Student rents outpacing maintenance loans in key university cities
Students in many university towns are facing a worsening affordability crisis, as rental prices continue to outstrip maintenance loans.
StuRents data shows that student rents in cities like Canterbury and Southampton are set to rise by nearly 10% in September 2025, while the government’s planned 3.1% increase in maintenance loans is failing to keep pace.
Richard Ward, Head of Research at StuRents, warns that this is leaving many students unable to cover both rent and living costs.
“For the majority of students, their maintenance loan won’t cover both their rent and basic living costs. This crisis is particularly acute in relatively expensive cities such as Durham, Bristol, and Oxford where students are often paying rents well above the national average but don’t receive a larger loan like they do in London.”
StuRents data also highlights major rental price increases in key university cities:
- Canterbury: Up 9.7%
- Southampton: Up 8.8%
- Newcastle: Up 8.1%
- Portsmouth: Up 7.8%
Ward argues that the government’s loan uplift will “not fix anything”, as rental growth is expected to exceed 10% in some areas.
“If the expectation is rental growth is going to be above 3.1%, then [a maintenance loan uplift] doesn’t actually fix anything.”
With 620,000 student beds needed by 2026, supply shortages are only making affordability worse.
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Social Media Executive at StuRents
Will Davis is the Social Media Executive for StuRents and Concurrent.
