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Aside from the initial difficulties of being alone in a new country, international students at Newcastle University are constantly facing new difficulties with the increased challenges of the city’s housing market, rising rent prices, and guarantor requirements. 

Between Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, Newcastle Upon Tyne hosts around 18,000 international students from around 140 countries. Being self-promoted as one of UK’s more affordable university cities, Newcastle is popular for its student life, safety, and culture. However with the recent rise of cost-of-living, Newcastle is ceasing to be a “cheap” place to live. 

Average student housing rent prices have continued to rise in Newcastle in 2026. Shared houses in Jesmond, Heaton and Sandyford now typically cost between £100 and £170 per person per week, while some student accommodations can exceed £220 per week for studio rooms, which are often popular among international students.

Jesmond still remains the most demanded student living area due to its location, cafes, pubs and proximity to university campuses. However its established popularity has pushed rent prices higher, and house conditions lower. In 2026, the average rent per person per week in Jesmond amounts to £140-£180 in a house share, and yet reports of substandard house conditions have continued to rise nonetheless. 

Third year physics student Jessica Lunt claims in all her three years at Newcastle she’s never had a “nice” house.

“I was in Castle Leazes in first year, so that speaks for itself, but our second year house wasn’t much better with tons of black mold in the bathrooms, and cracks in the walls. I’m in Heaton this year, and it’s already better for the rent, but my bed did go through the floor a couple weeks ago when all I did was jump onto it.” – Jessica Lunt 

For students not massively bothered by Jesmond’s charm and looking for chapter alternatives, Heaton has become increasingly attractive, averaging in £80-£140 rent prices. And as for international students, Heaton presents a larger amount of cultural diversity, establishments featuring products from different countries, and several more buildings with individual flats. 

Sandyford, however, remains an “in-between” student location, as it is logistically half way between Jesmond and Heaton, and similarly offers rent prices ranging between £110-£160 per week, cheaper than Jesmond, and slightly more expensive than Heaton. 

For international students, rent prices are only half of the problem. The requirement of a UK-based guarantor has been a constant challenge for students moving to the UK alone, simply not knowing anyone who would be able to commit to being financially responsible for them, in case the student is unable to pay their rent. 

“I understand the premise and reasoning behind requiring a guarantor, but there really should be some leniency towards international students, like maybe not needing the person to be UK-based, because I was forced to pay six months’ rent upfront every year after moving out of student accommodation.” – Lisa Semasheva.

As most international students are unable to provide a UK-based guarantor, they are forced to pay large amounts of their yearly rent upfront in order to secure accommodation, which becomes even more complicated since the passing of the Renters’ Rights Act. As the legislation abolished fixed-term 12 month contracts, it could limit a landlord’s ability to demand large payments in advance.

Move-in dates also raise certain difficulties, especially for international students arriving to Newcastle late due to delays in visa processing, and desire to stay home for longer during the holidays. Most student housing contracts start from mid to late summer, requiring international students to be paying rent when they aren’t even living at the property, as they often don’t arrive until late September, when term starts.

Students are encouraged to begin searching for accommodation for the following academic year as early as October due to high demand. The high competition places even more pressure on international students who may still be waiting on visa approval, clearance offers and travel arrangements, as they would have to sort out their following year’s living arrangements immediately upon arrival. Some students even sign leases without having viewed the property in person. 

“I’m doing a masters programme, so need to be up here for the summer, but my lease runs out in June. I was looking for single bed flats and all of them were either super expensive, or wanted me to move in immediately. I found one I liked while I was at home for Easter, and ended up signing a tenancy agreement after just seeing a virtual tour of the place” – Imogen Goodwin

Despite several housing challenges, Newcastle continues to attract international students for its lower costs of living compared to cities like London or Edinburgh, and yet an equally exciting student life.