Capturing students' views on their accommodation

Knight Frank, in partnership with UCAS, has released its first Student Accommodation Survey, capturing the views of over 70,000 young people, split across current students and new applicants.
Written By:
Oliver Knight, Knight Frank
2 minutes to read

The UK market for student accommodation is becoming increasingly competitive, driven by healthy levels of new supply and changing demographics.

A demographic quirk means that the number of people turning 18 fell this year, and will fall again next year, before starting to rise in 2020 and beyond. This presents a challenge for the student accommodation market over the short-term, with potentially changeable levels of demand.

To succeed, owner-operators need to have a clear view on what students need and want from their accommodation. Strong product design, customer care and wellbeing will become increasingly important as students demand housing choices that will support and enhance their overall experience.

By capturing the voices of over 70,000 young people, our survey undertaken in partnership with UCAS, provides a unique insight into the views and opinions of students regarding their accommodation choices, opinions and preferences whilst they are studying at university. 

Since the lifting of the student number cap in 2015, universities have prioritised investment in improving teaching, facilities and the wider student experience. The findings of our survey clearly show that student accommodation also has a role to play.

Key findings from the survey

  • The majority of students said they were happy with their accommodation choice for the year, however levels of happiness were slightly higher for those living in private PBSA (76%) and university accommodation (76%) than students living in the private rented sector (73%)
  • The key drivers of happiness in private PBSA are location, the option to live with friends and the quality of accommodation. 
  • When it comes to finding somewhere to live, the single most important factor influencing the choice students make is value for money. Some 97% of respondents rated this as being important to them, with approximately half rating it as extremely important
  • Just over two thirds (67%) of students rated their accommodation as good value for money with a further 12% saying it was neither good nor poor value. Value for money was comparable regardless of whether students were living in private PBSA, University accommodation or in the private rented sector
  • The survey also points to affordability being an issue influencing student wellbeing. Some 63% of students identified living costs as being very important when it came to their overall wellbeing
  • Some 41% of final-year students intend to remain in the city in which they studied. Graduate retention is highest in London (67%), followed by Edinburgh (47%), Manchester (46%) and Birmingham (41%)
  • Thinking about where they intend to live following graduation, more than half of students said they would move directly into a property in the private rented sector, with a further 31% saying they would move back to the family home after graduating

For the full findings and analysis from the Knight Frank/UCAS Student Accommodation Survey download the full report.