England and Scotland are home of eight of the top 10 locations for investing in university properties, new research from online estate agency eMoov.co.uk reveals.
This type of investment seems to be popular with the majority of British parents. A eMoov survey of 1,000 UK homeowners found that 70 per cent of them would buy a good investment property for their children. A quarter of those polled said their to pick for an investment would be properties in a reputable university town.
EMoov.co.uk’s founder and chief executive, Russell Quirk, comments:
“Sending your kids off to university can be a joyful occasion for many parents and is often the first time they fly the nest to fend for themselves. What with the recent increase in university fees and the cost of living, it can also be an extremely expensive time for parent and student alike, as the debt begins to pile up.
This study shows which universities offer the best level of degree, but also an affordable property price, should you want to invest in a house for your child, or even as a uni-let for yourself.”
Durham top investment location
The eMoov University Property Index awards each university an index score calculated on how they perform against the average UCAS entry requirement in relation to the local average property price.
Based on those calculations, Durham has emerged as the best location, with a UCAS entry level requirement of 547 points and an average property in the area costing £214,735. Durham’s scored 102 on eMoov’s table.
Strathclyde is second with an index score of 96, Manchester is third with a score of 90. These locations are joined in the 10 ten by Edinburgh (4th) at 89, Warwick (5th) with 84, Nottingham (6th) 84, Lancaster (7th) 83, Leeds (8th) 82, St Andrews (9th) 80 and Aberdeen (10th) 79.
High prices push London down the table
Only four of London’s universities made it into the top 100. These were the Queen Mary University (94th) with a score of 30, the London School of Economics (96th) and East London University (96th), both of which scored 37 and Kings College London (100th).
The worst performing university in eMoov’s University Property Index was the Imperial College London, despite having a UCAS entry level requirement of 568 points. The high property prices in London SW7 are to blame for the poor score, eMoov said.
Oxford beats Cambridge
In the historic battle of Oxford vs Cambridge, Oxford comes out on top. Ranked 13th in eMoov’s study, Oxford beats university rivals Cambridge by 6 places, with their neighbours to the north east only managing to place 19th. Despite having a marginally higher UCAS entry level, the average property in Cambridge costs over £100,000 more than in Oxford. That’s £183 more for very UCAS point required to gain a place at the university.
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| eMoov Index Rank | Institution | Average House Price | Average UCAS Entry Point | Property Price Per Entry Point | eMoov Uni Property Index |
| 1 | Durham | £ 214,735 | 524 | £ 409.49 | 102 |
| 2 | Strathclyde | £ 161,099 | 476 | £ 338.16 | 96 |
| 3 | Manchester | £ 126,212 | 435 | £ 290.08 | 90 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | £ 203,958 | 484 | £ 421.31 | 89 |
| 5 | Warwick | £ 223,314 | 482 | £ 463.11 | 84 |
| 6 | Nottingham | £ 138,972 | 428 | £ 324.93 | 84 |
| 7 | Lancaster | £ 153,591 | 436 | £ 352.52 | 83 |
| 8 | Leeds | £ 152,349 | 431 | £ 353.23 | 82 |
| 9 | St Andrews | £ 305,294 | 517 | £ 590.17 | 80 |
| 10 | Aberdeen | £ 186,733 | 446 | £ 418.31 | 79 |
| 11 | Newcastle | £ 156,318 | 424 | £ 368.41 | 78 |
| 12 | Exeter | £ 222,572 | 463 | £ 480.41 | 77 |
| 13 | Oxford | £ 435,590 | 573 | £ 760.72 | 77 |
| 14 | Cardiff | £ 167,826 | 427 | £ 393.50 | 76 |
| 15 | Liverpool | £ 151,077 | 404 | £ 374.14 | 72 |
| 16 | Dundee | £ 160,202 | 410 | £ 391.21 | 72 |
| 17 | Leicester | £ 141,031 | 386 | £ 365.37 | 68 |
| 18 | York | £ 224,175 | 437 | £ 512.63 | 66 |
| 19 | Cambridge | £ 568,495 | 602 | £ 944.34 | 65 |
| 20 | Teesside | £ 58,421 | 306 | £ 191.23 | 65 |
