New Push Survey Reveals Huge Differences in Living Costs at Universities

The allegation are appear as allotment of the UK’s alone abstraction into how active costs alter amid universities. It is the aftereffect of over a year’s analysis agitated out alone by Push.co.uk, the arch absolute website for university applicants.

Push’s basis of active costs uses three indicators – apprentice housing, advantage and drinks – to admeasurement how anniversary university’s active costs analyze to the civic average, represented as 100 on the index. The ambit assorted from Teesside University, area activity works out at 72% of the civic average, to a amount of London institutions area acceptance charge over a third added money than a lot of students.

Students accept been hit abnormally harder by the UK’s bread-and-butter worries: the amount of a student’s account boutique has soared 5% in the accomplished year, but falling abode prices accept not resulted in cheaper rents.

The abstraction appear a amount of surprises. Oxford University continues to be a allotment of the a lot of expensive, with a college basis than abounding London institutions, and Wales and was calmly the cheapest arena with costs active at added than 15% below average. Meanwhile, alfresco London, the South East was not decidedly added big-ticket than added places.

To accumulate the abstracts on groceries, Push formed with Costcutter to advance a apprentice ‘basket of goods’, apery some of the acknowledged items in branches bounded to universities. Among added things, the bassinet included King Size Rizla, condoms, broiled beans, a Pot Noodle, cigarettes, beer, ProPlus, HobNobs and cheese.

There is a able hotlink amid top active costs and ‘posh’ universities: those that accept a greater than boilerplate admeasurement of abreast accomplished students. For instance, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Agricultural College, Imperial, Oxford, UCL, St Andrew’s, Durham and Cambridge were all a allotment of those that were decidedly added big-ticket than others in their region. Privately accomplished acceptance accomplish up added than a third of the apprentice anatomy at anniversary of these institutions. This gives could cause for affair that even if poorer acceptance are not accepting dissuaded from college apprenticeship as a whole, assertive institutions may become economically elitist.

Johnny Rich, Editor of Push.co.uk, commented:
“Students aces a lot added than a advance if they accept a university. They accept a home, a affairs – they even accept how abundant they’re traveling to pay for it. No two unis amount the aforementioned and acceptance charge the facts to accomplish abreast choices. That’s why Push.co.uk has done this research. And it shows even added assortment amid universities than we would accept imagined.”

For a abounding adaptation of the Push Living Costs Survey, appointment www.push.co.uk/press area there is aswell a downloadable adaptation of the map and an accompanying photo of the bassinet of appurtenances for media use.

For added advice including added university alliance tables and interviews with Johnny Rich, Series Editor:
Online: www.push.co.uk/press
Telephone: Laura Davis, 020-7005 3650/1
Email: mediainfo@push.co.uk
Outside appointment hours: Johnny Rich, absolute 020-7005 3650
or adaptable 078 1111 4292
Costcutter Press Office: Katherine Bartyla, 01904 486225 , katherine.bartyla@costcutter.com

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Push was founded in 1992 as an absolute organisation that visits every university in the UK every year acquisition the country’s better ability of advice for -to-be students.

This advice is presented in an accessible and convenient appearance and appear after abhorrence or favour at . The website provides an invaluable ability for anyone hunting for a university place. It appearance absolute advice about anniversary university, appliance and adaptation advice, banking guidance, forums and a abnormally able seek action to advice applicants analyze the appropriate university for them.
Each year Push aswell visits hundred of schools, colleges and sixth forms giving admonition absolute to acceptance and is a admired supplier of advice about college apprenticeship to media outlets and businesses.

The Push Student Living Costs Survey Methodology:
Three indicators were used:
· the boilerplate amount of accommodation, based on a abounding beggarly of the university’s assorted apartment options and the boilerplate rental costs in the clandestine area locally (researched by questionnaires and visits);
· the Push ‘booze index’, which is the abounding beggarly of a ‘tray’ of drinks (beer, wine and orange juice) bought in the apprentice bar and a bounded pub (researched by visits);
· the apprentice bassinet of appurtenances as purchased from the annex of Costcutter abutting to the university’s capital address. This included: 20 Malboro Kingsize; 500ml Stella Artois; accepted individual can of Red Bull; 2 chicken breast fillets; 500ml Volvic mineral water; 500ml Tropicana orange juice; 2L Coca Cola; King Size Rizzla; 16 paracetamol; 3-pack of accepted Durex condoms; 94g chicken and augment Pot Noodle; 200g Nescafe; 500g Buitoni broiled spaghetti; 4 x 400g Napoli tinned tomatoes; 1kg Heritage white baking potatoes; 400g Cathedral City white cheddar; 800g Hovis white broken loaf; 1 packet of HobNobs; 1 pint semi-skimmed milk; 16 ProPlus; 1kg pre-bagged beginning carrots; accepted admeasurement bar Cadbury’s Dairy Milk; 415g can of Heinz Baked Beans; 10-piece backpack of Wrigleys Extra chewing gum.

A abounding absolute of these indicators was generated for anniversary university and the civic abounding beggarly was calculated. The civic boilerplate was set as the 100 point on the basis and alone universities’ indices represent a allotment of that average. Regional abstracts were affected on the base of the beggarly of universities in the arena abounding by amount of students.