The South West’s Best Student Publication
exeposé
FR
E
E
ISSUE 742 22 FEB 2023 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
Undergraduate accomodation prices rise by 8.8 per cent for 2023/24 academic year
Shell Out presents demands to University Page 3
In conversation with Labour’s Steve Race
Images: Rachel Cunningham and Joshua Hughes
Page 9
In conversation with Aston Martin’s Matt Bishop Page 31
Images (top to bottom): Megan Ballantyne, Steve Race, Matt Bishop
Megan Ballantyne and Joshua Hughes Editors
U
NIVERSITY undergraduate accommodation prices in Exeter are set to rise by almost 9 per cent in the coming 2023/24 academic year. Data compiled by Exeposé found that there is set to be an 8.8 per cent increase in annual accommodation costs across catered and self-catered undergraduate accommodation from the 2022/23 academic year. The average undergraduate accommodation price is set to rise from £6891 to £7494, an increase of over
£600. This follows a 5.3 per cent average rise in the previous year, between 2021/22 and 2022/23, and offers a stark increase from the University’s undergraduate accommodation price increase between 2020/2021 and 2021/22, which only saw an increase in accommodation prices of 1.9 per cent. The release of these figures comes following the government’s announcement that maintenance loans would only increase by 2.8 per cent, despite rising accommodation and living costs across the country. For those who receive the maximum maintenance loan, the increase in their loan will be £272 for the next academic year. When compared
with the average increase in accommodation prices, this still leaves an over £300 shortfall for undergraduate students to make up in the coming year, not taking into account the increased cost of living in other respects. This also comes as Exeposé finds a decrease in the amount of University accommodation on offer to undergraduates over the last few years, despite an overall trend of increasing undergraduate numbers. In the academic year 2020/21, 5458 beds were on offer for undergraduates, which has fallen to 5068 for the 2023/24 academic year, a nearly 8 per cent drop (7.7 per cent). This is despite combined under-
graduate and postgraduate student numbers in Exeter at St Lukes and Streatham campuses rising 9.6 per cent in the last two years between 2020/21 and 2022/23. The University of Exeter told Exeposé that: “For 2023/24, 23 per cent of the rooms we offer will have an annual rent below £6800, based on a 40-week contract.” Rooms below this price are mostly ‘standard’ rooms with shared bathrooms. With increasing undergraduate student intakes, however, many worry that these more affordable accommodation options will be difficult to come by. Continued on page 4