A NEW study has revealed that Chester is the second most student-friendly town or city in the country.

Research commissioned by The Sun newspaper judged 50 locations on criteria ranging from graduate prospects and crime levels to the cost of a pint and the quality of the nightlife.

Only Leeds was ranked higher than Chester, with Sheffield, Swansea and Bangor making up the remainder of the top five. Liverpool was ranked sixth.

The least student-friendly university town or city was said to be Reading, followed by Guildford, Norwich, Stirling and Aberdeen.

The news that Chester is one of the best cities to study in has come as no surprise to bosses at the University of Chester.

A spokesman told The Standard: “We are really pleased to see this recognition that Chester is a brilliant place to go to university. Of course, this is something that we have always known but this just goes to show that we were right!

“Choosing where to go to university is a really important decision. As well as making sure that the university is right for them, most students will want to weigh up a number of other factors including the size of the town or city, the nightlife, the availability of part-time work, and the cost and availability of student accommodation. Students considering Chester are often drawn here by how well Chester performs on these measures and many seem to fall in love with the place when they visit for an Open Day, with the next taking place on Saturday, June 8.

“Chester students often share their love of the city on social media. The #MyChesterStory hashtag has been around for a few years and students have used it to share over 25,000 posts, many of which showcase just why they love the place so much! This can be seen at https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/mychesterstory/

“The University also welcomes an ever-increasing number of international students from over 130 countries worldwide and this is partly due to the attractiveness of the city of Chester and its surroundings. With its high safety ratings and vibrant lifestyle, international students find it to be a great place to live and study.”

For more on the findings of the study click here.