Youngsters who are currently at university have faced a seven percent rise in living costs over the past year, a new report claims.
Students are feeling the pinch from rising prices more acutely than other groups, the Press Association reports.
The Open University's inaugural Student Price Index has found that the cost of goods has increased by seven percent over the last year for people at university. This compares unfavourably with the latest consumer price index - the government's preferred measure of inflation - which registered 4.4 percent for July.
According to the researchers, students are facing sharper inflation because they spend a higher proportion of their income on items which have been subject to some of the sharpest hikes. These goods include food and drink, clothing, grooming products and tobacco.
Tuition fees are also on the up, adding to the financial strain.
Alan Shipman, the economist who produced the new Index, commented: "Inflation hits different socio-economic groups in varying ways. In my research, students are certainly experiencing a higher inflationary rate because the cost of what they need to buy is among the highest categories of price rises.
"To say that this will be the most expensive academic year for higher education students to date would not be stretching it. For many students, it is their first experience of independence, and stepping out into the current economic climate will be a hard lesson in itself."
