OXFORD Brookes University students are trying to sublet their rooms in the city after the nationwide lockdown has made it impossible for some students to return.

When the Prime Minister announced the third lockdown and the ‘stay at home’ order on January 3, both Brookes and Oxford University said they would ‘deliver learning online for most students until at least mid-February’ and the majority of students being ‘asked not to return to Oxford’, for now.

The advice to stay outside of the city and not travel, however, means hundreds of students are being left to pay for empty accommodation without any additional financial support from the Government.

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This has led to students advertising their rooms to sublet on university Facebook pages and groups.

One final year student from Norway, studying business and marketing management, had to put her room up for rent after new advice on international travel was making it difficult to return to the UK.

She said: “I put my room up to rent because of the lockdown and the pandemic.

“As there were fewer face-to-face lectures and seminars, I was spending a lot more time in my accommodation room, which was becoming very frustrating.

“In addition, as due to the lockdown shops and gyms were closed, I was not able to go out as much.

“Therefore, being in my small room almost all day was starting to affect me mentally, and therefore, I thought the best decision for me was to be with my family during this pandemic and put my room up to rent.”

The business management student said regardless of whether she can find someone to rent her room, she will return home to Norway to be with her family during this time.

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Throughout the past academic year, many students have been experiencing a blend of online and in-person teaching.

One second-year student, studying English literature, who has also asked to remain anonymous, put up her room for rent for this semester as it made ‘financial sense’ to do so.

The English literature student said: “I placed my room up to rent because it makes financial sense and the university timetable only allows me to go in two hours a week.

“I already went through this in my first semester and found it hard with the lack of social things to do.

“I am also paying a lot for my rent so staying Oxford for £400 a month is not worth it.”

Students are finding it difficult, however, to find people to sublet their rooms during their absence.

A second-year international student, who also asked to remain anonymous, put her room up for rent weeks ago, but still has found no one to sublet it.

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She said: “I haven’t been able to find someone to fill my room yet. Most people are not able to travel back to university now or cannot afford the accommodation.

“Everyone is trying to sublet so it’s hard finding someone and unfortunately I will have to continue to pay rent, which is not cheap if I can’t find anyone.”