Elena Dirik is studying politics and sociology in Bristol, the UK’s most expensive city in which to study after London, and has so far stayed afloat thanks to care-leaver bursaries and working in two jobs. But with housing costs soaring, she is planning to move to south Wales next year.
Dirik, 21, wants to be able to focus on her studies for her final year instead of working, after already retaking her second year, but even living in nearby towns such as Newport will be a stretch, with prices increasing as more students move there.
“I feel like I get burned out, even having to think about all these things, it does take away a lot of quality time from studying or doing things that are good for you,” she says.
She worries that moving away would make life harder. “I’d feel really disconnected and discouraged to carry on because student life is such a massive part of university, being on campus and being able to access services.”
On campuses and in towns and cities across the UK, student rents are soaring, while the maintenance loan has barely increased. New research from Unipol suggests that university students in England are left with the equivalent of 50p a week to live on from their loans after paying for accommodation, with costs rising by 15% over the past two years – and more in some areas.
Dirik believes she would need the maintenance loan to be about £3,000 higher than the £10,000 she currently receives, which is the maximum amount students can get to cover housing costs and living expenses.
