BOURNEMOUTH is among the UK’s favourite places to study, ranking alongside Oxford and Southampton, a new survey has shown.

The South Coast resort was rated highly for its shops, nightlife, transport and community facilities in a poll of students.

Newcastle was voted the UK’s top place to pursue a further education while Salford was considered to be the worst. The study, conducted by accommodationforstudents.com, asked students to review 62 university towns and cities based on going out, shops, transport, community and facilities.

Newcastle scored an overall rating of 64 per cent while Salford was in last place with a score of 48 per cent.

Bournemouth and Southampton shared the same 60 per cent score as Oxford with Bournemouth rated more highly for its shops while Southampton’s facilities, including gyms, libraries and parks, scored highly.

The research was based on more than 46,000 reviews from 62 university towns around the UK. While Newcastle was in pole position, 10 other cities including Exeter and Brighton shared second place with a score of 62 per cent.

Bournemouth University press and public relations manager Charles Elder agreed with the survey’s findings.

He said: “There is no better place in the country to be a student than Bournemouth – that’s what our students tell us.

“The university certainly benefits from being in such a wonderful location with the beach and nightlife, surrounded by a supportive community and excellent amenities.”