St Andrews revealed as one of the UK’s best value universities

The University of St Andrews is one of the top three universities in terms of value for students, according to new research from the UK’s leading price comparison website.

MoneySuperMarket analysed the country’s top 20 universities, taking into account the cost of accommodation, crime rate, cost of home and car insurance, and the price of a pint at each location, to create a ranking of the best value places to study.

They found that St Andrews freshers are most likely to get the cheapest car insurance, whilst the rate of car insurance claims made for crime was highest in Edinburgh – 20.8 per 1000 claims. Additionally, St Andrews’ reputation as a safe community was confirmed by the fact that students at St Andrews are less likely to make a claim on their home insurance for burglary, with just 6.5 per 1000 claims made for theft in the Scottish town.

Kevin Pratt, insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Going to university is life changing, not just for students, but for their parents and families too – and managing the financial commitment is a major part of the steep learning curve. Although tuition fees don’t vary a huge amount among the top universities, the cost of accommodation, bills and even the price of a pint differ dramatically.

“With average debt totalling £40,000 for most graduates these days, budgeting and smart money management has never been so important, wherever you decide to study.”

The University of St Andrews has more university-managed rooms available per head of student population than any other UK university and the cheapest accommodation in the lower quartile of rents in the UK. This accommodation offers great value as rents also cover a huge range of extras including wi-fi, telephone in rooms, all utility bills, 19 meals per week, wardennial provision, cleaning services, insurance, out of hours services, security services, CCTV, laundry, and use of social spaces and computer rooms.

What’s more, today’s report comes on the back of a £450,000 investment in University accommodation and the trebling of accommodation bursaries, to ensure St Andrews students from all backgrounds have the financial support they need to get the best value out of their studies.