Have laptop, can travel: the rise and rise of the commuter student

The university experience used to be characterised by moving away from home, living in halls, and being immersed in campus life. But with rents and living costs soaring, more students than ever before are staying at home and commuting to university.

Blackbullion, a financial education website for university-goers, describes the “relentless rise of the commuter student” in its Student Money and Wellbeing Report 2024.

The survey, of 1,200 students, found that 46% were commuting, a statistic attributed to the cost of learning crisis, and technological advances providing remote access to lectures and library resources.

The research, which included undergraduates and those doing postgraduate degrees and PhDs, highlighted that “if current trends continue, commuter students will soon become the majority of our post-school learners”.

How do the costs compare?

Jaheim Karim commuted more than 100 miles from Derby to London three or four times a week for his postgraduate MA magazine journalism degree at City, University of London.

The two-hour journey by train and tube cost up to £250 a week, and was entirely self-funded as he did not have a scholarship or bursary. “I have spent thousands and thousands commuting,’’ he says. But it was still much cheaper than renting, which was a major factor.

Save the Student’s 2024 National Student Accommodation Survey says the average rent in London is £778 a month, often excluding bills. And there are typically travel costs on top. “London is not feasible for most ordinary young people like me who are looking for a suitable place to live and work,” he says. “The rental market is inadequately designed and badly priced for the majority of us.”

Before he decided on commuting, he says, “it did feel sort of hopeless … like I had my dreams on the one hand, and my reality on the other. The gap was too large between.”

He also has family responsibilities, and “wasn’t prepared to be absent in the lives of loved ones”.

Commuting allowed him to maintain relationships in Derby, while making new friends in London. “I created a unique opportunity where I was able to work towards my career ambitions, and not miss out on my life at home,’’ he says.

Another postgrad, Michaela Makusha, commuted from Birmingham to Leicester three times a week for her MA investigative journalism degree at De Montfort University. Her 50-minute journey cost £6-8 each way (up to £48 a week), while, according to Save the Student, the average rent in Leicester is £504 a month.

The main challenge, she says, was the unreliability of public transport – she sometimes faced delays of up to an hour, and had to navigate complex routes of several connecting trains to get home. Despite this, she found commuting “generally quite easy” and worth the savings.

Are you missing out?

A common concern about commuting to university is that people miss out on gaining independence and on the social side of student life.

However, Makusha says that she is “definitely more independent. I plan my journeys, my accommodation if I need to – say if I had to stay in Leicester for a night”.

Contrasting this with her experience living on campus during her undergraduate studies at Durham, she says: “I could just roll out of bed. I literally lived a 10-minute walk from the department where I’d be most of the time.’’

She regularly travels to see friends in different cities. “Commuting doesn’t negatively affect my social life at all. It is what you make it. People put way too much hype on campus social life,” she says. “Have a social life you’re comfortable with. I like my own space, too. Having that distance from university is less stressful than being right in the middle of it all the time.”

One way students are trying to get the best of both worlds is by living on campus during their first year or two, to experience independence and the social life, then moving back home for the final years.

Daman Arora, who is studying a four-year integrated master’s degree in computer science at Royal Holloway, University of London, lived in halls for his first two years, before moving back to the outskirts of London. Over those two years his rent added up to about £13,000. Arora’s commute was an hour and 40 minutes by train from home, which he did for the first two weeks of his second year, but then felt that it was too long a journey.

He decided to get a car, which reduced it to a half-hour drive. The car was more than a year’s rent, at £9,000, and there is insurance on top, but he has an asset that will be with him after he graduates.

The time spent living on campus helped him forge friendships which he maintained after moving back home. “It’s definitely easier to make friends living on campus,” he says. “You’re more accessible because you’re always around. You can be more spontaneous. Then, once I’d got my people, it didn’t matter as much because they were still my mates.’’

Vivi Friedgut, founder and chief executive of Blackbullion, says universities should consider helping commuter students. “Our research shows that they are severely impacted by current economic challenges, increasing their risk of dropping out due to the financial strain,” she says.

She suggests universities could “develop closer bonds with local industry, whether to offer discounted safe transport, or to consider uni-friendly employment”.

Home or away, insurance is key

Students who move away from home with a mobile, laptops and games consoles in tow face an important question: should they buy insurance?

There are two options: put key possessions on the family’s home contents policy, or buy a standalone policy in their own name. The advantage of the former is that it is, generally, cheaper, or even free. The downside for parents is their no-claims bonus is at risk.

Saga’s home insurance expert, AnnaAnna Thunstrom says Thunstrom, says some standard policies may automatically cover students against theft or loss while they are in temporary accommodation, provided their parents’ home remains their main permanent address.

There is one important caveat, she warns. “Most items will only be covered if the student’s bedroom has a lockable door,” she says. “Leaving the room unlocked in a shared home will typically invalidate a claim should something go missing.”

Accidental damage is not covered by a standard policy and may require a separate one.

Students buying a no-frills standalone policy can expect to pay £60 a year; one that covers items when they are out and about is closer to £100.

Read terms and conditions to check circumstances in which a claim will be paid. For example, if a laptop is stolen from the library while you are distracted, you are unlikely to get any money. Miles Brignall