‘I’m missing out’: the cash-strapped UK university students forced to live at home

Most days, Mariam spends hours simply waiting. The 19-year-old University College London student often finishes her lectures by mid-morning but has careers events or society meetings in the evening. The three-hour round trip to her family home means travelling back and forth makes little sense, so she waits on campus instead. More often than not, by the time the event starts, she is too exhausted to stay long. Living at home because she cannot afford London’s rents, Mariam says she is “definitely suffering from not having the best social life”. “But living at home will also affect my future because I’m missing out on those career opportunities – the spontaneous, after-work coffees, introductions and events – that those who live out take for granted,” she adds. Mariam – not her real name – is part of a growing group of students living at home rather than moving away to university. A report published this week found that 52% of prospective undergraduates from England’s poorest neighbourhoods expect to live at home while studying, compared with 18% from the least deprived areas. The Resolution Foundation, which published the figures in its annual intergenerational audit, said rising rents and living costs were increasingly shaping university choices. James Davies believes living at home works in his favour because he doesn’t have to work to pay rent. Photograph: Supplied For some students, staying at home has its positives. …