It is no secret that being a student is expensive, and accommodation prices are what tend to be the most expensive part about living away from home, but is that the case everywhere?
I have taken a look at two different Universities to compare not just the prices of their contracts, but also the various amenities they offer and how many different options there are in terms of choice for undergraduate accommodation.
Specifically, I looked at undergraduate accommodation and narrowed it down to University owned halls rather than partner accommodation as it serves as a better example of kinds of prices the universities themselves have to offer.
At Oxford Brookes University, there are ten different accommodations for undergraduates, two of which include a fifty week contract while the rest are a thirty eight week contract, all halls are self catered. The cheapest option for a student coming in would be staying in Crescent Hall.
This accommodation is £139.02 per week and £5,262.90 for the entire duration of their stay. This is a good option, it does not however include things like an en suite bedroom, which the majority of contracts include.
The popular options amongst students are the Clive Booth Student Village and the Cheney Student Village. Both student villages are very close to campus and include laundry services and include mostly en suites. The only potential downside for any students who are wishing to stay at Cheney is being locked into a fifty week contract, Clive Booth serves as a good alternative with contracts ending in June.
The average for all the contracts at Oxford Brookes owned undergraduate accommodation totals £8,107.67 which is a large amount considering that many students, depending on household income, will not receive that much in terms of loans.
It is important to take in contract lengths as well as how much they cost per week which averages to £198.78 across the board.
Not everything is about the contract however, there are many other costs to consider whilst staying away from home at university. Luckily, bills are included at these accommodations, but food and groceries are not, and the weekly shop can be very expensive, not to mention the money dedicated to going out.
When stacked against the University of Birmingham, what are the main differences?
The University of Birmingham (UoB) over double the amount of fully owned undergraduate accommodations that Oxford Brookes does at twenty three and has three student villages, the main one being The Vale Village.
The contracts are all at forty two, with the exception of Aitken at forty. The cheapest option for students is Maple Bank which sits at £4,482 for the entire contract and sits at £107 per week. It does not include an en suite, but when compared with Oxford Brookes’ Crescent Hall, it works out over £1000 cheaper overall £32.02 cheaper per week.
On the face of it, it is easy to assume that UoB is cheaper on the face of it; however when the average costs are compared this is not the case.
When comparing both the average cost of the overall contract and the weekly costs, Oxford Brookes works out cheaper across the board. The UoB contract average equates to £8,327 and the weekly to £211.26. There is a £1000 difference in the average overall cost, which is quite significant, but only a £12.48 difference in the average weekly costs.
UoB is more expensive on average, but there are some important amenities to take into account.
UoB offer a food wallet service in which students who sign up to it will have their account loaded with £72 per week to spend on food and groceries. Eight of their twenty three contracts offer this service which is added on as an extra cost on the contract.
A lot of their contracts also offer larger rooms for an extra price, for example Shackleton starts at £255 per week for a smaller room and is £6 extra per week for a larger room.
The question remains, is it better to have a cheaper accommodation with less perks or pay a bit more for more amenities? The answer ultimately lies in personal preference. UoB certainly has more variety in accommodation and freedom for students from all walks of life to pick the one suitable for them.