House prices in university towns in the UK increase by an average of 22% over the three years of a degree course new research shows. Across 65 university towns, the average house price has grown from £172,179 to £210,845 in three years, an increase of £38,666, equivalent to a rise of £1,074 per month or 22.5% since 2014.
The top 10 university towns with the largest price growth are all located in southern England, led by Guildford, home to the University of Surrey, which increased in value by £105,362, according to the research from lender the Halifax. Guildford is also the most expensive university town, with an average house price of £511,673. This is nearly two and a half times higher than the average for all universities.
The next most expensive is Winchester with an average house price of £458,228, followed up by Uxbridge where Brunel University is located at £441,273, Oxford at £424,258 and Cambridge at £397,170. The greatest percentage increase was in Bedfordshire, where house prices increased by 42% from £200,086 to £284,707 in the last three years. This is followed by Coventry, where the average price has grown from £154,573 to £207,974, an increase of 35%.
The least expensive student town is Paisley which has the University of the West of Scotland with an average price of £122,681, about quarter of average price in Guildford. Others include Bradford at £127,643, Hull at £134,938, Sunderland at £138,548 and Middlesbrough at £142,412.
