The average Warwick student spends less on student living

The average Warwick student spends less than the average UK university student on living expenses the Boar can reveal.

In a recent survey conducted by the Boar, students were asked to reveal their weekly spend on transport, groceries and social activities – which included nights out and club socials.

It was found that Warwick students spent 39 percent less per week (£47) than their UK counterparts.

The average Warwick student spends approximately £11.98 on transport, £33.62 on groceries and £29.90 on social activities.

This was compared to findings from the National Union of Students which suggested that the average UK student spends approximately £39.08 on transport, £50.15 on food and £33.58 on leisure.

It was found that Warwick students saved most on transport as they spent 69 percent less per week (£27) compared to other UK students.

A quarter of all Warwick students who took part in the survey stated that they spent £5 or less on transport each week.

Melissa Pearce, second-year Classics undergraduate who lived on campus last year, said: “I’d say the buses are fairly reasonable considering how far they go. And the train to Birmingham is really cheap if you want to go there for concerts or shopping.”

Melissa will be living in Leamington Spa for her second year and pointed out that the Stagecoach bus pass, which cost £282 altogether for three academic terms, was “good value”.

She added: “[The] only thing is, with Warwick second- or third -years, bus passes are a necessity that you have to be prepared to pay for…”

Michael Allen, who was a third-year Politics and International Studies undergraduate last year, said: “From my experience of moving to London, transport in Warwick is comparatively cheap.

“[In London], you would almost certainly spend more on transport than groceries a week…

“Another factor in the survey might have been that a fair amount of people tend to live on campus or within walking distance of campus, in Canley for example.”

However, Leondrea Tan, a second-year English Literature and Creative Writing undergraduate, said: “I don’t see [transport at Warwick] as that cheap though, especially because of the bus fares.

“Then again, I am speaking from an international student’s point of view. Local students might regard the transportation fares as cheap.”

Warwick students saved relatively less on social activities, spending only 11 percent less (£3.68) on social activities and leisure compared to nationwide statistics.

However, two-thirds of people asked were able to spend £30 or less on social activities each week, with only ten percent of students spending £60 or more.

Melissa said: “I’d say the actual night out is cheap with drinks and entry, but it’s the taxis from campus or back to campus that are expensive.”

However, she predicted nights out would be much cheaper living in Leamington Spa “unless you’re at Pop! or want to go to Kasbah. But for Pop!, it starts early enough to get the bus.”

Leondrea agreed: “If you stay out late, for those staying on campus, the taxi ride back is pretty costly. But if you stay in Leamington and just fancy going out to a local pub for a drink, that’s cheap.”

Michael disagreed somewhat: “For non-drinking activities, campus might sometimes be better. For example, the student cinema on campus is definitely cheaper than the one in Leamington.”

Students were also asked how many nights out and socials they went to each week and it was found that spending on social activities was not directly correlated to the frequency of students’ social activities.

The social activity of Warwick students varied.

40 percent of Warwick students answered that they had one or less social activities a week and another 40 percent answered that they had three or more.

On average, it was found that Warwick students took part in about two social activities a week.

When asked her opinion on the social life at Warwick, Leondra answered: “It’s subjective; there are people who go out, there are people who don’t. I myself don’t really go out.”

Michael also commented: “I think people at Warwick go out as much as at other universities… Term 3 is terrible for social life but I suppose that’s necessary.”