Nine in ten new students expect to work through university as living costs bite

As Freshers’ Week gets under way across the UK, new Novuna analysis reveals the university cities with the strongest part-time jobs markets for students, as nine in ten expect to work while studying

• 87% of university applicants expect to work during term time
• 65% of current full-time undergraduates already have paid jobs
• Hull tops university rankings for access to part-time work
• Average student rent has risen to £575 a month, with 61% struggling with the cost

LONDON, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As thousands of new students settle into university life and Freshers’ Weeks get under way across the UK, finding a part-time job is set to be near the top of many students’ to-do lists. Having a job is no longer about funding nights out- it’s about helping to fund university itself.

New analysis from Novuna Personal Finance reveals significant differences in the strength of part-time jobs markets around Britain’s university cities – at a time when almost nine in ten university applicants expect to work alongside their studies to help cover the cost of living.

Hull tops the Novuna ranking, with 37,000 part-time employee jobs in the local economy against 14,715 university students – equivalent to 251 part-time jobs for every 100 students.

Derby follows with 217 jobs per 100 students, Swansea with 216 and Leeds with 209. Aberdeen completes the top five with 170.

University cities with the strongest part-time jobs markets

The findings come as working through university becomes increasingly commonplace.

The latest Student Academic Experience Survey from Advance HE and HEPI found 65% of full-time undergraduates are now in paid employment during term time, working an average of nearly 14 hours a week.

Among those starting university this year, work is expected to play an even bigger role. The 2026 Unite Students and HEPI Applicant Index found 87% of applicants expect to work during term time, with almost a third expecting to work for more than 16 hours a week.

The financial pressures behind that shift are significant. Students report average living costs of £1,142 a month, while those with paid work earn an average £547 a month – equivalent to around 48% of typical monthly expenditure. The average Maintenance Loan received by English students was equivalent to £640 a month, leaving an average £502 monthly gap against living costs.

Housing is adding to the pressure. Separate 2026 research found average student rent has reached £575 a month, with 61% of students who pay rent saying they struggle with the cost at least some of the time.

Theresa Lindsay, Chief Marketing Officer at Novuna, said:

“Freshers’ Week should be about settling into university life, but for many students arriving on campus this month, finding a job will also be high on the list.

“Almost nine in ten applicants now expect to work while they study, and our analysis shows just how much the strength of the local part-time jobs market can vary depending on where they choose to go to university.

“With student rent now averaging £575 a month, access to flexible work is becoming an increasingly important part of how students make the finances work.

“Having a job is no longer about funding nights out – it is about helping to fund university itself.”

Financial pressures are also changing where students live. UCAS data shows almost a third of UK 18-year-olds accepted into higher education in 2025 intended to live at home while studying, compared with 22% a decade earlier.

Notes to editors

Novuna Personal Finance analysed 2024 employee-job estimates from the Office for National Statistics Business Register and Employment Survey  (BRES) alongside 2024/25 Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student enrolment data.

BRES provides official estimates of full-time and part-time employee jobs by local area, with part-time employees defined as those working 30 hours a week or fewer. The ranking compares the number of existing part-time employee jobs in each local labour market with the university student population, providing a consistent measure of the relative strength of part-time employment across comparable university cities. Student populations were calculated using HESA provider-level headcounts for institutions based in each city. The figures reflect the overall part-time jobs market rather than current advertised vacancies. Part-time employee jobs ÷ university student population × 100.

Cities where the employment geography was materially wider than the relevant university population, or where provider structures made a comparable city-level calculation unreliable, were excluded from the main ranking.

Novuna Consumer Finance 

Novuna Consumer Finance is one of the UK’s leading providers of retail point of sale finance and personal loans, lending £2.5bn to more than a million customers each year. 

The business works with 3,500 retailers from high street brand names to niche online ecommerce retailers, providing fast, flexible finance solutions that integrate into all channels.  

Its loans channel, Novuna Personal Finance, has been voted the UK’s ‘Best Direct Personal Loan Provider’ in the Your Money Awards for eleven years running, and the business retains one of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the market. 

Novuna Consumer Finance is a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, part of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., one of the world’s largest and most diversified financial groups, with over 11trn yen (£57bn) of assets.

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