Student Living

Index
July 2020
Contents

3 Summary

16 Methodology and Sample

18 Student Living Index

20 Sources of Income

29 Activities

37 Monthly Expenditure

43 Expected Costs

46 Money Management

52 Motivations and Expectations

58 Wellbeing and Sustainability

61 Impact of COVID
2
Summary

3
Summary
On average, the Student Living
Index has decreased by 1% in
the UK between 2019 and 2020,
meaning that the average cost of
living has remained consistent
from the previous Year
• London continues to have the
highest index for any city in the UK,
increasing 0.10 points since last
year
• The lowest – best – index this year
goes to Manchester, which has
improved from 2019 where they
ranked 5th best in the UK
• Plymouth and Poole have seen an
increase in the cost of living,
becoming more costly cities to live
in of late
• Students in Northern cities continue
to have the best ratio for SLI – while
Cambridge has seen the most
drastic improvement in SLI since
2019
4
 Summary
• Scottish student cities have a high
index of living compared to the rest
of the country
• Although this has improved slightly
since 2019, this could be attributed
to a lower average monthly income
compared to other UK cities
• Term time income has dropped • On average, the monthly UK
overall (by £50) average rent has decreased to
lowest levels since 2018 (by 6%)
• Most prominently for Bristol (by
over £300) and Cardiff (by almost • Only London and the South West
£400) have seen an increase in the last
year
• Manchester has remained stable at
almost +£300 above average –
which could explain its placing
within the index
5
Summary: Sources of income
Student loans make up almost
50% of their monthly income –
although for over 1 in 4 it doesn’t
contribute at all
Only a fifth of students rely on
own income to pay for their rent
• All Scottish students are either less
reliant on student loans to finance
their living or they have smaller
loans – which might be linked to the
fact that Scottish Uni tuition is free
for Scottish Students
• Scottish students also tend to be
more reliant on self financing and
are less likely to run out of money at
the end of the semester – only 24%
on average running out in Scottish
unis vs 33% on UK average
6
 Summary: Sources of income
• Students in more prestigious
schools – namely Oxford,
Edinburgh and Cambridge – rely
the most on parents / family income
(over 40% more likely than the
average)
• For Durham, bursary or
scholarship contributions have
increased by over 50% since 2019
• Students in more prestigious unis
also spend more time on academic
study but unsurprisingly, are more
likely to feel stressed as a result
• They are more likely to spend
additional time studying on campus
vs. at home compared to the
average (+14 hours more per
month on campus)
• Cambridge and Oxford in
particular have been topping the
country’s time spend per student on
academic studies for over 4 years
• Students in London rely less on
student loans than average, and
more on parents / personal saving
than average. This also can be a
result of having more students that
live at home in London
• Cambridge is the most reliant on
student loans but also more likely
than average to feel supported in
managing money from uni (more
than 2× the average)
7
Summary: Activities
On average, time spent on
academic studies has
increased since 2019, with 11+
hours spent studying on campus
vs at home
• Interestingly, Oxford students
spend almost +10h more time
socialising and 35% more on alcohol
than average per month – almost
+10h more per month than in
Cambridge
• Overall, almost 2 in 3 of all UK
students do not spend any time on
a part time job at all
• Since 2017, UK students have cut
back time on studying and hobbies,
but have maintained both time and
spend spent on socialising – with
only 10% of them spending no
money on socialising
8
 Summary: Activities
• Newcastle has seen the biggest
increase in time spent socialising
since 2019 (+10h) and are likelier to
spend 24% more than average on
going out, and £10 more per month,
than average on alcohol alone
• Over half of all UK students do not • Students in Exeter, Southampton
spend any money on fitness, with and Newcastle spend the most on
the overall average spend fitness – three times more than in
remaining consistent from 2019 – Brighton
surprisingly, offerings of health and
wellbeing programs have
decreased by 18% since 2019, with
more prestigious unis being the
most likely to avail of these perks
(increasing to 74%)
9
Summary: Monthly expenditure
Supermarket spend remains the
top monthly spend this year for
students in the UK, over twice as
much as any other source of
spending and making up 23% of
total monthly spend
• Overall, spend has remained
relatively consistent, and if
anything, increased slightly since
2019 (especially on going out and
alcohol)
• Household bills and travel are the
only categories to see an
incremental decrease since 2018
Overall, spend on a night out has
increased by over 20% since
2019
• This year Oxford University slightly
overtakes Newcastle University for
biggest spend on alcohol, spending
£45 per month – 35% more than the
UK average
• Unsurprisingly, London students
are more likely to spend the most on
a night out – with expected costs for
a pint being +£0.90 and a spirit
+£1.60 more than average
10
Summary: Money management
Over two thirds of students have
a budget but the majority have a
flexible approach (41%)
• Students in Edinburgh and
Cambridge are likely to save the
most each month (+36%) – two and
a half times more than those in
Liverpool
A third of UK students have
found themselves running out of
money by the end of the
semester
• This reflects the lack of support
from unis, with only 6% feeling
supported on average
• Less than 1 in 5 UK students find
managing their money stressful –
especially in Belfast and York
• Stress of managing money has
increased the most by those in
Belfast (44% increase since 2019)
11
Summary: Motivations and expectations
The top reason to pick a
University is still subject choice,
with almost half of UK students
staying consistent at 48%, while
university reputation is the
strongest motivator for over 1 in
5 students
• Durham and Oxford continue to be
ranked low for subject choice, but
rank top for being chosen because
of reputation, with 28% more than
average citing this as their primary
reason vs UK average
• Liverpool, York and Glasgow have
climbed the ranks to be the
universities most likely chosen for
subject choice which have all
increased since 2019 – with 2 in 3
students picking it as their primary
reason
• Leeds take the top spot for social
life as the number one motivator for
15% of their students, increasing a
massive 11% since 2019
12
Summary: Wellbeing and sustainability
41% of students rate studying
for University as being very
stressful, which remains at
consistent levels for unis with
bigger reputations such as
Plymouth, Oxford and
Cambridge
• This directly correlates with the 42%
of UK students who feel concerned
about their financial situation after
the completion of their degree
• In contrast, only 44% of students
enjoy studying for their degree –
surprisingly, while ranking high for
stress Cambridge ranks highest for
enjoyment at 59%
• But on a positive note, over 1 in 4
student are very satisfied with their
unis’ support on mental health, with
Southampton taking the top spot
with nearly 50%
• Nottingham ranks highly for
wellbeing overall, ranking 2nd for
mental health support and 1st for
sustainability
13
Summary: Impact of Covid
Just over 1 in 4 students felt
supported by their University
during Covid-19 and less than 1
in 3 rated the communication as
favourable
• Aberdeen ranks highly for support
during the crisis with almost 50%
feeling supported and 75% more
likely than average to feel that
communication was excellent
• Scottish students are most likely to
find value in the online education
provided by their Uni (1.6× more
likely than the average). Only 1 in
10 UK students saw value in their
online offerings
14
 Summary: Impact of Covid
71% of students were offered
some form of support for their
mental health during Covid-19
crisis – while over 1 in 4 received
no support at all
• 1 in 4 students felt as though the
pandemic has negatively affected
their ability to achieve their
qualification – this is most impactful
for those in Plymouth and Sheffield
• While those in Exeter are the least
affected, they are almost half as
likely as the average to feel
negatively impacted by the crisis
• Only 10% of UK students signed up
to the NHS volunteer programme –
driven by those in Durham and
Newcastle (twice as likely than
average to sign up)
• While 1 in 5 students had no
awareness of the programme at all
15
Methodology and
Sample

16
 Methodology

Audience Panel provider

N=2806 University students living in the UK Youthsight Experts in student and young
professionals research
• Measure current term-time vs vacation income

Survey period • Understand university city differences

3rd June – 11th June 2020 • Understand motivations and expectations

17
Student Living
Index
Per student city

18
 London continues to hold the title for the highest cost of living for students, with Manchester
and Cambridge offering the best SLI in 2020

Student Living Index Student Living Index

= average monthly

1.05
living and

0.96
0.95
0.89
accommodation costs

0.87
0.87
0.82
0.81
0.80
÷ average monthly

0.79
0.78
0.77
0.76
0.75

0.74
0.74
0.73
0.73
0.73
0.72
0.72
0.71
0.70
income

0.67
0.66
0.64
0.62
0.60
0.58
0.57

The average student

living index decreased
by only 1% since 2019
Manchester
Total

Durham

Belfast

Edinburgh

Southampton
Norwich
Cambridge

Liverpool

Brighton

Nottingham

Leeds

London
Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford

Glasgow
Leicester

Swansea

Cardiff

Newcastle
Exeter

Sheffield

Bristol

Aberdeen
Coventry
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 19
Sources of Income

20
 Students in Oxford, Manchester and Cambridge have the highest term time income, with
Scottish and Irish cities having the lowest

Average monthly Term Time Income

income
2020

£1,447.2

£1,391.7

£1,310.5

£1,175.5

£1,166.0

£1,159.6

£1,137.3

£1,136.6

£1,129.6

£1,129.0

£1,107.1

£1,084.8

£1,072.7
£1,063.7

£1,033.1

£1,026.3

£1,018.9

£997.5

£987.4

£980.8

£978.9

£974.9

£974.8

£968.2

£959.6

£938.9

£929.3

£911.1

£838.1

£820.1
Glasgow
Leicester

Swansea

Newcastle

Cardiff
Exeter

Bristol

Sheffield

Aberdeen
Manchester

Coventry
Total

Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast

Southampton
Norwich
Cambridge

Brighton
London

Liverpool

Leeds

Nottingham
Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 21
 London and Oxford continue to be the most expensive cities to rent in the UK, while Wales
and the North are most likely to be more affordable

Q6 Monthly Rent
How much is your
monthly rent?

£716.9
2020

£582.0

£569.4

£531.6

£512.3

£503.3

£494.8

£490.7

£476.2

£459.5

£445.7
£437.4

£436.4

£435.1

£432.5

£424.2

£422.1

£417.2

£400.2

£399.9

£395.9

£393.4

£383.0

£377.8

£373.2

£363.3

£359.1

£342.6

£328.0

£251.5
The average student
rent has decreased by

Glasgow

Leicester
UK Student Average

Exeter

Swansea

Newcastle

Cardiff
Bristol

Aberdeen

Sheffield
Coventry

Manchester
Edinburgh

Durham

Belfast
Southampton
Brighton

Norwich
London

Cambridge

Leeds

Nottingham

Liverpool
Plymouth

Canterbury
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

10% since 2019

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 22
 Unsurprisingly, student loans take up the majority of monthly contribution, with term time
work making up just 10%

Q7 Monthly monetary contribution

On average, how
much does each of the
following sources £487.3
contribute to your
income during term
time each month?

£192.5

£97.4 £90.3
£71.7 £68.0
£28.9
£8.4 £7.9 £6.8 £3.7 £1.0

marketing
hardship loan

Sponsorship
Personal savings

entrepreneurial
scholarship

Gig economy
Student loan

Other bank loan

Holiday work
Parents

Influencer
family

blogging
Term time

Bursary
work

Personal
business
Grant
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 23
 Irish and Scottish cities are the least reliant on student loans

Q7 Student Loan
On average, how
much does each of the

£661.7
following sources

£618.3

£600.8

£600.5

£586.2
contribute to your

£566.8

£555.3

£547.4

£545.8

£544.7

£541.0

£538.7

£536.8

£521.9

£512.9
income during term

£501.0

£490.1
£487.3

£472.6

£470.7

£461.5
time each month?

£432.9

£428.6

£408.5

£407.0

£403.2

£350.2

£329.0

£310.0

£209.1
Glasgow
Leicester

Swansea

Cardiff

Newcastle
Bristol

Sheffield

Exeter

Aberdeen
Manchester

Coventry
Total

Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton
Norwich
Cambridge

Leeds

Liverpool

Brighton

London

Nottingham
Plymouth

Canterbury
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 24
 More affluent cities are more reliant on their parents and family to fund their student life

Q7 Parents or Family
On average, how
much does each of the
following sources

£340.1

£330.9

£329.6
contribute to your
income during term
time each month?

£249.5

£243.1

£237.2

£231.7

£231.6

£220.3

£213.3

£207.7

£195.0
£192.5

£190.9

£176.2

£172.3

£165.1

£165.0

£161.0

£158.8

£157.2

£157.2

£156.1

£151.0

£142.3

£130.9

£126.7

£124.5

£110.5

£101.9
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff

Leicester
Exeter

Swansea
Aberdeen

Bristol

Sheffield
Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Durham

Belfast
Southampton
Cambridge

Nottingham

Brighton

London

Leeds

Norwich
Liverpool
Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 25
 Term time work is most likely to contribute to the income of those studying in more Northern
UK cities, Belfast or London

Q7 Term time work

On average, how
much does each of the

£182.8
following sources
contribute to your

£160.2

£148.8
income during term

£134.4
time each month?

£126.6

£125.1

£122.5

£115.5

£113.1

£112.0

£103.8

£102.3

£100.6
£97.4

£95.5

£94.2

£93.1

£92.5

£89.2

£82.2

£…
£78.0

£67.6

£65.7

£63.0

£62.0

£54.2

£51.4

£51.1

£45.1
Glasgow

Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff
Exeter

Swansea
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol
Coventry

Manchester
Edinburgh

Belfast

Durham
Southampton
Brighton
London

Cambridge

Leeds

Norwich
Liverpool

Nottingham
Canterbury

Plymouth

Birmingham

York

Portsmouth
Poole

Oxford
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 26
 Holiday work is a bigger contributor to income for those in Aberdeen, with a decrease in
contribution for Leicester by almost 50% from the previous year

Q7 Holiday work
On average, how
much does each of the

£142.6
following sources
contribute to your

£122.4
income during term

£115.6

£106.0

£104.8
time each month?

£102.2

£88.4

£85.0

£84.7

£82.4

£81.5

£79.2

£77.2
£71.7

£71.0
Interestingly, holiday work

£60.9

£60.3

£54.4

£54.3

£54.0
is a large contributor to

£52.7

£45.3

£44.7
income for those in

£41.9

£40.6

£39.6

£33.2
Manchester, which might

£26.1

£25.3

£23.5
explain their reliance on
personal savings for their

Glasgow
Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff

Exeter

Swansea
Aberdeen

Bristol

Sheffield
Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Durham

Belfast
Southampton
Brighton

Norwich
London

Liverpool

Leeds

Nottingham

Cambridge
Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

income

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 27
 Cambridge continues to have the highest contribution of bursary/scholarships than other
cities, closely followed by Liverpool and Durham

Q7 Bursary/Scholarship
On average, how
much does each of the
following sources

£140.2

£131.2
contribute to your

£120.5
income during term
time each month?

£94.7

£90.6

£87.1

£83.4

£82.2

£80.1

£80.0

£75.5
£68.0

£69.7

£65.8

£63.1

£60.4

£58.8

£55.8

£55.3

£54.8
Bursary/scholarship

£52.0

£47.5

£43.5

£43.5

£43.5

£41.5

£41.2
contributions for

£34.8

£29.7
Durham have

£21.4
increased over 50%
since 2019

Glasgow
Leicester
UK Student Average

Swansea

Cardiff

Newcastle
Sheffield

Exeter
Aberdeen

Bristol
Manchester

Coventry
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton
Norwich
Cambridge

Liverpool

Nottingham

Brighton

London

Leeds

Plymouth

Canterbury
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 28
Activities

29
 Time spent studying has increased dramatically since 2019, increasing by 17 hours over the
month from the previous year

Q10 Hours per month

On average, how
many hours per month
do you spend on the 98
92 90
following activities?
81

“Hobbies” number created by

merging “watching sports”,
“playing sports”, “volunteering”,
“creative or performing arts” and
“other hobbies 39 40
36 36
27 30 28 29

15 15 14 13
Time spent on home
entertainment
(38 hours) On academic studies (lectures,
coursework, library etc.)
Going out/socialising with
friends
Hobbies Part time work

2017 2018 2019 2020

Base: 2020 N = 2806 30

 Students continue to spend the vast majority of their time studying, split between campus
and at home

Q10 Hours per month

On average, how
many hours per month
98.2
do you spend on the
following activities? 2020
On campus: 54.6 hours
At home: 43.6 hours

29.3
Students spend only 17.3
12.8 10.9
29% of their time on 4.9 3.2 2.7 2.3
various
hobbies/socialising
out/socialising with

(gallery visits, arts,

related work (work

Volunteering/
hobbies/interests

Watching sports
Playing sports or at
Academic studies on

Working in a part-
coursework, library

charity work
internships, etc.)

performing arts
Unpaid, course-
campus/at home

photography,
experience,

Creative or
time job

theatre)
(lectures,

the gym
Other
friends
Going
etc.)

Base: 2020 N = 2806;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 31
 Those in Belfast and London are the most likely to spend more time per month in a part time
job

Q10 Monthly Hours Part Time Work

On average, how
many hours per month
do you spend on the

21.7
following activities?

18.8

18.2

17.9

17.9

16.9

16.0

15.8

15.6

14.8

14.4

14.2

13.9
12.8

12.0

11.6

11.6

11.6

11.2

10.7

10.0

10.0

8.9

8.7

8.0

7.5

7.3

7.2

7.0

4.6
Almost 2 in 3 students
do not spend any time
Glasgow

Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle
Sheffield

Exeter

Swansea

Cardiff
Aberdeen

Bristol

Manchester

Coventry
Belfast

Edinburgh

Durham
Southampton
Brighton

Norwich
London

Leeds

Liverpool

Cambridge

Nottingham
Canterbury

Plymouth

Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole

Oxford
at a part time job (64%)

Base: 2020 N = 2806;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 32
 Unsurprisingly, those in the most prestigious universities are those most likely to spend more
time studying

Q10 Monthly Hours Academic Study on campus

On average, how
many hours per month
do you spend on the

77.4

74.9
following activities?

67.5

65.1

62.8

61.7

59.9

56.3

56.2

55.8

55.6

55.5

55.4
54.6

54.0

52.4

52.0

51.5

51.1

51.1

49.9

49.8

49.3

49.1

48.3

46.9

46.5

46.4

44.5

41.2
Those in the top unis
are also more likely to
spend more time
studying on campus vs.
at home
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Swansea

Cardiff

Leicester

Newcastle
Exeter
Bristol

Sheffield

Aberdeen
Coventry

Manchester
Edinburgh

Durham

Belfast
Southampton

Norwich
Cambridge

Nottingham

Liverpool

Leeds

Brighton
London
Plymouth

Canterbury

Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

Base: 2020 N = 2806;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 33
 York is the university most likely to spend almost as much time studying at home as they are
on uni campus

Q10 Monthly Hours Academic Study at home

On average, how
many hours per month
do you spend on the

59.0
following activities?

56.4

54.9

53.7

51.9

51.3

49.7

47.7

46.9

45.9

45.2

44.4

44.2
43.6

42.5

42.3

41.8

41.3

41.3

40.5

40.4

40.3

39.8

39.8

39.1

39.0

38.7

38.7

33.6

27.7
Glasgow
Leicester
UK Student Average

Cardiff
Exeter

Swansea

Newcastle
Bristol

Sheffield

Aberdeen
Coventry

Manchester
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton
Norwich
Cambridge

Brighton
London

Nottingham

Leeds

Liverpool
Plymouth

Canterbury
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

Base: 2020 N = 2806;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 34
 Durham and Newcastle spend the most time socialising, which has increased by almost 7
hours on average since 2019

Q10 Monthly Hours Socialising

On average, how
many hours per month
do you spend on the

43.3

40.9
following activities?

38.2

36.4

35.5

34.2

34.2

34.0

33.0

30.9

30.5

30.2

29.9
29.3

29.3

29.1

29.0

28.2

27.9

26.6

26.1

25.1

24.7

24.6

24.6

23.8

23.7

23.6

20.3

18.2
Glasgow

Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff
Exeter

Swansea
Sheffield

Bristol

Aberdeen
Coventry

Manchester
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton

Nottingham

Norwich
Liverpool

Cambridge

Leeds

Brighton

London
Plymouth

Canterbury
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford

Base: 2020 N = 2806;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 35
 Outside of necessities, the majority of students’ income is spent on socialising – almost 4× as
much than is spent on their studies

Q11 Money spent per month

On average, how
much money do you
£42.4
spend per month on
the following
activities?

£12.2 £10.9
£9.3
£3.5
£1.6 £1.4
Going out/socialising On other hobbies and Academic studies Playing sports or at the Creative or performing Watching sports Volunteering/charity
with friends interests (lectures, coursework, gym arts (gallery visits, arts, work (volunteer
library, etc.) photography, theatre) programmes, charity
events)

Base: 2020 N = 2806;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 36
Monthly
Expenditure
Living expenses

37
 Supermarket spend continues to make up the biggest share of monthly expenses – almost a
quarter of total monthly spend (23%)

Q9
Supermarket food shopping,
On average, what do toiletries and household items £81.6
you spend each month Going out (inc. gigs, theatre,
cinema, clubs but excluding … £33.1
on each of the Eating out (inc. takeaways, coffees,
restaurant, etc...) £33.1
following items? Clothes, shoes and accessories £32.6
Alcohol (all consumed - both at
home and while out) £29.3
Public Transport Day-to-day travel
(inc. taxis, buses, trains) £26.1
Household bills (gas, oil, electric,
water and internet) £23.5
Transport whilst visiting home
during term time £18.7
Books, course materials, printing,
library costs, etc... £15.1
Car - Day-to-day travel (inc. petrol,
MOT, Insurance) £14.7
Trips (visiting friends at other unis,
weekends away, holidays) £13.2
Mobile phone bills and related costs £12.4
Self-Care and wellbeing (gym,
meditation, massage, beauty) £11.6
Home entertainment (TV
subscriptions, DVDs, music … £10.3
Charity fundraising and good
causes £3.5

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 38
 Oxford and Newcastle are the biggest spenders on alcohol, while Leicester spends the least

Q9 Alcohol
On average, what do
you spend each month

£45
on each of the
following items?

£40

£37

£36

£35

£34

£33

£33

£33

£32

£32

£31

£31

£30

£30
£29

£28

£28

£27

£27

£27

£26

£25

£24

£24

£23

£22

£21

£18

£18
Students at Oxford
spend 35% more than
the average UK
student on alcohol per
month

Glasgow

Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff

Swansea
Sheffield

Exeter

Bristol

Aberdeen

Manchester

Coventry
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast

Southampton
Leeds

Norwich
Liverpool

Brighton

Nottingham

Cambridge

London
Plymouth

Canterbury

Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 39
 London are the biggest spenders overall on going out and socialising, which reflects the
higher cost of living in the city

Q9 Going out
On average, what do
you spend each month
on each of the

£50.7
following items?

£39.8

£38.3

£36.8

£36.7

£35.9

£35.4

£34.6

£34.6

£34.2

£33.7
£33.1

£33.1

£33.1

£32.9

£32.3

£32.1

£31.3

£31.1

£30.9

£30.7

£30.6

£30.5

£30.3

£29.9

£27.0

£26.3

£25.5

£25.4

£24.7
Glasgow
Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff

Swansea
Sheffield

Exeter
Bristol

Aberdeen
Manchester

Coventry
Belfast

Edinburgh

Durham
Southampton

Norwich

Brighton
London

Liverpool

Leeds

Nottingham

Cambridge

Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham

Portsmouth

York
Poole
Oxford
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 40
 Aberdeen and Poole have the highest contributions to household bills, Liverpool and York
spending the least

Q9 Household Bills
On average, what do
you spend each month

£54
on each of the
following items?

£46

£37

£35

£32

£31

£31

£29

£28

£27

£26

£25

£24

£24
£24

£23

£23

£21

£21

£20

£20

£18

£17

£17

£15

£15

£11

£11

£8

£6
Glasgow
Leicester
UK Student Average

Cardiff

Exeter

Swansea

Newcastle
Aberdeen

Bristol

Sheffield
Coventry

Manchester
Edinburgh

Belfast

Durham
Southampton
Norwich

Leeds

Brighton
London

Nottingham

Cambridge

Liverpool
Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham
Portsmouth

York
Poole

Oxford
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 41
 Bristol and Newcastle are the biggest spenders on groceries per month. However, most cities
spend close to the average across the UK

Q9 Groceries
On average, what do
you spend each month

£108.7
on each of the

£102.6

£99.7

£99.3

£98.1
following items?

£92.4

£88.5

£87.9

£87.6

£87.3

£86.6

£85.0
£81.6

£80.8

£80.6

£79.9

£78.9

£78.7

£77.6

£76.7

£75.8

£74.6

£74.2

£74.1

£73.7

£71.9

£71.7

£68.8

£68.4

£64.8
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff

Leicester
Exeter

Swansea
Bristol

Aberdeen

Sheffield

Coventry

Manchester
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton
Cambridge

Leeds

Norwich
Liverpool

Nottingham

Brighton

London
Plymouth

Canterbury

Birmingham
Portsmouth

York
Poole

Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 42
Expected Costs

How much students expect to spend

on certain items in their university
city

43
 Southern England remains the most expensive place for a pint in the UK, with the average
expected price for a pint increasing by over £1 since 2019

Q22 Pint – expected cost

How much would you
expect to spend on a...
pint in your university

£5.0
city?

£4.6

£4.5

£4.3

£4.1

£3.9

£3.9

£3.8

£3.7

£3.7
£3.6

£3.6

£3.6

£3.6

£3.5

£3.5

£3.5

£3.5

£3.5

£3.5

£3.4

£3.4

£3.4

£3.3

£3.2

£3.2

£3.2

£3.1

£2.9

£2.8
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Cardiff

Leicester

Newcastle
Exeter

Swansea
Bristol

Aberdeen

Sheffield
Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Belfast

Durham
Southampton

Norwich
Cambridge

Brighton

London

Leeds

Liverpool

Nottingham
Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 44
 More than half of students spend less than £20 on a night out – with the average spend being
£22

Q21 Spent on last night out

On your last night out,
how much did you
spend? <£10 18%

Including alcohol/club entry etc.

£10-20 37%

Students in London £20-30 22%

spend the most on
average on a night out
£30-40 6%
(£27), with 30%
spending more than
£20 - but 29% don’t go £50+ 3%
out in the city at all

I don't go out in my university city 15%

Base: N =2806 respondents; 45

Money
Management

46
 Nearly 1 in 5 find managing their money stressful, with those in Belfast seeing the biggest
increase in stress since 2019 (+44%)

Q18 Stress of managing money 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

On a scale of 0-10,
where 0 is not stressful 5% 3% 10% 12% 10% 13% 17% 16% 8% 2% 4%
at all and 10 is
extremely stressful,
how stressful do you
find managing your Total stressed by managing money
money? Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above

25%

24%

23%

23%

22%

21%

21%

21%

21%

20%

20%

20%

20%

19%

19%
18%

18%

18%

17%

16%

16%

16%

16%

15%

14%

13%

12%

12%

10%

7%
UK Student

Canterbury

Plymouth

Birmingham
York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford
Glasgow

Leicester
Southampto

Cardiff

Newcastle
Exeter

Swansea
Sheffield

Bristol

Aberdeen
Manchester

Coventry
Belfast

Edinburgh

Durham
Cambridge

Leeds

Nottingham

Brighton

Norwich
London

Liverpool
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 47
 Students across the UK have very little help in managing their finances from their uni, with
Cambridge being the only uni that stands out

Q24 Support on managing 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

money from University
On a scale of 0-10, 1%
where 0 is not 17% 1% 2% 15% 12% 17% 8% 6% 4% 1%
supported at all and 10
is extremely
supportive, how much
did you feel your Total feel supported on managing money
university helped you Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above
manage your finances
(from discount cards
to advice and 16%

support)? 10%

9%

8%

8%

8%

8%

8%

7%

7%

7%
6%

6%

6%
% Not supported

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

4%

4%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

2%

2%

0%
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

Glasgow
Cardiff

Swansea

Newcastle

Leicester

Exeter
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol
Manchester

Coventry
Belfast

Edinburgh

Durham
Southampton

Norwich
Cambridge

Nottingham

London

Leeds

Brighton

Liverpool

Canterbury

Plymouth
UK Student
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 48
 The majority of students have a flexible approach to budgeting and won’t deprive themselves
– which is reflected in their spend on hobbies/going out

Q13
Which of the following
I try to budget but don't
statements best always stick to it
41%
describes your
attitude towards
money management?
I budget carefully and
keep track of what I spend 28%

I don't budget but I'm not 27%

frivolous with my money

I don't consider what

I'm spending at all - 4%
I'll think about that later

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 49
 60% of students use some form of app to regulate their spending, with almost 1 in 5 relying on
a digital bank to keep track of their spending

Q14
Which method do you
use for budgeting?

38%

23%
19% 19%

11%
7%
3%

Excel spreadsheet Digital Banking App Traditional Banking Withdraw cash Other Financial App Other None
(e.g. Monzo, Revolut) App for a set period

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75).
 Over 1 in 3 students have means to supplement their income if they run out of money

Q20
Do you rely on any of
the following to Overdraft 30%
supplement income if
you are running low
on money? Select all
that apply. Credit card 7%

Other (text box) 5%

None of the above 62%

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 51
Motivations and
Expectations

52
 Subject choice continues to be the biggest motivator for uni choice in the UK, with uni
reputation being a factor for 1 in 5

Q17
What motivated you
to choose to study at 48%
your university?

% Strongest motivation

22%

13%

6%
4%
2% 2% 1% 1%

Subject University Close to Social life Far away The cost of University Safety of Same
choice reputation home from home living fees campus/area university as
friends

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 53
 Liverpool and York are unis most preferred for their subject choice offering

Q17 Subject Choice

What motivated you
to choose to study at
your university?

62%

59%

58%

57%

57%

57%

55%

54%

54%

53%

51%

51%

50%

50%

50%
Ranked as number 1 choice

49%

49%

49%
48%

48%

44%

43%

41%

41%

40%

39%

37%

37%

35%

25%
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Cardiff

Leicester
Swansea

Newcastle
Exeter
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol

Coventry

Manchester
Edinburgh

Belfast

Durham
Southampton
Nottingham

Brighton

Norwich
Liverpool

Cambridge

London

Leeds
Plymouth

Canterbury

Birmingham
York

Portsmouth

Poole

Oxford
Base: N =2806 respondents;
Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 54
 Durham tops the ranks for reputation for a 2nd year running, while Oxford and Exeter also
ranking highly

Q17 University Reputation

What motivated you
to choose to study at
your university?

59%

50%
Ranked as number 1 choice

46%

37%

36%

27%

26%

26%

24%
22%

22%

22%

22%

21%

20%

20%

20%

19%

19%

17%

17%

15%

15%

14%

14%

13%

13%

12%

9%

6%
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Cardiff

Leicester
Exeter

Swansea

Newcastle
Bristol

Aberdeen

Sheffield
Coventry

Manchester
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton
Cambridge

London

Leeds

Nottingham

Norwich

Liverpool

Brighton

Canterbury

Plymouth
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 55
 Over 40% of students find studying stressful, especially those in more prestigious universities
(Plymouth, Oxford and Cambridge)

Q29 Stress of your university 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

degree
On a scale of 0-10,
where 0 is not stressful 1% 2% 6% 9% 14% 23% 21% 10% 11%
at all and 10 is
1% 3%
extremely stressful,
how stressful do you
find university Total stressed by university degree
degree? Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above

52%

51%

50%

50%

48%

48%

47%

47%

47%
% Stressed

45%

45%

45%

44%

43%

42%

42%
41%

40%

40%

39%

38%

38%

37%

36%

36%

35%

35%

32%

31%

29%
Birmingham
Portsmouth

York
Poole
Oxford

Glasgow
Cardiff

Leicester

Swansea

Newcastle

Exeter
Bristol

Sheffield

Aberdeen
Coventry

Manchester
Durham

Belfast

Edinburgh

Southampton
Brighton

Norwich
UK Student

Cambridge

Leeds

London

Nottingham

Liverpool
Plymouth

Canterbury
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 56
 However, around the same % of students enjoy their degree, with those in Cambridge and
York being the most likely

Q30 Enjoyment of university 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

degree
On a scale of 0-10, 1%
where 0 is not at all
2% 2% 4 5% 8% 13% 22% 22% 12% 10%
and 10 is completely,
how much are you
enjoying studying for
your university Total enjoying university degree
degree? Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above

59%

56%

56%
% Enjoy

52%

51%

50%

50%

49%

49%

48%

48%

47%

47%

45%
44%

44%

44%

44%

44%

42%

40%

38%

38%

38%

36%

35%

34%

33%

32%

29%
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford
Glasgow

Cardiff

Leicester
Exeter

Swansea

Newcastle
Aberdeen

Bristol

Sheffield

Manchester

Coventry
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton
Norwich
UK Student

Cambridge

Liverpool

Nottingham

Leeds

Brighton

London
Plymouth

Canterbury
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 57
Wellbeing and
Sustainability

58
 Over 1 in 4 students agree that their uni actively promotes sustainability, with Nottingham
leading the way with 1 in 2

Q26 Promotion of sustainability 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

On a scale of 0-10, 1%
where 0 is not at all 1% 2% 6% 8% 18% 18% 20% 14% 6% 6%
and 10 is extremely,
how committed is
your university to
promoting Total promotion of sustainability
sustainability on Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above
campus?

50%

40%

39%

38%

37%
% Sustainable

36%

31%

31%

31%

31%

30%

28%

28%

27%

27%
26%

26%

23%

21%

21%

20%

19%

18%

13%

13%

13%

13%

11%

10%

6%
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole

Oxford
Glasgow
Leicester
Swansea

Cardiff

Newcastle
Sheffield

Exeter

Aberdeen

Bristol
Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Belfast

Durham
Southampton
UK Student

Nottingham

Leeds

Brighton

Norwich

Cambridge

London

Liverpool
Plymouth

Canterbury
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 59
 Over 1 in 4 feel that their uni provides adequate support for their mental health, with
Southampton and Nottingham being the most supportive

Q27 Mental health support 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

resources
On a scale of 0-10,
where 0 is extremely 3% 1% 2% 6% 8% 18% 15% 18% 14% 6% 7%
dissatisfied and 10 is
extremely satisfied,
how do you feel about
your university’s Total support in mental health resources
mental health support Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above
resources?

49%

40%

38%

35%

35%

34%

32%

30%

30%

29%

28%
27%

27%

26%

26%

26%

26%

25%

25%

24%

23%

22%

22%

22%

18%

18%

17%

15%

13%

12%
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth
Poole

Oxford
Glasgow
Cardiff

Newcastle

Leicester
Exeter

Swansea
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol

Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Durham

Belfast
Southampton
UK Student

Nottingham

London

Cambridge

Leeds

Brighton

Norwich
Liverpool
Plymouth

Canterbury
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 60
Impact of COVID

61
 Over 1 in 4 students feel as though they were very supported during the Covid crisis, with
students in Aberdeen being almost twice as likely to agree

Q31 Covid-19 support 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

resources
How well did your
university support you 3% 1% 2% 8% 9% 13% 14% 16% 13% 7% 9%
and the continuation
of your studies during
the Covid-19 crisis?
Total support during Covid-19 crisis
0 being not supportive and 10 being Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above
very supportive

46%

40%

39%

39%

36%

36%

34%

34%

33%

33%

31%
29%

29%

29%

29%

28%

27%

25%

25%

25%

24%

24%

23%

23%

22%

22%

20%

20%

19%

19%
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford
Glasgow

Leicester
Exeter

Swansea

Cardiff

Newcastle
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol
Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Durham

Belfast
Southampton
UK Student

Nottingham

Cambridge

London

Leeds

Liverpool

Brighton

Norwich
Plymouth

Canterbury
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 62
 Over 2 in 3 students were offered either online courses or counselling to help support them
during the crisis

Q32
How well did your 60%
university support you
and your mental
health during the
Covid-19 crisis?

30% 29%

4%

They offered free online They provided online Other (text box) None of the above
resources counselling

Base: 2020 N = 2086 63

 Almost 1 in 3 feel as though communication has been excellent during the crisis from their
uni, with Aberdeen again performing well while Belfast performs the least well

Q33 Overall communication 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

during Covid-19 crisis
On a scale of 0-10,
how would you rate 1% 2% 8% 8% 13% 14% 17% 14% 7% 9%
your university’s
1%
overall
communication with
their students during Overall communication during Covid-19 crisis
the Covid-19 crisis? Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above

62%

54%
0 being no communication and 10
being excellent communication

41%

39%

37%

36%

35%

35%

35%

34%

34%

32%

32%

32%

32%
31%

31%

31%

29%

27%

27%

27%

25%

25%

24%

23%

21%

19%

16%

13%
Birmingham
York

Portsmouth
Poole

Oxford
Glasgow
Leicester

Newcastle

Cardiff
Exeter

Swansea
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol
Coventry

Manchester
Durham

Edinburgh

Belfast
Southampton

Norwich
UK Student

Nottingham

Cambridge

London

Liverpool

Brighton

Leeds
Plymouth

Canterbury
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 64
 Overall, students don’t feel as though unis provide adequate teaching online for the cost of
their degree – however, Scottish unis perform better than average

Q34 Value of online education 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

On a scale of 0-10,
how would you score 17% 1% 2% 13% 10% 12% 9% 8% 5% 2% 3%
the value of online
education for the
amount of money you
are paying for your Value of online education
degree qualification? Selected 8, 9 or 10 on the scale above

28%

28%

23%
0 being poor value and 10 being

21%
high value

14%

14%

12%

12%

12%

12%

11%
10%

10%

9%

9%

8%

8%

7%

7%

7%

7%

7%

6%

6%

5%

4%

3%

3%

2%

1%
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth
Poole
Oxford
Glasgow

Cardiff

Leicester

Swansea

Newcastle
Exeter
Aberdeen

Sheffield

Bristol

Coventry

Manchester
Edinburgh

Belfast

Durham
Southampton

Norwich
UK Student

Cambridge

Nottingham

London

Leeds

Liverpool

Brighton
Canterbury

Plymouth
Average

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 65
 Only a third of students who live away from home were offered a rent break during the crisis,
with Cambridge being over twice as likely than the average to do so

Q35 % received ‘rent break’ or rent reduction

Were you offered a
'rent break' or a
reduction in rent by

83%
your landlord/
accommodation

70%
company/university
accommodation
service as a result of

45%

44%

42%
the crisis?

40%

40%

39%

39%

38%

38%

38%
37%

37%

36%

35%

35%

35%

34%

33%

30%

28%

27%

22%
Glasgow
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Cardiff

Leicester
Sheffield

Exeter

Bristol
Manchester

Coventry
Edinburgh

Southampton
Cambridge

Liverpool

Brighton
London

Leeds

Nottingham
Canterbury
Birmingham

York

Portsmouth

Poole
Oxford

Yes No

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 66
 Only 1 in 10 students signed up to the NHS volunteer programme, while over 20% of students
weren’t aware of the programme at all

Q36 NHS volunteer programme contribution

Did you sign up to the

7%
10%

13%
14%

15%
17%

17%
18%

18%
NHS volunteer

19%

19%
20%

20%

20%

20%
21%

21%
22%

22%
23%
23%

23%

23%

23%

23%
24%

25%
28%

32%

35%
programme, to help
with the effort to
combat Covid-19?

71%

84%
72%

74%
67%
60%

64%

70%

77%
74%
69%

72%
69%

75%
56%

66%

65%

67%

73%

72%
69%

68%

76%
73%
67%

70%

71%

73%
61%

58%
20%

18%

16%

16%

15%

14%

13%

13%

Edinburgh 11%

Sheffield 11%

Coventry 11%
UK Student Average 10%

Belfast 10%
Exeter 10%

Oxford 9%

Glasgow 9%

Leicester 9%

Norwich 9%

Nottingham 9%

Southampton 8%

Plymouth 7%
Cambridge 7%

Manchester 7%

Portsmouth 7%

Poole 7%

Swansea 7%

London6%

Brighton6%

York5%

4%
Newcastle

Cardiff

Aberdeen

Bristol
Durham

Leeds

Liverpool

Canterbury
Birmingham
Yes No Unaware

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 67
 1 in 4 students feel as thought the pandemic has had a negative effect on their ability to
achieve their degree, with Plymouth and Sheffield being the most impacted

Q37 % negative
How do you think the
pandemic has
affected your ability to

39%
achieve your degree

35%

35%

33%
qualification?

32%

31%

27%

27%

27%

27%

27%
25%

25%

25%

25%
0=being extremely positively to

24%

24%

23%

23%

23%
5=extremely negatively

22%

20%

20%

19%

18%

17%

16%

16%

15%

13%
Glasgow
Leicester
UK Student Average

Newcastle

Swansea

Cardiff
Sheffield

Exeter
Bristol

Aberdeen
Manchester

Coventry
Belfast

Durham

Edinburgh
Southampton
Brighton

Norwich
Liverpool

Leeds

Cambridge

London

Nottingham
Plymouth

Canterbury
Birmingham
Portsmouth

York
Poole

Oxford

Base: N =2806 respondents;

Aberdeen (50), Aberystwyth (21)**, Belfast (52), Birmingham (132), Brighton (80), Bristol (100), Cambridge (82), Canterbury (98), Cardiff (103), Coventry (109), Dundee (42)**, Durham (51),
Edinburgh (110), Exeter (61), Glasgow (90), Hull (49)**, Leeds (117), Leicester (105), Liverpool (101), London (135), Manchester (143), Newcastle (111), Norwich (65), Nottingham (129), Oxford (80),
Plymouth (54), Poole (75), Portsmouth (69), Reading (41)**, Sheffield (108), Southampton (75), St. Andrews (15)**, Stirling (23)**, Swansea (55), York (75). 68
 The impact of the crisis on personal finances has varied for each student, depending on how
much they were relying on different sources of income previously and how much stress it has
put on their future employment

Q40 Ability to save Furlough Little/no impact

(B) Please describe in Most impacted “I guess I save some money as not been eating “Been furloughed from summer job which I use “It has been the same as I am still working as a

as much detail as out as much and gym membership got frozen” to pay rent in term time” key worker”

possible how your “I’ve been saving money since I can’t spend it on
what I’d usually spend it on (entertainment, days
“Been furloughed on casual work, a lot less
earned that I would have. Work over summer
“I still pay all rent/bills as before and receive
student loan as before. I now work remotely

general finances have out, restaurants, pubs, etc.)” cancelled, will struggle next year as a result” part time and get paid the same”

been impacted during

the crisis. Lost job/internship
“I have lost a planned paid internship and I doubt
I will be able to find a summer job”
e.g. Have you lost a part-time
job/been furloughed? Have you “Lost all of my current jobs, my summer job and
my summer internship. Had to rely on an
been able to save money without emergency bursary to pay the rent and buy
opportunity to go out and spend? food.”
Moved home
“I am lucky to be living at home”
“I'm living at home so I don't have to pay rent”
“I’m fortunate that I’m back at home so I am
comfortable”

Reduced income Future employment Online shopping

“Have less money so budget much more”
Least impacted “I don’t have a very steady income. I’m able to
do some work remotely, but haven’t been able to
take up job opportunities I might have usually”
“It's hard as I am unable to find a job and right
now I have my summer break so general
finances have been impacted”
“No current job opportunities and unsure when
my unpaid placement will be completed in order
to allow me to work”
“Spend more money online now due to
boredom”
“I have been buying things online to make myself
feel better and more normal, with less money
than I would usually have. Difficult for mental
health”

Base: 2020 N = 2086 69

 The impact of the crisis on personal finances has varied for each student, depending on how
much they were relying on different sources of income previously and how much stress it has
put on their future employment

Q40
(B) Please describe in
as much detail as
possible how your
general finances have
been impacted during
the crisis.

e.g. Have you lost a part-time

job/been furloughed? Have you
been able to save money without
opportunity to go out and spend?

Base: 2020 N = 2086 70