More UK students ‘cutting back on food’ to pay rent

Students who cannot rely on family for support are cutting down on food and taking out extra loans to afford accommodation costs, according to a new poll.

Thirty-four per cent of the 800 current and 800 prospective university-goers surveyed said they were finding paying rent “unaffordable”. Of these, 71 per cent said they were reducing their spending on meals and travel to cope.

The findings, commissioned by property management company PfP Students, suggest university increasingly risks becoming the preserve of the wealthy.

Released on 4 June, the research helps launch the second phase of PfP Students’ Room to Belong campaign.

So far, the campaign has focused on responding to a “growing crisis” of student loneliness in university halls and on campuses.

The latest research, however, focuses on the strain of accommodation costs, finding that in more than half of cases in England, Scotland and Wales, average maintenance loans do not cover students’ rent.

According to government figures, the average student maintenance loan in England for 2024-25 was about £7,410 per year (£617 per month); £8,330 in Scotland (£694 per month); and £8,150 in Wales (£679 per month).

But PfP Students’ findings show half of students spend more than £700 a month on accommodation.

The situation is creating a “growing divide”, researchers say, with 47 per cent of those polled relying on family support to cover accommodation and 43 per cent depending on part-time work.

Of those who reported finding accommodation unaffordable, 51 per cent said they had limited their social activities in response and 48 per cent said that they had borrowed money or taken on additional loans.

The issue is also proving off-putting to prospective students, with 52 per cent saying they have considered not attending university owing to accommodation costs. 

One Anglia Ruskin University student, Leo Magid, told researchers: “I’m working 34 hours a week alongside studying and that’s just to survive.

“The maintenance loan doesn’t even cover my accommodation – and I get the maximum loan. I’ve lost weight because I’ve missed meals trying to balance work and study.”

In response to the findings, PfP Students is urging “policymakers, institutions, and stakeholders” to align maintenance support with the real cost of housing.

Eamonn Tierney, managing director of the company, said the question for too many was “whether university is even a realistic option”.

“If we want a higher education system that genuinely works for everyone, we need maintenance support that reflects real living costs and recognises the very different circumstances students come from,” Tierney said.

“No student should feel they have to choose between paying rent and focusing on their studies – or decide that university simply isn’t for people like them.”

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com