Students billed more than £42,000 to study at York

By Jack Gevertz

University_of_York_ShieldA three-year course of study at the University will set students back more than £40,000, new research has revealed.

Electronic payment provider Ukash assessed nine key living expenses at the Guardian’s top 20 institutions to find that a degree at York will cost £14,264.63 a year – or £42,793 over three years.

The average annual rent bill, the study says, puts students more than £3,550 out of pocket.

And an average of three pints a week at the campus bars, according to the research, will set students back £351 a year.

But the cost of living at the University is still cheaper than Oxford and Cambridge, and more than £300 cheaper than arch rivals Lancaster.

According to the research, the average student at Oxford can be expected to find £16,846.85 a year, whilst those at Cambridge fork out £15,999.04 a year.

At Lancaster, students are billed £14,646.27 for a year of study, Ukash says.

The research also reveals that Scottish universities are the cheapest to attend, with three institutions – two in Edinburgh – topping the rankings.

The University of Kent is England’s highest-ranking university in fourth place, followed by the University of East Anglia in fifth.

The University of Birmingham is the sixth cheapest UK institution, with the University of Warwick in seventh.

York, the University of Leicester and Lancaster complete the top ten in eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.

London universities are the most expensive to attend, the research says, with Imperial College London, University College London and the London School of Economics costing students more than £53,000 over three years.

The research comes following the announcement by officials at the University that they will fund an additional £354,500 in payments to poorer students to help with living expenses in response to controversial cuts to the National Scholarship Programme announced by the government.

Cost of three-year’s at the UK’s top 20 institutions:

  1. 1. Edinburgh Heriot-Watt University – £28,761
  2. 2. University of Edinburgh – £31,210
  3. 3. University of St. Andrews – £33,603
  4. 4. University of Kent – £35,344
  5. 5. University of East Anglia – £41,604
  6. 6. University of Birmingham – £41,727
  7. 7. University of Warwick – £41,790
  8. 8. University of York – £42,793
  9. 9. University of Leicester – £43,139
  10. 10. University of Lancaster – £43,938
  11. 11. Loughborough – £43,965
  12. 12. Surrey – £44,264
  13. 13. Durham – £44,459
  14. 14. Bath – £45,199
  15. 15. Exeter – £45,291
  16. 16. Cambridge University – £47,997
  17. 17. Oxford University – £50,540
  18. 18. Imperial College London – £53,822
  19. 19. University College London –  £53,954
  20. 20. London School of Economics – £59,152