The comprehensive study by A-Level Tutor Solar Tuition ranks the affordability of 133 UK universities, revealing the University of Buckingham significantly outperforms other institutions thanks primarily to exceptional student earning potential.
Key Findings
- University of Buckingham ranks #1 nationally with an affordability score of 80.44 out of 100
- Average student salary of £35,456 per year is substantially higher than at most UK universities
- Weekly food shopping costs average just £25.78 compared to the national student average
- Transport remains affordable with one-way local transport at £2.00 and petrol at £1.42 per litre
Affordability vs Traditional Rankings
The research highlights an interesting contrast between affordability and traditional university rankings:
- University of Buckingham ranks 130th in the Complete University Guide's 2025 rankings
- The university places 133rd in the Guardian University Guide 2025
- While scoring lower on traditional academic metrics, Buckingham achieves the #1 position for affordability
This disparity underscores how standard university rankings often overlook financial factors that can significantly impact the student experience and long-term outcomes. Solar Tuition's research provides prospective students with an alternative perspective that prioritises financial accessibility.
Accommodation and Living Costs
The study shows that while accommodation costs are relatively high at £187.04 per week, the university's exceptional affordability rating is driven by the outstanding income-to-expense ratio:
- Standard tuition fees of £9,250 per year align with the national cap
- Local taxi fares average £1.06 per kilometre
- Leisure costs are slightly above average with beer at £4.50
Expert Analysis
Dr Andrew Lawson, founder of Solar Tuition, commented on the findings:
"What makes Buckingham stand out in our research isn't just reasonable living costs, but the exceptional earning potential of its students. With an average student salary of £35,456 – substantially higher than at most UK universities – students at Buckingham benefit from a much more favourable financial situation than their peers elsewhere.
"For prospective students concerned about finances, Buckingham offers an environment where the overall affordability picture is the strongest in the UK, despite some costs being above the national average."
Methodology
The aim of this research was to create a comprehensive affordability index that ranks UK universities based on the real-world cost of student living. The purpose is to help prospective students make more informed financial decisions when choosing where to study.
Data was collected across multiple factors including weekly accommodation costs, annual tuition fees, weekly food shopping costs, average student salary, cost of a beer, public transport ticket prices, taxi costs, and petrol prices. Data sources included university websites, student accommodation platforms, cost-of-living indexes (e.g. Numbeo), job boards, and local government transport pricing.
To reflect actual student life, all variables were prioritised based on how essential and frequent the costs are in a typical student's life. Each variable was normalised using min-max scaling so all values fell between 0 and 1. For cost-based variables (e.g. rent, food, beer), lower = better. For income (student salary), the scale was inverted (higher salary = better affordability).
Each university's total affordability score was calculated as: Affordability Score = (1 - Σ(normalised_value × weight)) × 100. This gives a final score out of 100, where higher scores indicate better affordability. The analysis covered 133 UK universities with Buckingham achieving the highest overall affordability score of 80.44.