Research published by Halifax examines property prices in the country’s top twenty university towns and cities.

The average house price in the top twenty university cities and towns in the Times Top University League Table 2007 trades at a premium of £48,020 to the average house price in their region.

The average rise in property prices across the top 20 University cities and towns over the past five years was 77% – slightly below the average for the UK as a whole of 83%.

Halifax found that of the top twenty, it is Durham which recorded the highest property price growth since 2001 (122%) followed closely by Loughborough (111%) and Coventry – location of Warwick University – (107%).

The least expensive town in the top twenty is Nottingham with an average house price of £139,135. The most expensive prices are in Kensington & Chelsea, (£604,881), location of Imperial College.

Best Performing
The best performing university town over the past five years was Sunderland with 147% growth in its average house price, closely followed by Salford with 146% growth.

Colin Kemp at Halifax Estage Agents commented: “House prices in towns and cities which have the best performing universities tends to trade at a premium, highlighting that it can be expensive to buy an investment property when your children attend university.

However, university towns and cities have seen strong house price performance over the past five years with the best performers generating house price growth well above the UK average.”