Around 14 per cent of students are considering buying a property while still at university, a new survey has revealed.

Abbey Mortgages said that 154,000 students are thinking about buying a property to live in while at university, with 44,000 hoping to team up with their friends to buy a home near their campus.

A further 66,000 students are considering buying on their own and 44,000 say their parents are thinking about helping them get on the property ladder.

Nici Audhlam Gardiner, head of mortgages at Abbey, said many students and their parents are turning their purchase into a source of income, commenting: "People considering it need to make sure that they can afford the mortgage payments plus any maintenance costs, service charges and down-time between tenancies that they will also need to cover."

The poll also revealed that 88,000 students had already taken the plunge, with the majority of them either buying alone or with friends.

Earlier this week, estate agency chain Hamptons International said that a combination of limited supply and huge demand is straining student accommodation in the UK.