The Accommodation Costs Survey
The Accommodation Costs Survey
Understanding the Cost of Student Living
The Accommodation Costs Survey is the UK's longest-running study of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), providing an authoritative picture of student housing costs, affordability and accommodation trends. First undertaken in 1967, the survey has tracked changes in the student accommodation market for almost six decades, creating a unique evidence base that helps us understand how housing costs affect students' lives and educational opportunities.
Undertaken by Unipol in partnership with leading sector organisations and accommodation providers, the survey examines not only rent levels, but also wider issues including affordability, accommodation supply, housing choice, student wellbeing and the changing nature of student living.
Why This Research Matters
Where and how students live has a profound impact on their educational experience. Accommodation is often a student's largest living expense and can influence where they choose to study, how much they need to work alongside their studies and, ultimately, their academic success and wellbeing.
As student housing continue to evolve, the Accommodation Costs Survey provides independent evidence to help:
- Students and families understand accommodation costs and trends
- Universities assess affordability and housing provision
- Accommodation providers benchmark their offer against the wider market
- Policymakers understand the relationship between housing costs and access to higher education
- Sector bodies develop informed policy responses to emerging challenges
By bringing together data from universities and private accommodation providers across the UK, the survey provides one of the most comprehensive pictures available of the student accommodation landscape.
What We Explore
The Accommodation Costs Survey investigates a broad range of issues affecting students and accommodation providers, including:
- Accommodation costs and rent trends
- Student affordability and financial pressures
- Regional and city-level variations in housing costs
- Supply and demand within student housing markets
- Changes in accommodation types and student preferences
- The balance between university-owned and privately operated accommodation
- Contract lengths, tenancy arrangements and accommodation management
- The relationship between housing costs, student choice and participation in higher education
Supporting Better Decision-Making
The Accommodation Costs Survey is more than a record of rent levels. It is a tool for understanding how housing markets shape the student experience and for identifying the actions needed to ensure that higher education remains accessible to students from all backgrounds.
By publishing independent evidence and long-term trend data, Unipol seeks to support informed decision-making, encourage best practice and contribute to a student accommodation sector that is affordable, sustainable and capable of meeting the needs of future generations.
Explore the Survey Series
Browse our previous Accommodation Costs Surveys, research reports and sector briefings to discover how student accommodation costs have changed over time and what the latest evidence tells us about the future of student housing.
Priced Out? The Accommodation Costs Survey 2024: London Edition
Date of publication: December 2024
The Ten Cities Rent Report 2023 (in partnership with the Higher Education Policy Institute)
The Accommodation Costs Survey 2021 (in partnership with the National Union of Students)
Date of publication: December 2021
Accommodation Costs Survey 2018 (In partnership with the National Union of Students)
Date Published: December 2018
Accommodation Costs Survey 2014 - 2016 (In partnership with the National Union of Students)
Date Published: December 2015
Assessment of Housing Market Conditions and Demand Trends in Inner North West Leeds
Date Published: August 2012
NUS / Unipol Accommodation Costs Survey 2012 - 2013
Date Published: November 2012
For enquiries about the Accommodation Costs Survey please contact Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed v.tolmie-loverseed@unipol.org.uk