TUniversity life used to be characterized by moving away from home, living in dorms, and immersing yourself in campus life. But with rents and living costs rising, more students than ever are staying home and commuting to university.

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

The survey of 1,200 students found that 46% commute, a statistic that reflects the cost of the learning crisis and technological advances that allow remote access to lectures and library resources.

The study, which included undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students, found: “If current trends continue, commuters will soon make up the majority of our post-school learners.”

How do the costs compare?

Jaheim Karim commuted more than 100 miles between Derby and London three or four times a week to study for his Masters in Magazine Journalism at City, University of London.

The two-hour journey by train and tube cost up to £250 a week and was paid entirely out of his own pocket as he received no scholarship or student grant. “I spent thousands and thousands commuting,” he says. But it was still much cheaper than renting, which was a major factor.

According to Save the Student’s National Student Accommodation Survey 2024, the average rent in London is £778 a month, often excluding utilities. And there are usually commuting costs on top of that. “London is not feasible for most normal young people like me looking for a suitable place to live and work,” he says. “The rental market is poorly designed and too expensive for most of us.”

Before he decided to commute, “it felt kind of hopeless,” he says. “Like I had my dreams on one side and my reality on the other. The gap was too big.”

He also had family responsibilities and was “not prepared to be absent from the lives of his loved ones.”

Commuting has allowed him to maintain contacts in Derby while making new friends in London. “It’s created a unique opportunity to work on my career goals without neglecting my life at home,” he says.

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

The biggest challenge, she says, was the unreliability of public transport – sometimes she was delayed by up to an hour and had to negotiate complicated routes with multiple connecting trains to get home. Despite this, she found the commute “generally pretty easy” and the savings worth it.

Are you missing something?

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

However, Makusha says she is “definitely more independent”. “I plan my travels and accommodation when necessary – for example, if I had to stay one night in Leicester.”

Comparing her on-campus experience during her undergraduate studies at Durham, she says, “I could just roll out of bed. I literally lived a 10-minute walk from the faculty where I spent most of my time.”

She travels regularly to visit friends in other cities. “The commute doesn’t have a negative impact on my social life at all. It’s what you make of it. People put way too much emphasis on the social life on campus,” she says. “Have a social life that you feel comfortable with. I also like my own space. This distance from the university is less stressful than being in the middle of it all the time.”

One way for students to get the best of both worlds is to live on campus for the first year or two to experience independence and social life and then move 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 a hall of residence for his first two years before moving back to the outskirts of London. During those two years, his rent was around £13,000. Arora’s commute from home was an hour and 40 minutes by train. He took the train for the first two weeks of his second year, but then the journey seemed too long.

He decided to buy a car, which reduced the journey time to half an hour. The car cost more than a year’s rent, £9,000, plus insurance, but he has an asset that will stay with him even after he graduates.

His time on campus helped him make friendships that he maintained even after moving back home. “It’s definitely easier to make friends on campus,” he says. “You’re more approachable because you’re always there. You can be more spontaneous. Then once I had my people, it didn’t matter as much because they were still my buddies.”

Vivi Friedgut, founder and CEO of Blackbullion, believes universities should consider supporting commuter students. “Our research shows that they are severely affected by the current economic challenges, which increases their risk of dropping out of their studies due to the financial burden,” she says.

She suggests that universities could “build closer relationships with local industry, whether by offering safe transport options at discounted rates or by considering university-friendly workplaces.”

Whether at home or on the go, insurance is key

Students who leave home with their cell phones, laptops and games consoles in tow are faced with an important question: Should they take out insurance?

There are two options: adding important possessions to the family contents insurance policy or taking out a separate policy in your own name. The advantage of the first option is that it is usually cheaper or even free. The disadvantage for parents is that their no-claims bonus is at risk.

According to Anna Thunstrom, buildings insurance expert at Saga, some standard policies automatically insure students against theft or loss while living in temporary accommodation, provided their parents’ home remains their permanent main residence.

There is an important caveat, however, she warns. “Most items are only covered if the student’s room has a lockable door,” she says. “In a shared apartment, if the room is left unlocked, the claim is usually void if something goes missing.”

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

Students taking out a no-frills standalone policy can expect to pay an annual fee of £60; a policy that covers items they take away is more like £100.

Read the terms and conditions to find out under what circumstances a claim will be paid out. For example, if a laptop is stolen from the library while you are distracted, it is unlikely that you will get any money. Miles Brignall