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The Independent Student Newspaper of Royal Holloway, University of London
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I S S U E 1
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W W W . T H E F O U N D E R . C O . U K
Royal Holloway is second most expensive place to study in UK Image credit: university.which.co.uk
Royal Holloway plays host to Downton Abbey full story on page 3 BY FLORENTYNA DALLOZ
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ollowing the 2012 tuition fee hike there was an immediate decrease in the number of UCAS applications. The rate of applicants fell by 7.7% in the first year and, despite a slight increase of 2.5% in 2013, there has been a steady decline in university admissions since 2011.There is, it has emerged, a new financial drain on prospective students in the form of ever increasing costs of student rental accommodation. Studies currently show that those renting in the Egham area are paying the second highest rate of rent in the United Kingdom, a statistic set to become perhaps more bleak as the housing market slowly begins to recover. Recent assessment conducted by Accommodation
for Students (AFS) has revealed hat there has been a drastic increase in the rental rates in university towns over the last few years. Based on 125,000 properties in 92 different locations nationwide, an AFS survey revealed that the rent per bedroom in a university town has risen by 3.1% on average since 2012. The new national average for student’s rent is £79.42 per week as opposed to £77.04 in 2012. Whilst such a small change seems insignificant, the figures forecasted over the year suggest students are set to pay £123.76 more than those who had the same accommodation the previous year. The average rate of rent for a bedroom in Egham stands at £115 per week while homes often lack the facilities that
might justify such high costs. Unsurprisingly London generally was named as the most expensive rental location. In the capital students are forced to pay almost twice the national average at £129 per bedroom per week. The AFS study also highlighted a clear north-south divide concerning rental costs. In northern towns such as Stockton and Wolverhampton students are charged on average £49 and £52 per week. In southern towns such as Luton, however, the cost of student rent has increased of 20% in a year. Chatham, home of the University of Kent, has also seen a significant increase of 19%. Studies suggest that it would cost a student 6% less than the national average to rent in a northern city. Rates re less likely to rise in the north
and inclusive packages are often more widely available to cover bill payments. In the south however the inclusion of bills is less often an option. Studies found that if bill payment was offered in the rent agreement it cost on average £8.08 more per week for rent, compared to £5.51 in the north. Significantly, increasing rates may cause prospective students to re-asses their decision to continue into higher education. A steadily inclining rate of 3.1% for the cost of student rental accommodation in the south may well contribute to falling rates of applicants in coming years. Simon Thompson, the director of the AFS, commented on the situation following the publication of their findings: “The student accommodation market remains robust and we
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are still seeing large-scale devel opments in student accommodation up and down the country”. “Demand for places at well-renowned academies and institutions is clearly having an impact on student rents, but with reports that some universities are offering incentives as a way to fill spaces and entice the brightest students, it will be interesting to see what effect this has on future accommodation demand and subsequently rents, in such locations.” Although Student Finance England does indeed offer a higher maintenance loan to those studying in London, including students at Royal Holloway, it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to lure potential students to our University in the future.
HL