Warwick labelled 6th most expensive UK university

Warwick is the 6th most expensive UK university for first year student living costs, according to a recent study of the 20 largest British institutions.

The research, which was conducted by HSBC, revealed that the average weekly expenditure for first-year students at Warwick was £255.23, including accommodation, weekly essentials and transport. This amounts to £7656.90 over the course of the 30 weeks of term time.

For Warwick’s first-year students, the largest expenditure is on campus accommodation, which on average costs £118 per week. The newest en-suite accommodation, Sherbourne and Bluebell cost approximately £136 and £160 a week respectively.

According to the research, Warwick’s first year students also spend an average of £105 per week on weekly essentials which include food, activities, going out and study materials.

HSBC’s findings place Warwick as the 6th most expensive, behind only UCL, Oxford, Sussex, Birmingham and Manchester.Peter Dunn, director of Press and Policy at Warwick, however, disputed this figure, he argued: “Considering the range of eating outlets on campus at a range of price points and the choice of a Costcutter and nearby Tesco for general food shopping, the figure relative to the other institutions simply does not make sense.”

Other universities in the midlands provide some of the best value weekly costs for students, including Nottingham and Leicester, which HSBC have ranked as the cheapest two institutions in the UK.

Meanwhile, second-year students enjoy a much cheaper experience, with the average weekly cost totalling £202.73, which places the university at 10th out of the 20 universities studied. This is a result of the affordable off-campus housing options available in both Leamington Spa and Coventry, which on average cost just £66 a week.

However, Warwick is the second cheapest university for beer. On average, Warwick students can enjoy five pints of beer on a night out for only £12.50, well below the average price of £15.32.

The new Students’ Union Welfare officer, Bebe Husakova, has so far denied comment on this issue.