Best student broadband deals 2022
Fast reliable WiFi is the number one ingredient for a happy student house. But how do you know if you’re getting the best student broadband deal? We’ve done the legwork for you!
There are endless broadband offers out there, so it can get pretty overwhelming trying to pick out the best provider for your student house.
As part of our student bills series, we review and compare the best value broadband deals currently available for students.
| Best broadband deals | ||||
| Broadband | Avg. Speed | Contract | Effective Monthly Cost | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Virgin Media M100 | 108 Mbps FIBRE | 12 months | £22.75 Inc. fees & reward | Visit »£25 CREDIT |
NOW Broadband Super Fibre | 63 Mbps FIBRE | 12 months | £22.42Inc. fees | Visit »BEST BUY |
Fibre 1 | 50 Mbps FIBRE | 12 months | £32.49Inc. fees | Visit » |
Sky Superfast | 59 Mbps FIBRE | 18 months | £25Inc. fees | Visit » |
Hyperoptic Ultrafast | 500 Mbps FIBRE | 12 months | £35Inc. fees | Visit »LTD COVERAGE |
TalkTalk Fibre 35 | 38 Mbps | 18 months | £24Inc. fees | Visit » |
Utility Warehouse Ultra | 38 Mbps | 18 months | £24.33Inc. fees | Visit » |
Plusnet Unlimited Broadband | 10 Mbps | 18 months | £23.99Inc. fees | Visit » |
EE Unlimited Broadband | 36 Mbps | 24 months | £31Inc. fees | Visit » |
Student broadband reviews
1. Virgin Media broadband M100 Fibre broadband
If you’re looking for ultrafast fiber, this Virgin Media broadband package is very good value. Plus for a limited time, you can claim £25 of a bill credit. Standard contracts are for 12 months, but they do offer monthly rolling contracts too for a slightly higher price.
Package details
- Average download speed: 108 Mbps
- Contract: 12 months
- Reward: £25 credit
- Advertised cost: £ 24 pm
- Effective cost: £22.75pm (see below)
- Lifetime cost: £273.
2. NOW Broadband
Super Fibre
A best-buy for high-speed fiber broadband. You get much faster speeds than standard broadband, essential for shared living and streaming. The short contract length is perfect for most student tenancies. Comes with no activation fee, free line rental, and unlimited downloads. Customers are also eligible for NOW TV pass discounts.
Package details
- Average download speed: 63 Mbps
- Contract: 12 months
- Advertised cost: £ 22 pm
- Effective cost: £ 22.42 pm (see below)
- Lifetime cost: £269.
3. BT broadband
Fibre 1
This broadband deal from BT is one of the best on the market for students. Fiber broadband on a student-friendly 12-month contract.
BT also offers faster speeds.
Package details
- Average download speed: 50 Mbps
- Contract: 12 months
- Advertised cost: £29.99pm
- Effective cost: £32.49pm (see below)
- Lifetime cost: £389.87.
Plusnet broadband
Unlimited Broadband
Highly rated customer service whilst keeping broadband cheap and cheerful with speeds at the low end. For students in smaller households looking for the very cheapest broadband, Plusnet offers the best deal.
Package details
- Average download speed: 10 Mbps
- Contract: 10 months
- Advertised cost: £23.99pm
- Effective cost: £23.99pm (see below)
- Lifetime cost: £431.82.
Sky broadband
Sky Superfast
A no-frills package from Sky, offering good value but on a long 18-month contract.
Package details
- Average download speed: 59 Mbps
- Contract: 18 months
- Advertised cost: £25pm
- Effective cost: £25pm (see below)
- Lifetime cost: £450.
3 considerations when choosing a broadband
Here’s how to find the best student broadband deals:
1. What speed do you need?
Download speed is probably the biggest factor to consider, especially if you’re sharing broadband with other housemates. If it’s too slow, you’re going to be suffering from buffering (and high blood pressure) for the length of the contract. The cheapest packages are standard broadband, with ‘potential’ download speeds of 10–11 Mbps (often less). This option is suitable for low-medium use by about three people. If you have a need for speed, fiber broadband is the word you’re looking for.
2. How long will you be in your house?
Students are typically best off with a 12-month broadband contract to coincide with short-term tenancy agreements. If you are planning to stay put for longer, 18-month contracts can sometimes offer better value. Every now and then, a 9-month student broadband deal pops up (we’ll include these above if so). These shorter broadband contracts can suit students not staying at uni over the summer months (i.e. September – July) but aren’t always cheaper overall.
3. Are you interested in subscription TV?
All-in-one bundles of TV and broadband often give the best overall value, but only if you’re likely to pay for a TV package anyway. For this guide, we’re focusing on broadband-only. See our TV and broadband bundle comparison for more.
7 ways to get cheaper broadband
Not all of these tricks will apply to your broadband provider or situation, but a couple might save you money:
- Choose packages with unlimited data (we only review these)
- Pay for broadband upfront
- Opt-in to paperless billing
- Be aware of price hikes – then it’s time to switch, or…
- Haggle when the contract ends!
- It could be cheaper to pay a cancellation fee than see out a contract
- Seek out hidden charges when comparing broadband (see our ‘effective monthly cost’ calculations above for more info).
