Cheapest Cities with High Tariff Universities

Are good universities more expensive?

When you look at the rankings of top universities in the UK, it can be easy to perceive them as expensive universities. Although high tariff universities require top grades in the application process, the cost of tuition fees remains the same as any other higher education institution in the UK. 

However, the best value good university, can be calculated through the average rent prices of student accommodation and living costs, which both make up a large part of student spending.

Where are the cheapest places to study at top university?

To help you decide which of the high tariff universities is best for you, we have used StudentCrowd’s live accommodation data* to rank the top 10 cheapest cities. This is the best data on student accommodation in the country. 

You can use our league table to support your university application process. Although the weekly rent costs may only vary by a few pounds, over the years at university, it adds up!

Scroll down to find out the top 10 cheapest cities with high tariff universities. Use our league table to compare the cost of rent and read student reviews of UK university life.

Last updated - 3rd March 2023

*StudentCrowd’s data is the most comprehensive data on the cost of student accommodation in the UK. Find out more on how we collect and manage our accommodation data here.

The table below is based on the cost of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and university-owned halls. We used the monthly average of all student accommodation in each location from September 2021 - August 2022. Note, it does not cover HMO (house in multiple occupation) rents, however, PBSA and university-owned accommodation are an accurate reflection of local HMO rents. StudentCrowd collects rent and occupancy data on a weekly basis for all PBSA accommodation and on a fortnightly basis for all university-owned accommodation in the UK.