It pays well to study in Glasgow, while Durham leaves students short

Glasgow, a city of myriad bars, restaurants and clubs, is a students'

paradise when it comes to offering well-paid, term-time work, according to a survey.

But Durham is a desert by comparison, with relatively few part-time job opportunities for students, the Royal Bank of Scotland' Student Living Index 2004 has found.

The bank, which ranked 21 university towns and cities, concluded that Glasgow was the most cost-effective city in which to study. Undergraduates spent Pounds 181 a week on average, but they earned £102.

Dan Guy, vice-president for welfare and equal opportunities at Glasgow University, said: "Yes, Glasgow is a big city with lots of job opportunities, but the issue is that students are still having to work long hours to stay solvent."

In Durham, students spent £171 on average, but earned just £56.

This means that they were £36 a week or £1,107 per academic year worse off, on average, than students living in Glasgow.

Georgia Rooney, education and welfare officer at Durham University student union, said: "The finding does not surprise me. Durham is a very small city. But Newcastle is only 15 minutes away on the train and I know some students do work there."

Overall, the survey found that students earned more than £1.5 billion from part-time work, while total student spending topped £8 billion.

Just under a third of this income went on rent.

But, in a finding destined to generate headlines, the survey also revealed that the next single biggest item on the student bill was alcohol, with undergraduates spending a total of £940 million.

A spokeswoman for the National Union of Students said: "When you break it down, it does equate only to a measly £8.49 a week for each student."

Details: www.rbs.co.uk