Manchester students are 24 hours a month party people

Manchester’s students spend on average 96 hours per month studying – slightly more than average and four times longer than they spend socialising.

Reading University students, on the other hand, spend a massive 38.6 hours a month enjoying themselves.

This is revealed in a new survey of almost 3,500 students from across the country to determine the most affordable places to study.

The NatWest Student Living Index takes into account a range of factors from how much students spend on essentials such as food, rent and bills, and reveals how much time they spend studying, working and socialising.

Unsurprisingly, students at Oxford and Cambridge spend the most time studying – 124 hours and 138 hours respectively each month, well above the national average of 91 hours and more than twice the number of hours students in London (62hrs) spend studying.

Manchester’s students spend just £20.30 per month on going out – a third less than Birmingham party animals – and an average of £41.61 a month on alcohol – almost a tenner less than top boozers Aberystwyth and runners-up Plymouth.

And they spend a measly £26.30 per month on fashion. Perhaps that’s because they are paying an average monthly rent of £425.92  – a massive £150 a month less than London students but more than £50 a month more than Hull students.

Overall, Manchester is the sixth most affordable place for students to study in the UK. Cardiff is the most affordable place followed by Aberdeen, Durham, Canterbury and Swansea.

The survey, carried out by NatWest across 35 university cities and towns in May and June this year, also showed that the more students socialise the more they enjoy studying – the perfect excuse for students to spend a bit more time enjoying themselves.

“The Student Living Index helps students to see how they might budget while at university,” said NatWest Head of Student Accounts Dan Jones.

“Our main priority is to help students stay on top of their finances throughout their studies and our Student Account offers a number of features to help students make the most of their money and their time while at university.”

Find out more at www.natest.com/students