01.03.26 ISSUE NO. 391
Pages for readers, Opportunities for writers
f
Bristol university’s independent newspaper & the UK’s best student publication 2025
S ON TI
WHAT DO STUDENTS WANT?
Other Public transport
Rent prices
SU democracy
James Lewis Co Editor-in-Chief
O
Loneliness > Continue reading on Pg. 4
ne issue will dominate this year's SU elections: money. 41.3 per cent of students named rent prices, cost of living, or personal finances as their most pressing issue. The data comes from a survey conducted by Epigram of 144 students to understand what voters will have on their minds.
When looking at the ungrouped data, rent prices lead. Nearly a quarter of students ranked this as their number one, with the aggregated data weighting it at 21.4 per cent. According to SU data, the most common price that students pay per month is between £601 and £700. More than a decade ago, the average was £396.
Students will be asked to vote for Faculty and Course Reps, Student Community Organisers, and Student Trustees to sit on the SU's board, and more, from 9 March. But what will be anticipated most are the elections of the seven Full-time Officer (FTO) positions.
The data suggests people are paying more than what their rent is worth. In fact, 7.7 per cent of students cited the quality of private housing as their biggest issue. A 2025 Epigram survey found that 93 per cent of students had experienced mould or damp. Meanwhile, landlords haven't been making it any easier, with Bristol SU's housing report 2024, stating that 53 per cent of students had a ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’ experience with their landlords. The picture is clear: being a student renter in Bristol is difficult.
In Epigram's survey, students were asked to rank their three biggest concerns or issues. This means we can represent this data in two ways: by first choice and a weighted score. By giving three points to people's first choice, two to second, and one to third, we can see what issues are on people's minds but not right at the front.
SU VOTING special!
Photo courtesy of: Epigram / Julia Mullins
BRISTOL SU EL EC
Beyond housing not matching what students pay for, cost of living ranked
Personal finances
Cost-of-living
Uni support services second in the weighted data. The university's website states that, on average, a student spends £1,221 per month on total living expenses, rent included. If a Bristol student lives on the maximum maintenance loan of £10,554 for eight months of the year (taking holidays into account), then they have £1,319.25 per month to live, leaving little margin for unexpected costs.
Study spaces
Job market
To compensate, more students than ever are working part-time jobs. The university recommends that undergraduates should limit their part-time work to 15 hours per week, and postgraduates to 20 hours. Bristol SU's Student Work-Life
Career development Report 2025 found, however, that 29 per cent of students exceed 15 hours of work per week, with 14 per cent exceeding 20 hours of work. 77 per cent of working students said work has impacted their studies. Beyond financial pressure, our data shows evidence of students’ fears for the future. 10.5 per cent of respondents
Arts
Film & TV
music
SciTech
Minnie Mouse degrees
The very best of women of colour in film
2026 festival guide
Bristol alum's tech start-up
Private housing quality
Tuition fees e 15 ag e p r o nt atu er Tur r a fe sist fo our ine az om fr mag
Between the Sheets 2 Editorial 4 SU Voting 6 News 8 Comment 10 Features 15 Croft 19 Epitome
News
Comment
Features
Website – https://epigram.org.uk
Teaching quality
Instagram – epigrampaper_
LinkedIn – Epigram
20 Community 21 Arts 24 Film & TV 26 Music 28 Sci-Tech 30 Sport 32 Epigames
TikTok – @epigrampaper_