More students plan to live at home as university accommodation costs reshape choices

More than 81,000 UK 18-year-olds with accepted university applications intend to live at home this year, according to UCAS data reported by the BBC, amounting to just over one in three students in that group. The BBC spoke to prospective students who described accommodation prices as 'insane' and 'ridiculous', with examples of rooms costing £300 to £400 a week. The trend is not simply a preference for family life: it reflects a financial calculation that has become harder to ignore.

At a glance

• BBC News / UCAS: More than 81,000 UK 18-year-olds with accepted university applications said they intended to live at home in 2026, just over one in three in that group.
• BBC News / UCAS: The report says the equivalent share was closer to one in five in 2017.
• Save the Student: Its 2026 accommodation survey found average monthly rent of £575, rising to £793 in London.
• Save the Student: 36% of respondents had considered dropping out because of rent costs, and more than a third had agreed to rent a property without ever viewing it.
• Starling Bank: Research published in August says student living costs rose 47% over ten years, ahead of 41% inflation and 32% growth in maintenance-loan support.
• GOV.UK: For 2026/27 in England, the maximum maintenance loan for students not eligible for benefits is £9,118 at home and £10,830 away from home outside London.

Living at home moves towards the mainstream

The BBC's comparison with 2017, when the share was closer to one in five, shows how quickly the commuter model has expanded. UCAS has also documented a longer-term rise in applicants and accepted students choosing home. The change affects the traditional idea that university begins with a residential move. For many families, remaining at home now offers a way to protect a student from a large rent commitment while still accessing a nearby institution. The decision is especially practical in large urban regions where several universities can be reached by train, bus or car.

Rent is reshaping the geography of choice

Save the Student's National Student Accommodation Survey puts average rent at £575 a month, with London at £793. Its respondents also reported real difficulty finding somewhere affordable: more than a third, 35%, had agreed to rent a property without ever viewing it. Those conditions can influence where a student applies, not just where they live after accepting an offer. A course farther from home may carry an additional annual housing cost large enough to change the decision between otherwise similar universities.

Commuting is cheaper, not free

Staying with parents can remove commercial rent, but it can replace one expense with several smaller ones. Rail fares, fuel, parking and longer travel times can eat into the saving, and timetables can make evening societies or early teaching harder to attend. Students may also contribute to household food and bills. Save the Student found that surveyed students living with parents or guardians paid an average £400 a month, showing that 'living at home' does not always mean living without housing costs. Universities therefore need to treat commuter students as a distinct group rather than assuming home automatically solves affordability.

Student finance has struggled to match costs

Starling Bank says student living costs have risen 47% over a decade, compared with 41% inflation and 32% growth in maintenance-loan support. For 2026/27, GOV.UK lists a maximum maintenance loan in England of £9,118 for a student living at home and £10,830 for someone living away outside London, where household income allows the full amount. The gap between those rates recognises different housing costs, but it does not guarantee either student can meet actual expenses. The pressure becomes sharper for households unable to make the parental contribution assumed by the means test.

Universities have to design for commuters

A larger home-living population changes what students need from campuses. Longer library opening, reliable lockers, affordable food, travel information and timetables that avoid fragmented days become more important. Social inclusion matters too: a student who leaves immediately after teaching can miss the informal networks that help first-years settle. Institutions competing for local applicants may find that support for commuting becomes part of recruitment and retention, particularly when Save the Student reports 36% of renters have considered dropping out because of rent costs.

What happens next

The next signal will come after enrolment, when intentions become actual living arrangements. Universities and UCAS will be able to see whether the 2026 cohort sustains the shift, while student-finance policy and local rental supply will determine whether living at home remains a necessity for many students or becomes a durable alternative to halls and private renting.