The Russell Group unis where students are scrambling hardest for beds in 2024

The housing crisis is rough. And, by God, does it complicate things when you’re searching for last minute accommodation. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the scrambling of thousands of A-Level students’ keyboards as they look for accommodation after going through clearing on A-Level Results Day.

And in terms of the housing crisis, the student sector is rougher than most. We’ve had students being sent to halls an hour away from their university cities, students living in common rooms, students given temporary accommodation in hotels, insane competition for private houses and mass pest problems.

There just aren’t enough beds to accommodate the student population in the UK. It’s grown to be massive over the past few years and is continuing to grow with no signs of stopping.

Now Students has conducted new research into search volumes for student accommodation in university cities across the UK using the last 12 months’ worth of data from Google Keyword Planner.

If you’re looking to go to uni and haven’t sorted your 2024 student accommodation yet – consider this your reminder. These are all the universities with with highest accommodation demands in 2024 and where student’s will be scrambling most for beds.

16. Newcastle

Search volumes for student accommodation in Newcastle were found to be at 390, so it looks like you’ve got a fair chance of finding a room for September – if you’re quick.

15. Cardiff

With a search volume of 480, beds in Cardiff are definitely sought after, but you’re not likely to be on the streets anytime soon.

14. Liverpool

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Things really start to heat up at Liverpool, where 880 searches for student accommodation were made in the last 12 months.

13. Cambridge

Demand for beds at Cambridge is actually tied with Liverpool.

12. Lincoln

Now this is a curveball. Clearly, student accommodation providers need to up their game as searches for beds in Lincoln were popping off at 1,600.

11. Leeds

1,900 searches for beds were made in the northern powerhouse that is Leeds.

10. Edinburgh

Beds in Edi are just as sought after as they are in Leeds, at 1,900 searches.

9. Exeter

Tying with Edi and Leeds is Exeter.

8. Durham

Student accommodation places for 2024 in Durham also sat at 1,900 searches.

7. Sheffield

Sheffield placed as the fifth highest search volume for student accommodation in 2024. An average of 2,900 searches were made on average for student accommodation in Sheffield. Last year, the number of beds required for students in Sheffield was 37,870 with a 4,671 shortfall.

6. York

Despite a lesser volume of students than other comparable cities, York had the fourth highest number of searches for student accommodation in 2024, with searches averaging out at 3,600 per month.

5. Bristol

Bristol was one of three cities tied, all with search volumes for student accommodation of 4,400 a month on average. Bristol has a very high student population city, meaning there’s plenty of competition for beds.

4. Nottingham

Another of the three cities tied on 4,400 monthly searches for accommodation is Nottingham. Last year there was a shortfall of 20,000 bed spaces  – a shortfall of more than 33 per cent of total demand, meaning that Nottingham is truly the trenches of the student property market.

3. Birmingham

Birmingham is also tied for 4,400 average monthly searches for 2024 student accommodation. Birmingham is Britain’s biggest student city – with only London having more students. The high demand for properties means that many will miss out in the city again this year.

2. Glasgow

Second highest on the list is Glasgow. Scotland’s largest city is an accommodation nightmare, with thousands of students missing out on beds each year.

1. Manchester

Manchester tops the list with more demand for student housing than anywhere in the country. More than 12,000 people are searching for housing in Manchester each month, making demand in the city two times large than Glasgow in second and four times larger than fifth placed Sheffield. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Manchester this year – I don’t envy you.

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