Freshers Survival Guide:

The standard advice is not to take expensive items to university. But you will probably take them anyway, so the next best thing is to make sure you insure them properly, wherever you live.

In some university accommodation, insurance of your personal effects is included in your rent – but not everywhere, so check. And when you are not in university accommodation you will certainly need to arrange it yourself.

Some companies specialise in student insurance, eg Saxon Insurance (www.saxoninsurance.com) and Endsleigh (www.endsleigh.co.uk), which also has branches on many campuses.

And the less money you have, the more important it is to be insured so you can afford to replace anything that is stolen.