University ranked fourth most affordable

Durham has been named the fourth most affordable city for university students.

The NatWest Student Living Index 2020 compared student expenses across major cities, with Durham making it into the top five.

Manchester was named the most affordable city this year due to its low accommodation costs and higher-thanaverage income levels.

The study found that Durham students receive the fourth highest term time income in the UK at an average of £1,175.

With an above average income, Durham also pay eight per cent less than the national average on rent, at £400 per month.

Bursary/scholarship contributions for Durham have increased more than 50 per cent since 2019, now receiving average contributions of £120.5 monthly, up from £49.3 last year.

Durham University also relies heavily on its reputation to attract students with 59% of its students selecting university reputation as their number one motivation for studying there.

Significantly higher than the national average of 22% with Durham being joined in the top three by Oxford (50%) and Exeter (49%).

The Index also looked at the impact the coronavirus pandemic had on university life with 18% of Durham’s students believing the crisis affected their degree qualifications.

Nationally, 10% of all students signed up to the NHS volunteer programme at the beginning of the pandemic, but 20% of students at Durham had done so.

And 37% of students at Durham rated their university’s overall communication during the crisis as excellent.