The website Accommodation for Students (AFS) latest research reveals that average weekly student rents have increased from £67.11 last year up to £68.70 in 2012.

Students starting university this September will also have to pay tuition fees ranging from £6000 to £9000 per year, putting even greater pressure on outside costs, particularly the largest, accommodation.

AFS bases its UK-wide table of rents on over 100,000 properties in 77 cities and London leads the way with an average weekly rent of £107.29. However, Guildford moves up to second place with an average weekly rent of £93.46, just overtaking Exeter in third at £93.42.

This year there are some significant movers up the table in comparision with the data 12 months ago. Winchester student rents have shot up 20% from last year’s £71.80 to £86.40 in 2012, making it 6th highest in the UK, and is one spot higher than Oxford, which itself went up 7% from last year to £85.57. Durham, too, has gone up 20% from £66.75 to £80.21 this year.

Further down the table Lancaster has seen up a huge 24% increase from £57.46 to £71.36 and rents in Newcastle-upon-Lyme, home to Keele University, rose by 9% to £70.49 from £64.65 recorded in 2011, which was already 13% ahead of the £57.31 back in 2010. Hull student rents have risen 25% to £56.90 this year from the £47.72 recorded in 2011.

Other risers include Middlesbrough, up by 13%, Preston, up 11%, Sunderland and Coventry, both up 8% and Lincoln, up 7%. Of the larger university cities, rents in Bristol and Newcastle rose 6% and Leeds, 5%.

Best value in terms of the lowest average weekly student rent is represented by Pontypridd at only £45.94, followed by Stockton at £47.45, Stoke-on-Trent, £49.20 and Middlesbrough at £49.21, despite its 13% rise in average rents over last year.

Simon Thompson, co-founder and director of Accommodation for Students, said: “The UK rental table and student guides on our website will hopefully be extremely useful to all new UK and International students who are hoping to get places through the Clearing process and face key decisions in terms of choice of university. They will be able to see exactly how much accommodation is likely to cost in all the cities where they are considering attending university.

“A key factor in determining student rents is the desirability of attending some universities. That puts pressure on the accommodation available and, hence, the charging of higher rents. Winchester, Durham, Lancaster, Exeter and Newcastle come into this category.”