Section 2: Conclusion The accommodation challenges that universities face are considerable. To improve the quality of the existing UK university residential estate could cost £13.8 billion. There are currently c. 2.4 million students in the UK, so this represents nearly £6,000 capital expenditure per student. Allowing a further £3.5 billion for increasing bed density, total investment could be £17.3 billion. It will be possible to recoup some of this through rent increases to reflect the improvements, but student budgets are not endlessly extendable, as we have seen through the significant trend for increased commuting. Study room at Unite Students’ Olympic Way, London A Student First Group research report | April 2026 | Page 21