Students at a Russell Group university have claimed applicants from less affluent backgrounds may be “pushed out” of studying there because of high accommodation costs.
The University of York Students’ Union said some of its members were now paying their landlords double the rent that was being advertised for rooms back in 2019.
Union officer Lewis Parrey said the university, accommodation providers and the city council needed to take action on cost, quality and availability.
He said: “York could become a place where only students who can afford it will be able to study. All the work that has happened to try to equal out the playing field for university education, I fear we could be losing that.”
The city – which also has a second university, York St John – offers a mix of accommodation.
The University of York owns and operates a number of student halls, most of which are located on its Heslington West and East campuses. The majority of first-year undergraduates live in these blocks.
Other students and postgraduates rent in the private sector, with rooms available in houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) owned by individual landlords and in purpose-built student flats developments run by management companies.
The university said that it offered a range of accommodation types to suit different budgets, but that most applications received were for en-suite rooms at the higher end of the price range.
A spokesperson said: “For all on-campus room applications for September 2025, 5% applied for our lowest priced rooms and 83% of applications wanted en-suite facilities, which are in our higher priced rooms.”
They said they would remain committed to providing a selection of rents on campus designed to meet budgets and preferences.
“We’ll also continue to support students with any housing issues and work with city partners to lobby for planning that takes their needs into account,” they added.
