Manchester named the best UK city for a student night out

September 1, 2022

As September sees the start of a new academic year, a leading holiday booking website has revealed the best cities in the UK for a student night out. Manchester was revealed as the most student-friendly city, followed by Glasgow and London. Each city was ranked on five criteria, such as the average price of a pint, number of takeaways, and hotels with 24hr receptions to reveal the top spots in the UK for student nightlife and personal safety.

As students up and down the country are starting a new academic year, one of the UK’s leading last minute hotel booking sites has conducted research to reveal the best cities in the UK for a student night out.

The study from LateRooms.com, comes after Gov UK stats revealed that 180,000 18-year-old students in England have had their place at their first choice of university confirmed, the largest number ever on record for an examination year¹.

The hotel booking site analysed a range of different factors across the UK’s 52 university cities including the number of bars/restaurants that serve alcohol², average price of a pint of beer³, the number of takeaways⁴, crime rate⁵, and the number of hotels with 24hr receptions⁶.

Each city was given a score out of 52 for each metric, making the maximum score possible 260 points. The resulting data was used to create a list of the top cities in the UK that are not only great for student nightlife, but to also identify cities where young adults can feel safe. Manchester took the top spot with a score of 235, followed by Glasgow (233), and London (227).

The top 10 cities for a student night out, and their score out of 260, are:

  1. Manchester - 235
  2. Glasgow - 233
  3. London - 227
  4. Edinburgh - 226
  5. Newcastle - 202
  6. Birmingham - 201
  7. Bristol - 200
  8. Sheffield - 195
  9. Liverpool - 193
  10. Aberdeen - 192

The full list of the UK’s best cities for a student night out is available here: https://www.laterooms.com/best-cities-student-nights-out

When looking at the breakdown of all the individual metrics, it’s easy to see why Manchester came out top overall, placing in the top three for bars/restaurants, hotels with 24hr receptions, and number of takeaways. Manchester also scored respectably for crime rate (43/52) and price of a pint (41/52).

London takes the top spot when it comes to nightlife, with more than 7,500 bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, followed by Manchester with 924, and Edinburgh with 855.

However, despite London having the largest variety of places to drink, it is by far the most expensive location. The average price of a pint will set students back £6. For those looking to save money and make the most of their student loans, students could buy almost two and a half pints for the same price in Wolverhampton (£2.50 per pint).

A student night out isn’t complete without a takeaway the very next day. From researching the number of takeaways on offer to students in multiple cities, London has the most options available with 6,309 takeaway restaurants registered on Just Eat, followed by Birmingham (2,119), and Manchester (2,055).

Recent statistics from The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), states that adults aged 18 years and over experienced 12.9 million offences in the year ending September 2021⁷. This prompted experts at LateRooms.com to look into city crime rates across the country, as well as the number of hotels with 24hr receptions available to students who may be in need of late night assistance.  

The top cities deemed the safest with the lowest overall crime rate per 1,000 people include Bangor, Stirling, and Dundee. However, the larger cities scored much higher thanks to the number of hotels with 24hr receptions. London has 526 24hr receptions, Edinburgh has 109, and Manchester is home to 96.

Matt Fox, CEO of LateRooms.com, said,

“University is often the highlight of many young adult’s lives, not only by getting the education to start promising new careers, but a place where students create long-lasting friendships, experience independence away from home, and have the chance to explore a new city.

“It was important for our research to not only explore where young people can have the most fun, but also where they can feel safe. Nights out are a huge part of university life, and we want students this year to enjoy themselves, but to also be mindful. Hotels with 24hr receptions can be a lifeline to those who feel vulnerable on a night out. It’s important to highlight that these locations are not just a safe space for hotel guests, but for anyone needing assistance.’’

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

LateRooms.com is a trusted marketplace for travellers to discover the best last-minute hotel deals across the UK, Europe and worldwide destinations. The site is owned by the Snaptrip Group, which also oversees Snaptrip, Last Minute Cottages, Big Cottages, Dog Friendly Cottages, Hot Tub Hideaways, iKnow, and Villa Holidays.

References:
¹https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-numbers-of-18-year-olds-take-up-their-place-at-university
²https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/
³https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living
https://www.just-eat.co.uk/
https://crimerate.co.uk
/https://www.booked.net/
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2021