With the cost of student accommodation increasing, are students being discouraged from coming to university and in turn missing out on the experiences that come with living in student residences?
As prices for almost everything in the UK increase, the rise for university-supplied student accommodation is no exception. According to the NUS (National Union for students) the cost of student living has risen by 22% in the last three years.
With students in London paying up to £150 a week for their room in halls, is living the student experience worth the price. The university tuition are fees set to increase in the near future, can young people afford to both live in halls and pay their tuition? More and more students are choosing to commute in order to save money on accommodation. Luke Sisley, 20 a psychology student a Coventry University chose this option when it came to his second year: “I chose to commute into Coventry from my home in Milton Keynes as I was paying huge amounts for my standard university room, I was paying around £3,800 a year for a non en-suite bedroom. By staying at home and working when I don’t have to be at university is saving me loads on food and rent.”
“The standard of the halls of residence was nowhere near worth the money which I paid for it. The cleaners were poor, the staff were unhelpful and the common room was untidy and just consisted of a sofa and a TV. It is bad when they advertise halls in the prospectus as something totally different; they portray the halls as a clean, well equipped place to live when in theory it is something totally different.”
Prices seem to vary depending on the area of the UK. Students in Liverpool pay as little as £55 a week, and it seems the further south you go the more you have to pay. Ian Dodkins, has been the Residence Manager at Solent University for almost ten years, he says: “If you compare the package that is 'residences' with what is on offer in the private sector you will find that they offer real value. Look at - Safety, cost, service delivery, contract length.” With students in Southampton paying around £105 a week for a room in halls, is it truly value for money? “Students choose the kind of accommodation they would like, so they pay more for en-suites than they would in halls with shared bathroom facilities, therefore they get what they pay for and I believe it is fair deal.”
With this ‘real value’ package what is it exactly that students get? A room, internet connection, one common room and a laundry room between three blocks. Surely the university should understand that we are in fact students, living on our student loans and this means we struggle to get by on what is left after our accommodation fees come out.
Hyperlinks:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8584415.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/aug/19/student-accommodation-fresher-university
http://www.guardian.co.uk/buisness/2010/aug/16/student-accomodation-private-equity
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