THE University of Sussex has been named as the second most-costly for students outside of London.

Only the University of Oxford was found to be less affordable for first-year students in a study by HSBC.

For second-year students, who usually move out of university rooms and into private housing, it is even worse, with Sussex the costliest outside of London.

The findings will concern thousands of teenagers who will head to the city later this year after getting their A-Level results on Thursday.

Students told The Argus the findings were not surprising.

Michael Segalov, Student Union communications officer at the University of Sussex, said: “The problem at the moment with the maintenance grant is that only those in London get a higher amount. Everyone else gets the same, when clearly some cities are much more expensive than others. That should be looked at.

“Students also get hit with various costs relating to their course throughout their studies. From books and trips to sports membership, they all add up. They should be included with the course fee paid at the start.”

The survey was carried out on the 20 towns and cities with the largest student populations.

The costs taken into account included food, activities, university supplies, rent, public transport, and the cost of alcohol.

The University of Leicester was deemed the most affordable for first-year students followed by Cardiff and Nottingham.

Students in the top three were estimated to have a weekly spend of £196.47, £207.13 and £227.10.

In comparison, the bottom three outside of London were the University of Birmingham (£289.43), Sussex (£291.95) and Oxford (£310.95).

Sussex had the highest costs (£135) for weekly essentials, which includes food, activities and university supplies.

First-year rent came in at an average of £120 compared with the cheapest – the University of Newcastle at £87. The price of beer (five pints for £17) was the third highest nationally, while the cost of wine (two bottles for £11.98) was in line with the average.

Meanwhile, the cost of a weekly bus pass (£7.67) was one of the cheapest.

A spokeswoman for the University of Sussex said a range of financial services were available for students.

She said: “We have on-campus financial support: our Student Life Centre helps students budget and they can find part-time jobs via our Careers and Employability Centre.”

She said the students’ union also ran three bars, two campus shops and a lettings agency, all offering discounts.

A First-Generation Scholars scheme is also available for students with household incomes of less than £42,620 a year to receive reduced rent, cash bursaries and a fee waiver.