Bristol Uni students to live in Bath due to 'unprecedented' demand on accommodation

Hundreds of students at the University of Bristol may find they have to live in the city of Bath as there is not enough accommodation for them.

There's been "unprecedented demand" for places at the university as teacher-assessed A-Level grades have seen the number of applicants who met their offer rise to 75 per cent from the usual level of 46 per cent.

But the news has been met with fury by some students who say they believe the university is cashing in with increased numbers.

Second year student Anna Lart-Greene said: "It's not fair on students or locals. Distance-wise, it’s the equivalent of Uni of Manchester housing students in Bolton, or Nottingham housing them in Loughborough."

The University of Bristol said that non-guaranteed applicants may not receive university allocated accommodation and what may be offered is likely to be a shared room or accommodation in a neighbouring suburb or town, such as Bath.

But it said it is doing its best to house as many as possible in Bristol.

Students allocated accommodation outside of Bristol will receive a bursary of up to £500 per term towards travel expenses and offered pastoral support.

Applicants from a small number of courses are also being offered financial incentives to defer their studies for a year.

The university is still waiting on final numbers for students as some are waiting to hear about holding places at other universities and the outlook for students arriving from outside of the UK is still uncertain.

The University of Bristol spokesman said: "Our priority now is to ensure that we can accommodate everyone in a way that maintains a safe campus experience and continues to offer high-quality education."