Ranked: The 20 most competitive student housing cities in 2026-27- Liverpool tops at 2,525

Liverpool is the most competitive city for student housing in the UK, with nearly 2,500 students searching for every available property, according to a new UniHomes report.

The UK Student Accommodation Demand Report analysed three years of data from student searches on UniHomes, as well as Google Search volumes, in order to identify where in the 2026-2027 student letting cycle demand is highest.

The report emphasises an increasing disproportion between the number of students studying in university and the amount of housing that is available. The report reveals that the UK student population has increased by 28 per cent since 2015, with full-time international student numbers growing by a huge 81 per cent over the same period.

Alongside this, the proportion of students living with parents has dropped from 15 per cent to 13 per cent, causing more students to require private accommodation. CBRE analysis has estimated there will be a UK shortfall of approximately 600,000 student bed spaces available.

Ranking from highest to lowest, here are the top 20 UK cities that are expected to experience the highest housing demand and their projected searches per property for 2026-27.

1. Liverpool, 2,525
2. Bath, 1,699
3. London, 1,074
4. Coventry, 806
5. Derby, 773
6. Stoke-on-Trent, 686
7. Canterbury, 677
8. Bristol, 661
9. Portsmouth, 614
10. Colchester, 600
11. Newcastle, 555
12. Norwich, 552
13. Leicester, 529
14. Cardiff, 511
15. Sheffield, 509
16. Oxford, 496
17. Southampton, 452
18. Brighton, 445
19. Manchester, 431
20. Nottingham, 409

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Oxford, despite being home to one of the world’s most prestigious universities, ranks 16th – less competitive than Canterbury and Bristol for student housing demand.

Over the past decade the student population of Liverpool has grown by 28 per cent, with searches by available property set to double by 2030. The number of searches for six-bed student houses in Liverpool are also up by 47 per cent, making them the most sought-after property, with searches for one-bed properties also rising by 23 per cent.

The report also shows students in Liverpool starting house hunting earlier, with searches on UniHomes peaking on 12th November, a full week earlier than the previous season.

A fifth year physics student at the University of Liverpool and UniHomes Student Ambassador, Libby Adeler, said: “Honestly, I’m not surprised that Liverpool comes out on top – it truly is a student city through and through. Every year it definitely feels like a bit of a race to find the best places. Everyone starts thinking about house-hunting early on, although Liverpool has so many student areas that there are still options out there later on”.

Featured image via Unsplash