AFS City Guides

The complete student guide to Hull

11 min read·Last updated: 13 July 2026

Curated and written by

Elizabeth Hadley

AFS Content Creator

Studying at University of Lincoln

11 min read

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Why study in Hull

Close-knit community
Students often describe Hull as a welcoming and friendly city that is less overwhelming than larger UK university destinations. The University of Hull offers a wide range of clubs, societies, sports teams, and campus social venues, helping students build friendships and feel part of a close-knit community. As a relatively compact university, Hull provides a strong social environment where students often get to know many of their peers, creating a supportive and enjoyable university experience.
Strong student support
University of Hull is known for its strong commitment to student support, offering comprehensive academic guidance, wellbeing services, disability support, and career development resources. The university places a strong emphasis on ensuring students receive the help they need both academically and personally. Recent student surveys have reported high levels of satisfaction with teaching support, campus facilities, and the university’s responsiveness to student feedback, demonstrating its dedication to continuously improving the overall student experience and fostering a supportive learning environment.
Low cost of living
Hull is frequently recognised as one of the UK’s most affordable student cities, making it an attractive destination for those seeking value for money during their studies. The cost of accommodation, public transport, and everyday living expenses is generally lowerthan in larger cities such as London, Manchester, and Bristol. This affordability allows students to manage their budgets more effectively while still enjoying a high-quality university experience and a vibrant student lifestyle.
Good nightlife
Hull has a vibrant and affordable student nightlife scene, making it a popular choice for university students. Many students live in nearby areas, creating a strong sense of community and making socialising easy. Popular nightlife spots are centred around Newland Avenue, Princes Avenue, the city centre, and the university campus, offering a variety of bars, pubs, clubs, and live music venues. Regular student events, themed nights, and society activities provide plenty of opportunities to meet new people and enjoy a lively social experience.

Key facts about Hull

Student life in Hull

In Hull, the big student night out is a Wednesday in the club on campus called Asylum. Asylum is your typical student club, usually the music is pretty decent and they often have themed nights or DJs to mix it up a bit. In Asylum on a Wednesday is where you’llfind the sports societies running around dressed as bananas or other costumes. I would definitely recommend joining a sports team as it is one of the best ways to make friends. Wednesday night isn't the only big night in Hull, if you're not too hungover from Asylum there is Welly on a Thursday night which is perfect for the indie lovers. It's a short bus ride from campus, close to town and people usually get a taxi home using Uber or Hull Cars. Some people do walk which I would only recommend if you are in a group, walking about drunk on your own is never a good idea. Saturday nights are usually reserved for pre drinking at someone’s house or the pub, before heading into Old Town and going to one of the many dance bars such as Dirty Dicks, Surf and Mission. Mission is very popular and you are sure to see some familiar faces. They play music till about 2AM and after that people either call it a night and look for a taxi back or they head next door to Waterfront (formally Atik) or to Fuel which is just a short walk away. On a Saturday there is also a club called Spiders which is more rock/indie and is ridiculously cheap, its a bit further out and you have to be there before 1am but it has about 4 rooms and is a fun night out and definitely something different as you’ll find that most people go to Mission religiously every Saturday. Down Newland Avenue (About a 5 minute walk from Campus), there are plenty of bars and restaurants with student deals open all week and till late, a little further down and you’ll find Princes Avenue, another great street filled with places. The great thing about these streets and most of Hull, is that most of these bars and restaurants are all independent businesses and very welcoming to students. Hull is most known for its Maritime History and its Cultural history. Having won the UK City of Culture in 2017, Hull gained attention for its art music and heritage, such as the Ferens Art Gallery, The Deep Aquarium and the Hull Maritime Museum, just a select few places that are definitely worth checking out even if you are not particularly interested in Art or Maritime. According to Timothee Chalamet, the Hull accent is the sexiest accent in the UK, if you want to fit in all you have to do is firstly drop the ‘H’ sounds so it is now “Ull” to you and secondly, shorten any ‘ing’ endings, you're not ‘going’, you're ‘goin’. Once you’vealso picked up a bit of slang like ‘bains’ (meaning children) or ‘croggie’ (a ride on a friend's bike), not only will Timothee Chalamet be begging for your hand in marriage but you will sound just like a local. I couldn't write about things Hull is famous for without mentioning chip spice, it originated in 1979 and soon after became a local staple. It is made from salt, paprika and tomato powder and you'll be unlikely to find a single takeaway in the whole of Hull that doesn't automatically add it to their chips, so if you dislike it, be sure to let them know or face disappointment. Hull is full of hidden gems, only a short 20 minute bus journey away is the lovely town of Beverley where you can go for brunch and visit the Saturday Market which has lots of different stalls. It’s the perfect place if you love a long walk and then some pub grub. Another hidden gem is just down Beverley road, close to the city centre called Ping Pong Club, it’s only open Friday to Saturday but you pay an entrance fee and it allows you access to all their video games, ranging from old PlayStation to classic arcade games. They also have ping pong and beer pong for an added fee. There are a wide variety of restaurants in Hull, particularly near the University. Down Newland Avenue there are plenty of options. One of my favourite spots is La Cantina, a Mexican restaurant that does the best quesadillas, not to mention the range of delicious cocktails. In most of these places they offer student deals. Level is a popular restaurant amongst students and does everything from sandwiches to pizzas. They have a lunch deal and a long list of different cocktails to try. This is a great place for a catch up as it isn’t expensive. No matter what kind of food you’re looking for there are so many options just a short walk away from your accommodation, as I touched on before most of these restaurants are independent and it's always great to support small businesses.

Cost of living in Hull

Wondering how much it costs to live in Hull as a student? We’ve broken down typical monthly expenses and compared them to the national average, so you can plan your budget with confidence.

Expense	Hull average	National average	Difference
Rent (monthly)	£498	£891.63	£393.6344% less
Utilities (monthly)	£126	£112.25	£13.7512% more
Bus pass (monthly)	£60	£61.13	£1.132% less
Groceries	£12.88	£15.40	£2.5216% less
Gym pass (monthly)	£28.50	£34.59	£6.0918% less
Takeaway coffee	£3.05	£3.54	£0.4914% less

Rent (monthly)
Hull average
£498
National average
£891.63
Difference
£393.6344% less
Utilities (monthly)
Hull average
£126
National average
£112.25
Difference
£13.7512% more
Bus pass (monthly)
Hull average
£60
National average
£61.13
Difference
£1.132% less
Groceries
Hull average
£12.88
National average
£15.40
Difference
£2.5216% less
Gym pass (monthly)
Hull average
£28.50
National average
£34.59
Difference
£6.0918% less
Takeaway coffee
Hull average
£3.05
National average
£3.54
Difference
£0.4914% less

Universities in Hull

University of Hull

Founded in 1927, the University of Hull is a public research university in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

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Getting around Hull

Unlike universities spread across a city, the University of Hull has a large single-site campus where teaching buildings, accommodation, library, sports facilities, cafés, and student services are all within walking distance. This helps to make it easier to get around but there are also available transport options including Hull Paragon Interchange, the city's main public transport hub, which seamlessly links local buses, trains, and coaches.

Buses

Buses are the primary form of transport due to its affordability and ease. The services in Hull are operated primarily by Stagecoach East Midlands and East Yorkshire Buses.

Cycling

Hull is famously flat, making cycling an excellent and cheap way to get to class. Many student accommodations and the University of Hull campus offer secure bike storage and repair facilities.

Walking

The flat surface and compact city as well as the layout of the campus in one area means students tend to walk to most places.

Trains

Trains run locally from the Paragon Interchange to locations like Cottingham (which is highly popular among students at University of Hull student housing) and Beverley.
Student Discounts: Students can save 1/3 on rail fares across Great Britain by purchasing a 16-25 Railcard or 26-30 Railcard.

Life after uni

Manufacturing is the biggest employment industry in Hull, closely followed by the health and social care services. Due to the Humber port region there are also thousands of jobs filling roles in this sector. Graduates can find a wide variety of career paths while studying or living in Hull.

Here are some key facts about employment prospects in Hull:

High employment rates post-graduation
Around 95% of Hull graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of graduating, according to university-reported graduate outcomes data.
Entry routes
In Hull, many graduates enter work through: internships and placements, apprenticeship-style graduate roles, NHS and public sector entry routes, or logistics and operations roles.