Should I commute to a uni 4 hours away?
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Hi Anon,
A 1.5–2 hour drive or a 4-hour train ride is quite a long commute, especially when you consider early lectures, late-night study sessions, and social life. Whilst commuting could save you money, it could also get exhausting in the long run, which could ultimately lead to burnout very early in uni life. If you’re driving, factor in fuel costs, parking fees, and how tiring long daily drives might be. If you’re taking the train, check season ticket prices and reliability—delays could be a nightmare.
Moving into student accommodation would make it easier to get involved in campus life, make friends, and have more flexibility with studying. It’s more expensive, but some unis offer bursaries or cheaper accommodation options.
A possible compromise is living at home for the first year to save money and seeing how the commute feels before deciding later. The workload of uni in the first year is a lot less, so you could probably afford to commute in the first year if you really have to.
Hope this helps,
Danish
BCU Student Rep
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Hello Anonymous #1,
Are we talking a daily commute here?
This will depend on your circumstances but I would strongly advise against commuting for that long for a few reasons:
1.
You will likely burn out quickly and not have the time to properly recover. This could impact your grades.
2.
Public transport is very expensive to use in England at least (I can't properly speak for the rest of the UK).
3.
You most likely have no idea how many days you'll be on campus and how many 8:00-9:00 AMs lectures you'll have. For example, I had to commute an hour every day to get to sixth form and needed to be in school by 8:30 am no matter what. Due to the way my commute was laid out, I needed to leave the house at 7:00 am everyday in order to be on time, of course I got used to it, but it was too early for my liking. When I was at university last year, I had lectures Monday-Friday.
4.
As BCU says, you might miss out on the social life if that's something that you're interested in.
I decided to live on campus at university as it was much better for me. Living on campus meant that I could access the university library whenever I wanted, I could wake up later to get to lectures, I could properly join and engage in societies etc
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Best regards,
Imane
Placement-Year Languages student
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Hi there,
Most commuting students try to limit their journey to 1.5 hours maximum, as it can really impact your experience.
It would definitely help for you to figure out how much everything would cost. Can you estimate how much accommodation would cost for you? Then consider gas prices and train tickets, and compare them.
It may be easy to see a clear winner in cost, but you really can't fully judge the physical and emotional toll commuting might take. For example, say you have a 9am lecture. You'd have to leave early, but what if there are delays? In addition to this, would you be willing to stay occupied on campus all day if you had two lectures spread far apart in the day? Traveling that far can be exhausting, so it's important to consider whether you think you can keep it up.
A journey that long may also take a toll on your social life. Are you someone who is interested in sports, societies, or nights out? It may be difficult for you to participate in many of these if you have a long commute to consider.
There definitely can be benefits for commuting, and you might be able to compromise in your first year, but there comes a point where a commute can be too long.
I hope this helps,
Isabella
Fourth-Year Geography (With a Year Abroad)
I wouldn't advise a 4 hour commute, no.
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
That's a terrible idea 8 hours a day would damn near kill you. You say you want to save money I've just worked out how much money it would cost to get to a university 4 hours away from me on a rail card it would cost me:
£103.09 train fare + £8.00 bus fare to my local main line station + let's say £20 for food because you need to eat and the early train if you want to get to your 9.00am on time is at 3:54am I don't know about you but I couldn't eat breakfast at 2am but i digress you'd be spending £131.09 a day even if we discount the food that's still £111.09 a day over a five day week it'll cost you £555.45 halls at that university 4 hours away from where I live cost £261 per week so lets look at all that money you'd save
Halls cost: £261p/w (all bills included en suite catered)
Commuting cost: £555.45 p/w ( no halls food not included)
over a year thats
Halls:£10,213
Commuting: £21,662.45
So you'd actually loose money to the tune of £11,449.45 if you commuted.
There are many benefits to halls all of which you'd miss out on if you commuted, particularly that long of a commute is tiering halls if your that far away is nearly compulsory.
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Hi!
I wouldn't recommend a commute this long, it is obviously your choice and if you genuinely believe this is the best option for you then no one else opinion matters. However, consider the price of commuting, how you will feel with early/late lectures, how reliable commuting is, and if it is worth it for you.
Hope this helps! Faye 🙂
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Commuting by car (assuming it's you driving) is going to be exhausting. On top of petrol costs you'll need to factor in wear-and-tear on the car, cost of things like new tyres as you need them, parking etc. Bear in mind that a lot of universities don't provide parking for students, and in some areas there won't be much other parking in the vicinity (the area around my local university, for example, is largely residents parking zones with some expensive and time-limited pay-and-display, plus a little further away some expensive multi-storey car parks).
A 4-hour commute by train is a complete non-starter in my view. For a 9am lecture you'd need to be up at 4:30 am to leave the house by 5:00 -- and that's assuming that the 4 hours is a door-to-door time, and not just the amount of time from when you board the train to the time you alight at the destination station. If the 4 hours is just the time on the train, make sure you add in the time taken to get from home to your origin station, and from the destination station to your lectures (plus vice-versa on the way home).
And you need to ask yourself whether you would really spend eight hours a day travelling if, for example, you had only one lecture on a particular day? And would you do it in bad weather? Would you just end up skipping loads of lectures because you didn't fancy the commute?
As to saving money, as @jonathanemptage has asked, have you done the calculations as to what the costs will be? You might be able to save some money by (for example) buying a railcard and advance rail tickets, but even with those savings 4-hour train journeys will start to add up to a big number. Driving and parking is going to start getting expensive too.
Bear in mind that the amount you get for your student loan is much less if you're living at home, so make sure that gets factored in to your calculations.
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Hi there,
Commuting vs. moving into student accommodation is a big decision, and both options have pros and cons depending on your situation.
Commuting by Train or Car:
✅ Saves Money – No rent or expensive student accommodation fees.
✅ Staying at Home Perks – No extra living costs, home-cooked meals, and familiar surroundings.
❌ Travel Time & Costs – A 1.5- to 4-hour journey daily can be exhausting and costly (fuel, train fares).
❌ Miss Out on Uni Life – Harder to join societies, make friends, and experience campus life fully.
Moving into Student Accommodation:
✅ More Freedom & Social Life – Easier to make friends, join events, and experience independence.
✅ Less Travel Stress – No long commutes, meaning more time for studies, part-time work, and social life.
❌ Higher Costs – Rent, bills, food, and other expenses can add up.
❌ Adjusting to Independent Living – Cooking, cleaning, and managing finances can be challenging at first.
What’s Worth It in the Long Run?
•
If commuting is under 1.5 hours one way, it might be manageable if you’re okay with early starts and long days.
•
If it’s closer to 2+ hours, moving out could be worth it to avoid burnout and get the full university experience.
•
Consider part-time jobs or scholarships to help with accommodation costs if money is a concern.
Hope this will help you to make a decision.
Kind & regards
Coventry University Student Ambassadors
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Amount you will spend commuting is probably more than getting uni accommodation ... wouldn't u consider that?
Original post by Anonymous
Hello!
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
So most of my uni choices are a 1 and half hour - 2 hour drive or a 4 hour train ride. So I was wondering if it'd be worth it commenting by train, car or just moving into student accommodation?
I'm not sure because I want to save money and idk if it'd be worth it in the long run?
Hey!
If your chosen university is a four hour train ride each way, I would personally consider moving into student accommodation. Saving money is a good idea as a student, but not when it comes at the expense of your mental or physical health. For example, if your course is one that requires you to be on-campus three or four days a week, you would be spending over 20 hours commuting - which will likely burn you out quickly and possibly compromise both your university studies and your social life. You would also have to bear the costs of commuting such a long distance and the risk of possible delays.
What's your current commute to school/college/work like? If you're used to and enjoy long commutes, a 1 to 2 hour drive a few times a week might be okay - but if your current commute is only thirty minutes or so, it might come as a bit of a shock.
Best of luck with your decision! 🙂
Eve (Kingston Rep).
(edited 1 month ago)
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