Warwick ranked 15th in the country for student accommodation

Warwick University has been ranked 15th in the UK for accommodation, according to a recent survey from THE World University Rankings. The survey, which compared over 15,000 opinions, asked to what extent students believed their institution offered “good accommodation.”

Harper Adams University was ranked first at 85.3, closely followed by the Lancaster and Loughborough. Oxford, Cambridge and Sheffield also made the top ten. Meanwhile, London universities broadly performed worst, with UCL, SOAS and London Metropolitan University ranking at the end of the list.

Warwick University, which graded 79.0, offers over 6,400 on-campus rooms divided into block with priority given to first-year students. It also manages 400 off-campus properties in the local area.

The accommodation blocks vary considerably in cost. For those with limited funds or looking to save money for the following year, Cryfield (at £77 a week for the 2016/17 academic year) is the cheapest on campus.

However, blocks closer to the campus centre such as Arthur Vick cost around £156 a week, over double. The most expensive accommodation blocks, such as Bluebell, provide en-suite facilities, unlike Rootes or Cryfield.

Final-year French student Anna Breskal has pointed to a number of reasons for living on campus. She chose Tocil because it is “sociable, with 12 people to a flat, and it is cheap.” She added that living in halls feels like being in a family.

Anna also noted the number of facitlies on central campus: “There is a surprising number of things you can do.” The West Midlands campus includes bars, restaurants and a grocery store.

Sophie Crossman, a French and German finalist, said that on-campus accommodation allows her to stay longer in library as she can study late without worrying about bus timetables and just have to walk across campus.

Accommodation is an important part of starting life away from home, especially for first-years, as living near shops and course buildings helps with social integration.