The hike in tuition fees, which will take effect next September, has sparked concern over student living costs, putting the issue at the forefront of parents' agenda when helping their children choose a university.
Figures published by Sheffield University showed almost a third of parents are now more likely to take living costs into account. An additional 40% of parents have become more concerned about their child's cost of living while at university since the tuition fee rise - which could see institutions charging up to £9,000 a year.
Using Odeon and websites Pint Price and Find A Property, researchers at Sheffield compared the expenses of students in a selection of major university towns to find those with the cheapest basic living costs.
Surprisingly, Sheffield came out top.
Debora Green, head of Student Support and Guidance at Sheffield University said it was "only natural" parents would become more concerned with other costs.
"This will become important in choosing a university – but we would hope it would never become a deciding factor in such an important decision.
We’d recommend that parents or students approach the universities themselves if they do have concerns – not only might there be bursaries available for less well-off families, but they will also be able to give them a realistic idea of living costs in their area, and suggestions on how best to budget.”