Where is top of the class for university property investment?

eMoov’s University Property Index awards each university an index score calculated on how they perform against the average UCAS entry requirement in relation to the local average property price.

The North of England and Scotland dominate, accounting for eight of eMoov’s top 10 scoring universities. With a UCAS entry level requirement of 547 points and an average property in the area costing £ 214,735, Durham tops the eMoov index with a score of 102.

Durham is joined in the top 10 by Strathclyde (2nd) with an index score of 96, Manchester (3rd) with a score of 90, Edinburgh (4th) at 89, Warwick (5th) with 84, Nottingham (6th) 84, Lancaster (7th) 83, Leeds (8th) 82, St Andrews (9th) 80 and Aberdeen (10th) 79.

The high price of property in the capital however has seen London’s universities fair miserably. With 117 universities included in the study, 15 of the 17 that failed to make the top 100 are located in the capital.

Only four of London’s universities managed to sneak into the top 100 by the skin of their teeth, however all are awarded a negative index score.

These were the Queen Mary University (94th) -30, the London School of Economics (96th) -37, East London University (96th) -37 and Kings College London (100th) -74.

The worst performing university in eMoov’s University Property Index was the Imperial College London, despite having a UCAS entry level requirement of 568 points. The huge property prices in London SW7 give the university a cost per an entry point of £3,361, 368% more than the study average. This results in an eMoov Property Index score of -309%.

In the historic battle of Oxford vs Cambridge, Oxford comes out on top. Ranked 13th in eMoov’s study, Oxford beats university rivals Cambridge by 6 places, with their neighbours to the north east only managing to place 19th. Despite having a marginally higher UCAS entry level, the average property in Cambridge costs over £100,000 more than in Oxford. That’s £183 more for very UCAS point required to gain a place at the university.

A separate survey by eMoov, of 1000 UK homeowners, it found that a huge 70% of Brits would purchase a good investment property, in order to help their child that first foot on the property ladder. Of those surveyed, a quarter (25%) would prefer to invest in a property that was located in a reputable university town.

Russell Quirk, founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, commented: “Sending your kids off to university can be a joyful occasion for many parents and is often the first time they fly the nest to fend for themselves. What with the recent increase in university fees and the cost of living, it can also be an extremely expensive time for parent and student alike, as the debt begins to pile up.

This study shows which universities offer the best level of degree, but also an affordable property price, should you want to invest in a house for your child, or even as a uni-let for yourself.

Students are certainly an easy target where the high street letting agent is concerned and it is common practice for agents to strip them of their hefty deposits, for even the most minor of reasons. Not only does buying a university property avoid this but it also provides a future home should they stay in the chosen city for work, or a great money making opportunity renting to future students.”