Universities in the top quartile of the league table have the most beds but have significantly under-invested in them The number of beds, and their quality, are not distributed evenly across the league table. Chart 2.2a splits university bed numbers and quality according to the Times university ranking for 2026: so quartile 1 includes universities with rankings from 1 to 33, quartile 2 for rankings 33-65, etc. The universities in quartile 1 are all predominantly older, larger research-intensive institutions that traditionally have had smaller proportions of local students, and so their whole infrastructure is geared around large residential intakes. Thus, they have more beds than the other three quartiles put together. In quartile 1 universities, there are nearly 17,000 (c. 10%) beds in Quality D and only c. 61,000 (c. 35%) in Quality A or B: there is still a long way to go in improving their residential estates. Often, in SFG’s experience, the driver for many quartile 1 universities to invest only comes when accommodation drops to the lowest quality level and buildings approach the end of their economic life, and the risk to student well-being and reputation becomes unignorable. Chart 2.2a : Number of university beds in quality bands by league quartile 16,976 9,781 4,049 5,349 95,261 32,737 18,953 16,946 50,610 32,345 15,733 8,147 11,003 6,680 752 436 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000 100,000 110,000 120,000 130,000 140,000 150,000 160,000 170,000 180,000 League quartile 1 League quartile 2 League quartile 3 League quartile 4 Quality A Quality B Quality C Quality D Page 14 | SFG | Meeting demand for modernised university-owned accommodation