Homework pays off: UK universities ranked by rental affordability, with savings of £30,000 if you give London a wide berth

Living within walking distance of university is the dream for so many students. Here's where you've got to study for savings of almost £30,000 over an average three-year course.

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Meghann Murdock, Deputy editor, Homes & Property18 August 2017

With this year's A-level results now out, most students will know where they're heading to university next month.

But for those going through clearing, or with tough decisions to make, there could be more to consider than course breakdowns or current rankings.

Ever-rising living costs and tuition fees of around £9,250 a year mean student finances are already stretched, while accommodation fees are often steeper than students initially count on.

London's university students pay a staggering £40,000 in rent to live within walking distance of a campus over the course of a three-year undergraduate degree, according to a new report by spareroom.co.uk.

Students at Kings College London, ranked 7th in the Times higher education league table, face rental costs of around £1,198 a month to live in nearby Holborn. Based on an average three year course length, that means your bachelor's degree will cost £43,130 in rent alone.

For rental savings of almost £30,000, students should head to Queen's University Belfast. The Russell Group university is ranked 33rd in the list of top UK universities but is the cheapest university town to rent in: the average room rent over three years works out as £10,330 or £287 per month.

Closely behind is the University of Dundee which is ranked 28th out of the UK's top offerings and second least expensive town with an average three-year room rent of £11,950 or £332 a month.

Scotland isn't always the cheaper option, however, as Edinburgh's average rent of £502 a month makes it one of the most expensive UK cities outside of London.

In the north of England, some of the UK's best ranked universities — Durham University and the University of Sheffield — record average rents of £12,960 and £13,140 respectively, which is around £365 a month over three years.

All is not lost for London's struggling students however, as moving just 20 minutes' commute from Holborn — north to Kentish Town or south to Kennington for example — could save them around £450 a month in room rents.

Although London is still by far the most expensive city, savings of around £16,000 over a three-year degree are not to be sniffed at.

The UK's top universities and respective room rents:

UK university rank 2017	University	Rental location	Average room rent	Average room rent over three years	Affordability rank
33	Queen's University Belfast	Belfast	£287	£10,332`	1
28	University of Dundee	Dundee	£332	£11,952	2
12	Durham University	Durham	£360	£12,960	3
31	Newcastle University	Newcastle	£362	£13,032	4
13	University of Sheffield	Sheffield	£365	£13,140	5
21	Lancaster University	Lancaster	£365	£13,140	6
24	University of Liverpool	Liverpool	£367	£13,212	7
26	University of Leicester	Leicester	£377	£13,572	8
22	University of Nottingham	Nottingham	£384	£13,824	9
20	University of Leeds	Leeds	£386	£13,896	10
19	University of Birmingham	Birmingham	£404	£14,544	11
11	University of Glasgow	Glasgow	£405	£14,580	12
30	University of Aberdeen	Aberdeen	£407	£14,652	13
25	University of East Anglia	Norwich	£408	£14,688	14
18	University of York	York	£417	£15,012	15
10	University of Warwick	Coventry	£417	£15,012	16
8	University of Manchester	Manchester	£425	£15,300	17
16	University of Southampton	Southampton	£444	£15,984	18
17	University of Exeter	Exeter	£454	£16,344	19
9	University of Bristol	Bristol	£478	£17,208	20
36	University of Bath	Bath	£487	£17,532	21
29	Cardiff University	Cardiff	£501	£18,036	22
6	University of Edinburgh	Edinburgh	£502	£18,072	23
32	University of Reading	Reading	£552	£19,872	24
27	Royal Holloway, University of London	Staines	£568	£20,448	25
36	University of Surrey	Guildford	£597	£21,492	26
33	St George's, University of London	London - Tooting	£653	£23,508	27
15	Queen Mary University of London	London - Mile End	£662	£23,832	28
7	King's College London	London - Holborn	£1,198	£43,128	29