UNIVERSITY students are spending £485 a year travelling to and from university, equivalent to a collective £667 million, reveals new research from the 1l2l3 Student Current Account.

According to the figures, only a fifth (20 per cent) of students live on their university campus and the remainder travel an average of 18.2 miles (9.1 miles each way) to attend lectures or tutorials.

The study of university students found that in addition to the time-consuming and costly travel to lectures, the average student also faces a travel bill of around £72 to visit their family home.

On average, students attend universities that are 128.9 miles (258 mile round trip) from their family home, which is perhaps why 39 per cent say they only travel home once a term or less. Thirteen per cent say they do not travel back at all unless it is a special occasion like Christmas or a birthday.

More than a fifth (22 per cent) of current university students still live in their family home, with two thirds (66 per cent) admitting cost savings are the main reason why they have not moved out. That compares to just a third (34 per cent) who say they decided not to move away because there was a good university close enough to where they live.

Steve Pateman, head of UK banking, said: “Being a student can be very costly, particularly if you have significant travel costs to cover. As the cost of travel continues to rise, students will need to ensure they make the most of their money and take advantage of cost savings wherever possible."

Students studying in and around Edinburgh are the furthest away from their family homes, travelling on average 174.5 miles each way to visit their home city. In contrast, students who attend universities in and around Birmingham have stayed closer to home, facing an average journey of 105.9 miles each way.