University students spend £667 million a year on travel to lectures
University students are spending £485 per year travelling to and from university, equivalent to a collective £667 million, reveals new research from the 1l2l3 Student Current Account.
According to the figures, only a fifth (20 per cent) of students live on their university campus and the remainder travel an average of 18.2 miles (9.1 miles each way) to attend lectures or tutorials.
The study of university students found that in addition to the time-consuming and costly travel to lectures, the average student also faces a travel bill of around £72 to visit their family home. On average, students attend universities that are 128.9 miles (258 mile round trip) from their family home, which is perhaps why 39 per cent say they only travel home once a term or less. Thirteen per cent say they do not travel back at all unless it’s a special occasion like Christmas or a birthday.
More than a fifth (22 per cent) of current university students still live in their family home, with two thirds (66 per cent) admitting cost savings are the main reason why they haven’t moved out. This compares to just a third (34 per cent) who say they decided not to move away because there was a good university close enough to where they live.
Steve Pateman, Head of UK Banking commented: “Being a student can be very costly, particularly if you have significant travel costs to cover. As the cost of travel continues to rise, students will need to ensure they make the most of their money and take advantage of cost savings wherever possible. Our new 1l2l3 Student Current Account allows students to earn up to 3% interest on balances and offers savings of over £7003 on train fares with the free 4-year 16-25 Railcard, which could go a long way towards bringing travel costs down.”
Students studying in and around Edinburgh are the furthest away from their family homes, travelling on average 174.5 miles each way to visit their home city. In contrast, students who attend universities in and around Birmingham have stayed closer to home, facing an average journey of 105.9 miles each way.
Table one: Distance from family home by university city
Closest city to university - Distance from family home (miles)
Edinburgh 174.5
Plymouth 168.6
Glasgow 145.9
Cardiff 145.2
Bristol 143.2
Cambridge 143.0
Manchester 135.6
Leeds 125.3
London 122.3
Liverpool 114.1
Oxford 112.5
Nottingham 110.4
Sheffield 108.0
Birmingham 105.9
Average 128.9
The 1|2|3 Student Current Account offers an interest-free, fee-free Arranged Overdraft up to a maximum of £1,500 in the first three years of study, £1,800 in year four and up to £2,000 in year five. The Santander 16-25 Railcard, in-credit interest and interest-free Arranged Overdraft show the long term value Santander is offering, which is why more students opened their accounts with Santander than any other bank in 2013.
“Watch our latest spoof advert which supports the new 1|2|3 Student Current Account and features Jenson Button, and visit the Santander Students facebook page for the chance to win three interailing tickets for you and two friends with £1,000 spending money each. Plus there is a daily prize draw of £123 daily prize draw for everyone who enters. Visit shout.lt/zTsn to enter.”