The cost of university accommodation has increased by 97 per cent over the last ten years, shows a recent cost survey from the national voice of students, the NUS.
The accommodation office at Bournemouth University says the prices of university housing are worked out according to inflation. The University works with different companies who provide student accommodation, and sets the rent on a competitive basis. Glenda Brown with the office said: “The goal for us is not to make money, but make sure we don’t lose money.” When it comes to the quality of the housing units, the accommodation office says that the higher the price the higher the quality.
“Student rents have skyrocketed, leaving fewer reasonably priced accommodation options for students from lower and middle income backgrounds who are really feeling the pinch.” – Pete Mercer, NUS Vice President
The university has nine different housing options for under and postgraduates. Out of these only two of them are directly with the university. A postgrad studio at the Student village will set you back £6700 for 50 weeks, while a room in a shared undergrad house will cost you £3805.60 for 40 weeks. The other option directly linked with the university is Unilet housing which will set you back £3299.35-4247.55 for 41 weeks.
Listen to what students at Bournemouth University think of student housing, quality and financing.
The other seven options for Bournemouth students are housing trough The student housing company, Unite plc or Spectrum Signpost.
The NUS survey showed that the weekly rent paid by students for university housing went from £59.17 in 2001/2002 to £117.67 in 2011/12. The price of private housing has also increased; overall the average rent across institutional, nominated, and private halls has increased by 25 per since 2009.
There is also an option for students to rent privately, this is most commonly done trough letting agencies who price in accordance with the landlords on a competitive basis. According to rentright.co.uk the average rental price for a 1-bedroom apartment in Bournemouth in October 2012 was £587. Halfway trough November the average is £584.
While the prices for student accommodation are increasing throughout the nation, the house prices in the UK are remaining stable or show a slight decrease. According to the Land Registry, the national house prices increase with 1.1 per cent in September 2012 compared to the same month last year.
It remains to be seen whether university housing prices reflects this trend or if they will continue to rise in what is a scary trend for future students.
