas and that's a pity because in the 1930s and 40s my father and his brothers got to Durham University , 2 of them to do medicine from a local school which these days just about never gets a child into Durham even though it is local.

@extramaturecheddarcheese
My DC are in year 2 and have secured their accommodation for year 3.

@uggmum yes, mine is the same but he was shocked at the way that private rented had gone from c.£130 a week to c.£180 a week. He has secured uni accommodation again in the end, and he is one of the lucky ones from what I understand. It is a lovely city though so I suppose it's to be expected.

@extramaturecheddarcheese
Campus rooms are nice. Mine were in east campus in year one. You have done well securing that.

York is a lovely city. We only live 40
Mins away so we pop over for dinner with them quite regularly

@Xenia if DC wanted to study medicine these days they wouldn't be going to Durham anyway. Durham's medical school was transferred to Newcastle Medical School in 2017.

And just for clarity, prior to 2017 Durham's medical school was actually in Stockton on Tees, not Durham.

Historically though, Durham's medical school was always in Newcastle (19th century) at Kings College - it was the origin of Newcastle University which was formed in the mid 60s.

My dad attended Kings during this time and, when he graduated, was given the choice of being awarded either a Durham or a Newcastle degree. He chose Durham.

Yes, I know. My father's first degree was a BSc King's College Durham 1950. Medical degree cert which I have here is 1955 King's College Durham. His older brother went in the 1930s aged just 17 (young even for then) and read medicine straight away at Durham but not sure where his studies were then.MY father was Durham but studying in Newcastle. It is quite interesting "King's College was created in 1937 by the amalgamation of Durham University's Armstrong College and the College of Medicine in Newcastle on the formal federalisation of Durham University." https://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ark/32150_s1b8515n42f.xml

So 1937 was after my uncle started in 1936 (but only just).

39% from the school go to higher education. 0% oxbridge. 5% higher tier universities. 3% RG.

It may simply reflect the economic situation in that part oft he NE today of course although in the 1930s and 40s I don't think it was exactly booming even then not long after the Jarrow march etc.

Newcastle or Durham - either way children are not getting into there nowadays from that school which seems a pity. Lucy Kellaway from the Financial Times who is now a teacher teaches up in the NE now and wrote a good article fairly recently about a difference of culture and expectations in the RC school where she now teaches in the NE< compared with the BAME and other pupils of London whom she had taught.

You need to remember when you're worrying about it is that the current 3rd years was a bulge year, and the year below not a lot better in some universities due to raised grades, so the issues this year may well not be as bad by the time your 2023 entry is looking for private.

It also can be different on the ground so to speak. DD was at Durham (finished last summer) which several people here have mentioned as being bad. She's a bit of a worrier about such things, but when I asked about accommodation she said that although people got on to doing it really quickly (people were sorting the next year's accommodation as early as 4th week winter term) but really there were always spaces even up to the start of the year in the private halls/colleges (except on the huge year below her) and spaces in house shares.
It is very expensive though.

I won't lie 2nd and 3rd accommodation in Exeter was a bit of a headache for me, DD was much more relaxed about it. In reality the very nice accommodation in St James goes very quickly and has a hefty price tag.

DD is in a 6 bed house and is paying £140-£150 p/w exc bills for reasonable accommodation but they do get snapped up quickly. So top tip is you need to be the first group viewing. Accommodation secured in November for both years. Exeter is getting expensive though so be prepared, lots of lovely houses in the £160-£170 range. I picked DD up last weekend and housing is still being advertised in very popular student areas. Accommodation on campus for freshers is cheaper as the contract is for 40 weeks whereas subsequent years is 48/50 weeks.