5 reasons why Leeds is the best student city in England

• 31 Oct, '16
• -

Choosing a brand new city as a home for three years whilst you study for a degree is a daunting task. Luckily, there’s only one answer. Leeds.

Even when you take the unbeatable student life out of the equation, it’s still the best city in the land. But since you’re looking for a place to study, here’s why it’s so good for students:

Cheap accommodation

With tuition fees looking likely to rise yet again in the near future, finding cheaper ways to be a student is becoming more and more important.

Leeds might be a city, but it’s a northern city, so it’s surprisingly cheap for university accommodation. You can be looking at as little as around £80 a week for student digs, which will certainly help you work to a better budget for everything else.

The Otley Run

There’s no getting around the fact that ‘everything else’ entails a certain amount of social activity. One of the most popular social activities in Leeds is the great Otley Run.

Never a Saturday goes by when you don’t see Otley Road teeming with lads and lasses dressed as Oompa Loompas and Spice Girls, so it’s a sight to see and an experience to be had for every student!

Cheap nights out

When you fancy a quieter night than the Otley Run will offer, Leeds boasts some of the cheapest of all cities.

It’s home to five (yes, five) Wetherspoons pubs in the city centre alone and has a number of famous student nights. Fruity at the Leeds University student union is one of the best and cheapest Friday nights you’ll have in your years at uni.

Great live music

The Yorkshire powerhouse is home to some of the most successful bands of recent years in the Kaiser Chiefs and Alt-J, so it’s got a fantastic music scene.

The bigger venues like the First Direct Arena and the O2 Academy attract some of the greatest names in the industry, whilst the smaller, more intimate venues like the Brudenell Social Club offer a tantalising glimpse of the potential stars of the future.

Easy travel

The central location and prominence of Leeds as a city means that it’s very easy to access the rest of the country from it, so you’ll have little trouble getting home when you want to.

It’s only an hour to Manchester and Sheffield and just over two hours to London on the train. What’s more, you’ve got very cheap travel options around the country from Megabus and National Express, both of which operate bus services out of Leeds’ central bus station.

Not that you’ll want to leave Leeds once you arrive, that is…