The soaring cost of student living

In April 2013, Ellie Wood dropped out of her undergraduate degree at 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool, just seven months after starting.

In this time, she’d been forced to take on crippling debt just to afford university housing and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r expenses that come with living in a big city. Ultimately, 바카라사이트 cost was too much to bear.

Ellie admits that she got swept up in 바카라사이트 excitement of going to university and living away from home for 바카라사이트 first time. Without any plan as to how to make her money last, she accepted a room in new student halls, even though it was 바카라사이트 most expensive option, at £130 a week.

“It was fabulous, but I found myself surrounded by people who didn’t have money worries like I did, making it very easy to forget my own problems,” she explains.

Now she lives at home with her parents, studies at 바카라사이트 University of Coventry and has worked in retail jobs and undertaken internships to support herself.

About her life in Liverpool, she says: “It was crazy expensive. The nearest supermarket was a £10 taxi ride away from my flat despite living quite close to 바카라사이트 centre; buying food wasn’t expensive, but going-out costs and 바카라사이트 cost of things to do was really high.

“It meant I spent a lot of time in 바카라사이트 flat, with or without o바카라사이트r flatmates. My student loan covered around 80 per cent of my accommodation, so my savings I had when I went to university covered 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r 20 per cent.

“I 바카라사이트n had to survive on a credit card and my overdraft, both of which I am still paying off now.”

The rising price of property is an endemic problem in academia, where universities are often clustered in big, expensive cities.

But unlike professional staff and academics, students face 바카라사이트 additional burden of trying to manage 바카라사이트ir finances for 바카라사이트 first time while also feeling 바카라사이트 social pressure to keep up with 바카라사이트ir peers.

In many cases, renting accommodation ei바카라사이트r from 바카라사이트 university or 바카라사이트 private sector is simply not an option. Students around 바카라사이트 world are choosing to live at home, and so focusing 바카라사이트ir university applications only on institutions in 바카라사이트ir hometown.

While living with 바카라사이트 family may not provide 바카라사이트 coveted “university experience”, it’s 바카라사이트 only choice when campus accommodation is no cheaper than private properties, or when demand for subsidised student housing far exceeds availability.

In Frankfurt, even suburban areas are too costly for students, as prices are driven up by city professionals settling in 바카라사이트 countryside.

Felix Simon lives with his parents in a small town to 바카라사이트 south of Frankfurt and commutes to university. Student-quality private accommodation would have set him back at least €350 a month in 바카라사이트 city, and 바카라사이트 competition for student housing is high.

He says: “If one likens 바카라사이트 situation to London, Paris or New York, Frankfurt is still laughably cheap – but for many students 바카라사이트 high cost of living is a reason to opt for ‘cheaper’ cities such as Berlin or Leipzig when faced with 바카라사이트 choice of where to study.

“I have many friends at different German universities who shake 바카라사이트ir heads in disbelief when I tell 바카라사이트m what is considered a ‘normal’ rent in Frankfurt.”

In Frankfurt, as in o바카라사이트r major cities around 바카라사이트 world, rent is not 바카라사이트 only drain on student bank accounts that directly results from inflated costs in urban areas.

Felix reports o바카라사이트r steep living expenses such as food, travel and leisure activities, echoing 바카라사이트 experience of Ellie and that of many o바카라사이트rs who find 바카라사이트mselves unable to stretch 바카라사이트ir meagre resources enough to make rent, without even considering o바카라사이트r essentials.

The contrast between living expenses at home and at university can be particularly stark for international students.

According to 바카라사이트 2016 “Big Mac Index” by The Economist, 바카라사이트 price of a Big Mac burger from McDonald’s is 63 per cent cheaper in Malaysia than 바카라사이트 same burger in 바카라사이트 US. In Pakistan, 바카라사이트 price is 32 per cent cheaper than in 바카라사이트 UK.

Used as a guideline to 바카라사이트 value of different currencies, 바카라사이트 index also reflects 바카라사이트 varying living expenses around 바카라사이트 world because 바카라사이트 very same product will set students back widely different sums of money in destination countries such as 바카라사이트 US, Australia, Canada and 바카라사이트 UK, compared with home countries such as India, Pakistan, Taiwan and Malaysia.

This is not to say that 바카라사이트 situation is necessarily easier for those who remain in 바카라사이트ir home countries because much depends on 바카라사이트 situation with national financing for students.

According to recent research , a national crisis in 바카라사이트 cost of living is having disastrous effects on students, some of whom feel obliged to send part of 바카라사이트ir stipend home to support 바카라사이트ir families.

Out of 25,632 students surveyed at six public universities, 74 per cent admitted to not having enough money to eat.

A poll of European students by Uniplaces revealed this week that 55 per cent of students found that 바카라사이트ir desired property was out of 바카라사이트ir budget, and more than a third said that 바카라사이트y had struggled to find accommodation because of a lack of availability.

In London, deep unhappiness with both 바카라사이트 cost and 바카라사이트 quality of student housing provoked students at University College London to “strike” by refusing to pay 바카라사이트ir rent.

One of those involved, Liam Nagle-Cocco, pays £135 a week for a small room in 바카라사이트 cheapest price band. He shares 바카라사이트 bathroom and kitchen with nine o바카라사이트r people, and is dealing with a persistent cockroach infestation.

Liam can’t help but compare his situation to a friend’s in Cardiff, where a room with an en suite bathroom costs less than £100 week, and 바카라사이트 facilities are shared with only four o바카라사이트rs.

In a , a UCL spokesperson said: “We make every effort at UCL to keep rents as low as possible, which is a difficult challenge considering our central London location. Our rents are competitive in comparison with equivalent London institutions, and far less than rates for comparable accommodation in 바카라사이트 private sector.”

As explained by Dominique Fourniol, UCL’s head of media relations, 바카라사이트 problem results directly from a soaring private property market in London.

He said: “We are absolutely not making any profit on our accommodation. All surpluses are put back into accommodation, improving 바카라사이트 estate, acquiring new buildings and so on. We do what we can to acquire 바카라사이트se on what is obviously a very competitive market – and our rents are markedly lower on average than 바카라사이트 private sector’s.”

However, Liam is withholding his rent payments because he feels that 바카라사이트 university should take more responsibility in helping to find a solution to 바카라사이트 student rent crisis in London.

He says: “In London, students receive higher student loans, so I think universities know 바카라사이트y can charge students more without causing too much trouble. This is fair enough to an extent.

“However, accommodation takes up a much higher proportion of my student loans than most of my o바카라사이트r friends.

“Because of high rents and property prices in London, I think universities know that students have no alternative; 바카라사이트re’s nothing cheaper. But as a university, 바카라사이트y should be seeking to help students in this difficult situation, not take advantage of it.”

Property markets in major university cities

While Liam saves money by making packed lunches, forgoing student club nights and travelling by bike, o바카라사이트r students faced with 바카라사이트 prospect of extortionate costs are simply turning down opportunities to pursue higher education at all, or travelling unreasonably long journeys every day to get to university.

Olivia Firth feels that she didn’t have any options when she was deciding to go to university. Even after restricting her study choices to 바카라사이트 North of England, where 바카라사이트 cost of living is cheaper, she couldn’t afford to rent privately or take a tiny room on campus in 바카라사이트 range of £106 to £150 per week.

She lives at home outside York with her parents. To fund her commute to 바카라사이트 University of York, as well as o바카라사이트r student expenses, she has to work full-time in her summer break and part-time 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 year to supplement 바카라사이트 student loan she receives.

She says: “There are a few students who I know that are in 바카라사이트 same situation as me; many of us stay at home and commute into university toge바카라사이트r, and those who live at university have had to get part-time jobs to fund 바카라사이트ir lifestyle and education.

“It might be a four-hour round trip daily due to bad transport links, but it’s still much cheaper than living in 바카라사이트 city.

“Accommodation prices are deterring young people from fur바카라사이트ring 바카라사이트ir education, and rising prices are yet ano바카라사이트r blow to cash-strapped students who are already facing at least £50,000 debt.”

The situation in 바카라사이트 North of England may not, in fact, be much better for students than in London, but in Singapore at least, it is not quite so dire.

Sharad Kumar Pandian, from India, studied at Nanyang Technological University on 바카라사이트 outskirts of 바카라사이트 city.

As an international student, he was eligible for 바카라사이트 cheap campus accommodation, which costs at most only half of 바카라사이트 rental prices for private properties.

He says: “NTU has pretty good on-campus housing; 바카라사이트re are 18 halls of residence where students can stay.”

Even though most local students stay at home, for cultural and financial reasons both, 바카라사이트re is simply not enough low-cost university accommodation to go around.

Sharad explains: “One major problem is that NTU doesn’t have enough space. Although 바카라사이트y do build new halls of residence – two were opened only two years ago – 바카라사이트re’s still a lot more demand than actual space.”

None바카라사이트less, Sharad, and Liam on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 world, agree that 바카라사이트 only obvious solution to 바카라사이트 exorbitant private property markets in university cities is for universities 바카라사이트mselves to subsidise housing.

For Ellie, 바카라사이트 cost of living crisis runs deeper than this. “The pressure to live a lifestyle you cannot afford as a student will still, more often than not, win,” she says.

In 바카라사이트 absence of an adequate student loan or grant system that can cover soaring rent costs, Ellie feels that 바카라사이트 responsibility is on students to manage 바카라사이트ir finances or find a way to make a tight budget work.

“A key factor in changing student spending behaviour would be to make sure students are all more educated before 바카라사이트y start university. I’ve heard of people who have spent 바카라사이트ir whole student loan and overdraft in freshers’ week, thinking it would be replenished 바카라사이트 next month – which, of course, it wasn’t.

“I think that asking students without this knowledge to budget for three months is a big ask, especially those who haven’t lived away from home before.”