THE cost-of-living is expected to see a record number of 18-year-olds opt for university courses that allow them to stay with their parents on A-level results day next Thursday.

Universities and Colleges Admissions Service chief executive Jo Saxton said that “financial considerations” are behind the number of British students making at least one university choice where they intend to live at home this year, rising to 44.6 per cent from 43.2 last year.

“We know that applicants’ number one concern at the moment is cost of living, and their concern is about whether they’ll have enough money to live while they study, so that all wraps up together to this picture of increasing live at home,” she said.

Universities UK chief executive Vivienne Stern warned of a “growing pressure on student finances” from the lengthy freeze of the threshold for getting the maximum amount of maintenance loan support.