'Accommodation costs are pushing students out'

Students at a Russell Group university have claimed applicants from less affluent backgrounds may be "pushed out" of studying there because of high accommodation costs.

The University of York Students' Union said some of its members were now paying their landlords double the rent that was being advertised for rooms back in 2019.

Union officer Lewis Parrey said the university, accommodation providers and the city council needed to take action on cost, quality and availability.

He said: "York could become a place where only students who can afford it will be able to study. All the work that has happened to try to equal out the playing field for university education, I fear we could be losing that."

The city - which also has a second university, York St John - offers a mix of accommodation.

The University of York owns and operates a number of student halls, most of which are located on its Heslington West and East campuses. The majority of first-year undergraduates live in these blocks.

Other students and postgraduates rent in the private sector, with rooms available in houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) owned by individual landlords and in purpose-built student flats developments run by management companies.

The university said that it offered a range of accommodation types to suit different budgets, but that most applications received were for en-suite rooms at the higher end of the price range.

A spokesperson said: "For all on-campus room applications for September 2025, 5% applied for our lowest priced rooms and 83% of applications wanted en-suite facilities, which are in our higher priced rooms."

They said they would remain committed to providing a selection of rents on campus designed to meet budgets and preferences.

"We'll also continue to support students with any housing issues and work with city partners to lobby for planning that takes their needs into account," they added.

Some students said they were priced out of living close to their place of study and were having to commute from their family homes.

James Gannon travels to York from Rotherham to study for his Masters degree in public policy.

After three years as an undergraduate in the city, he said he couldn't afford to stay for a fourth because of high rents.

He said: "Now I drive in every week and about two nights I stay with a mate and then I drive home.

"I stay because making various trips would cost me about £80 in fuel money compared to the one, which costs me £20."

The union said the maintenance loans available to cover students' living costs had not kept pace with rising rents in York.

The average rate across both the university-owned and private sectors is now about £200 a week, compared to just over £100 a week in 2019.

A spokesperson said: "Rent is the biggest contributor to the cost of living crisis for students in York, making up 60-80% of monthly spending.

"The cost of renting in York means our students are significantly worse off than their peers in other cities. York is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive cities for students to live in."

Mathyn Galanti is an international student from the United States who is studying for an education degree.

He pays more than £250 a week for an en-suite studio room in privately run accommodation close to the city centre - a 40% increase on his rent from the previous year.

He said there were no cheaper options available.

"There's a lot of pressure going back and forth between looking early and thankfully this year I started off looking really early," he said.

"I've already booked my accommodation for next year but those places I already looked at are starting to book up fast and are now of limited quantity."

Susie Syme lives in a private student let a short walk from the University of York campus. She is in the final year of an environmental science degree.

She shares a house with two other students that costs them around £200 a week each, but says she has friends at other universities who pay a lot less.

Her student loan doesn't cover the full cost of the accommodation so her parents pay the difference.

"Friends studying in Sheffield and Leeds are probably paying about £120, £130," she said.

"But for the same quality of housing, but that jump, that £80, £70 difference, it's noticeable and it can get quite worrying."

According to recent data from the website Student Crowd, Bradford has the lowest average student rents in the country at around £100 a week.

Leeds has the highest rents of Yorkshire university cities at an average of £261, while York's average rent is £206.

Councillor Michael Pavlovic is the executive member for housing and planning for City of York Council.

The council estimated in 2021 that there were around 3,000 HMOs in the city and now operates a licensing scheme for their landlords. This figure excludes university-owned halls.

He said he has had an influx of messages and the council has already met student representatives and will continue to work with them.

"York is one of the most unaffordable cities in the north of England sadly and its popularity as a city is one of the reasons why rents are incredibly high.

"We know that students with their very limited incomes are hit disproportionately. Those really expensive studio flats aren't what we need in York.

"What we need for students is more affordable cluster accommodation and we're really having some success with that and we can do that through the planning process."

The York Residential Landlords Association (YRLA), which represents the owners of private HMOs, said that its members mainly provide off-campus accommodation which was not purpose-built.

YRLA added that the purpose-built student developments tended to attract tenants with higher budgets, many from overseas, and who wanted a more "hospitality-based experience" rather than communal living with friends.

The association said that the private rented sector had been impacted by tax rises, inflation, interest and payroll costs.

Increased energy costs are also factored into rents, which tend to include bills.

The YRLA pointed out that high rents were reflective of generally high costs of housing throughout York.

A spokesperson added: "Overall, landlord numbers are falling, and the reduced housing supply has also been further impacted by compliance regulations and costs from the Renters' Rights Act (RRA).

"For example, one- and two-bed student properties will be outside of the scope of Ground 4A which allows tenancies to be concluded at the end of the academic year. Two-bed properties are very popular where students are looking for a quieter study experience with one friend, so this is a huge concern as they make up 20% of our student properties."

The association is leading on setting up a stakeholder group for student housing in York, which would include representatives from the universities and council.

Update 7 January 2026: This article has been updated with comments received after publication from York Residential Landlords Association (YRLA) who represent the owners of private HMOs to give more detail about what they believe are the factors influencing higher rents. It has also been updated to give details of a stakeholder group they are involved with setting up and to include comments from their spokesperson about the type of properties and tenancies available.

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