• This year, Sheffield is the city offering most value for student money – up 6% since 2020. Monthly income for Sheffield students sits at £1,304.20, the third highest after Cambridge and Oxford. Sheffield students take advantage of the comparatively low monthly rent costs – the third lowest in the country at £467 per month. This is £51 per month below the national average of £518.  Coupled with an average spend of £32 on bills and £91.20 on groceries, this gives Sheffield students a disposal income of £714 each month.
• In contrast, London still holds the title for the city with the highest student living costs in 2021. With a term-time income of £965.50, a decrease of £172 since last year, London students must contend with paying £619 on average a month for rent. After spending £266.30 on living costs, activities and items including materials for academic studies, London students are left with just £80.20, meaning they're much more likely to feel the financial burdens of living in the capital.
• Average term-time income for students is £1,092.40. Once again, Cambridge students top the index for the highest monthly income, earning £1,340 – 20% above the national average. Although Cambridge is the second most expensive city in terms of rent, with students paying £578.70 a month, their high monthly income makes Cambridge the city with the second-best value for money. York offers the lowest term-time income with £840.90 – 26% below the national average.
• Students at historic universities, namely Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and Edinburgh, rely the most on parents and family income. Combined, these students receive over £350 in additional support from parents or family, representing a 50% increase above the national average. On the other end, students at Glasgow are most likely to take up term-time work, contributing £178.80 to their income, and Nottingham students rely the most on holiday work, earning them £95.60 a month.
• Overall, average term-time income has increased by £30, equating to a 3% increase since 2020. However, there’s been a 5% increase in the cost of rent over the past year. This increase has been most felt by York, Liverpool, and Cardiff which have seen the biggest increase in cost of living since 2020.

Discover our tips for student budgeting. 

• Manchester has reclaimed its spot over Birmingham and London as the most fashion-forward city, spending an average of £54.70 a month on clothes, shoes and accessories – 45% above the national average of £34.50.
• This year, Durham, Exeter and Newcastle top the index as the biggest spenders on alcohol, each spending more than £10 above the national average. Durham students spend the most on alcohol with a £40.70 monthly spend. This is almost three times as much as Leicester students, the lowest spenders at an average of £14.40.
• London remains the most expensive city for alcoholic drinks, with students expecting to pay £9.10 for a pint - twice the national average of £4.50. Despite this, London students spend relatively little on alcohol, spending the fifth least out of all students. Durham ranks as the cheapest city for a pint at £3.10, which could explain why they're the biggest spenders.
• Supermarket shopping follows rent as the biggest cost to students' income, with students across the paying £81.20 on average monthly. Students at Oxford spend the most on groceries at £109.40, twice the cost for students at Leicester who spend only £52.90 a month.
• Students at York continue to benefit from the lowest cost of household bills, spending £13.90 a month, though this is a sharp increase from last year when they spent only £5.80 a month. Still, this is almost three times less than the cost for students at Exeter who are spending £38.60 monthly – £14.40 above the national average.
• Students now spend more on a single night out at a national average of £26.50 – £5 more than in 2020. Liverpool students spend the most on average, with an expected cost of £34.40 on a night.
• Durham boasts the cheapest take away at £10.30, almost £4 less than the national average. Sheffield students expect to pay almost double at £21.20, 42% above the national average, followed by Birmingham at £18.30.

*Data excludes those who do not drink

• 12% of Cardiff students felt supported by their university when it comes to managing finances, twice the national average. Overall, however students across the receive very little help from their university in managing their finances, with some cities like Nottingham decreasing drastically since 2020.
• Over half (55%) of students use some form of app for budgeting and saving. A quarter (26%) use a traditional bank savings account to save and 20% transfer to an ISA, while 21% don't save anything at all.
• Exeter students are the most committed to saving, putting away 15% of their income each month, compared to the national average of 9%. Exeter students save three times as much as Southampton students, who put away £59 a month on average.
• The prevalence of student discounts continues to decrease since 2018, with 9% fewer students being offered NUS student cards and more than half (53%) of students saying they were offered no discount at all – 7% more than last year.
• 27% of students find themselves running out of money before the end of the month, with those in Sheffield and Leicester having the most trouble at 37% and 35% respectively. Across the however, there has been a 5% decrease in students running out of money compared to last year, and a 10% decrease in reliance on overdrafts.

• Exeter students have been the most targeted by scams with 87% claiming to have encountered one over the past year. Conversely, 35% of Glasgow and 28% of London students say they have not been targeted by any scam, the highest across the UK. Generally, however the variation remains limited.
• For more information on protecting your finances and the latest fraud and scams, our security hub has all the support you require.
  

• Oxbridge students head the table for the fifth consecutive year for time spent on academic study, with Cambridge students in the top spot with 116.5 hours each month. Students at Oxford are also the most social, spending 63 hours socialising each month on average.
• Oxford students spent the most money on socialising this year, averaging £63 a month. Durham and Manchester spend more time socialising offline and online, which has increased since last year 10 hours more than the average student.
• Birmingham students spend the least time socialising, at 33.7 hours per month.
• 84% of students said they don't spend any money on academic studies, but those that do spent slightly less than they did in 2020. Monthly academic spend has decreased from £11 to £10, while monthly social spend has increased from £42 to £43 year on year. Southampton students, however, spent over twice the amount on academic study per month in comparison to other universities. 
• Due to COVID-19, time spent on campus has more than halved over the past year, with most students studying at home or from their accommodation. Oxbridge students, spent an average of 51.8 hours a month on campus.
• 43% of students admit to finding their degree stressful, a further 33% saying they were not enjoying their degree as a result of the pandemic.

• Glasgow students earn the most out of students from term-time work with an average of £120 per month. The lowest earnings from part-time work during term-time came from Oxford and Durham averaging at £96 a month, but those students are more reliant on parental financial support.
• The holiday months are the most important for Leicester students, who supplement an average of £132.40 a month from their holiday earnings to their income. Students in York rely the least on holiday work, contributing at an average of £13.90 monthly to their income.
• Unsurprisingly, this year's index found correlations between degree enjoyment and stress levels. Only a third (33%) of students enjoyed studying for their degree, a sharp -11% decrease from last year and dropping for most cities.
• Take a look at our guide if you need a few handy tips on finding your first job after graduating or landing a job at university.

• Although 78% of students were offered some form of support for their mental health during the Covid-19 crisis, less than one in five (18%) students felt supported by their university. Universities have been on a steady decline since last year when it comes to providing long term mental health support for students.
• Oxford takes the top spot for mental health support and rank highly for wellbeing overall, with one quarter (26%) feeling satisfied. They're followed by Cardiff at 25% and Leeds at 21%.
• On the other side of the scale is Durham (4%), Southampton (7%) and Bristol (10%), whose students are least satisfied with university mental health resources. Interestingly, these three universities all chartered in the top half and above national average for students feeling and finding studying stressful.
• Although students are dissatisfied with university mental health resources, they have heavily relied on their own coping mechanisms. Some of the main coping mechanisms students use for are focusing on hobbies and interests (59%) and support from friends (49%) on average. 

• More than two thirds (68%) of students recycle their waste and just over half (52%) upcycle items – with Oxford and Durham leading the way.
• Over half (54%) of Edinburgh students consciously try to reduce their carbon footprint.
• When it comes to fashion choices, buying second hand is a popular and affordable option with 55% of Edinburgh, Durham and Oxford students utilising it the most.
• On the other hand, brand transparency is becoming more important for students. Two fifths (40%) of Durham students consider brand transparency when buying, and they are also more likely to advocate about sustainability (27%).
• Want to find out how you could save money while making more sustainable choices? Take a look at our for money saving and green living tips, as well as more information on our sustainable bank ambitions.