With a new university year and a brand new term just around the corner, the UK’s wealthiest students are preparing to move into new accommodation. But while once upon a time, embarking on a Bachelor’s degree meant holing up in the most basic of student halls before eventually graduating to scruffy shared house in second year and getting by with the most frugal of lifestyles, today, things are looking a little different – at least for those who can afford it.
The concept of student accommodation has evolved dramatically over recent years, with cramped bedrooms and shared bathrooms making way for opulent apartments and houses boasting a host of modern and high-end amenities for an all together more comfortable experience from start to finish.
As we gain a better understanding of just how much living circumstances can impact upon performance when it comes to university studies, there’s a greater emphasis on supporting students’ health and wellbeing and providing them with a nurturing environment designed to help them excel.
Here, we take a look at the remarkable growth of luxury student accommodation across the UK and how it is transforming the student experience as a whole.
A luxurious evolution
Once upon a time, student accommodation was utilitarian at best – particularly here in the UK. For the fees students were required to pay to live in purpose-built halls on campus, accommodation was often run-down, ageing and offered only the most basic of shared facilities, with affordability taking priority over comfort. But for students from wealthy families, it has always felt like a little too much of a compromise, with many leaving behind lavish homes to come to university and becoming dismayed with what’s on offer.
With this in mind, it was perhaps inevitable that accommodation options would evolve to some extent to meet the demands of those who could afford to pay a little more for the privilege of living in higher-end apartments and homes. But now, it seems that student accommodation as a whole is enjoying an elegant and altogether more stylish upgrade – although some, of course, are more extravagant than others.
Soaring education costs are in part responsible for this luxurious evolution, with students and their families now demanding a higher standard of living during their time at university as a result. And, as universities and private developers recognise the opportunities that come with catering to a new generation of students who are willing to pay a premium for an enhanced set-up, we’re seeing a complete paradigm shift in the way students experience their time at university.
Five-star amenities
One of the key defining factors of modern luxury student accommodation is the astonishing variety of high-end amenities now on offer, which are enough to rival those of a five-star hotel. From state-of-the-art entertainment systems to private fitness centres and even hot tubs, this new generation of student accommodation is seriously opulent, ensuring that residents have all they need to enjoy their downtime when not studying and to fully relax and unwind. And of course, living spaces are designed to support the studying itself, too, with communal work areas kitted out with ergonomic furniture and featuring uplifting decor selected to enhance productivity. Then, there’s the smart home technology, high-speed internet and other modern tech offerings to ensure day to day living runs smoothly and allows students to focus on what’s really important.
Location, location, location
Location remains an important consideration for students, no matter how plush their accommodation is, and being located close to campus is essential to make getting to and from lectures as quick and easy as possible. With numerous modules on the go and projects to complete at any one time, every hour is precious to students, and today’s luxury accommodation offerings embrace this fact to offer lavish digs just a stone’s throw away from where they need to be each day.
Modern and stylish design
Gone are the days of plain white walls covered with posters, old furniture and basic accessories, and today’s luxury student apartments and houses are designed with aesthetics in mind and to emulate the kind of high-end homes you might live in outside of the university experience. Modern, stylish and thoroughly Instagram worthy, they are as much about style as they are substance, adding an element of aspirational living to the student experience.
If you’re heading off to university this month then for the right price, you might just be in for a treat.
