Spending hours in bed and even longer setting the world to rights over cheap lager is no longer an option for thousands of students, research indicates. Rather than living up to their indolent reputation, many are working behind bars or in shops while completing full-time degree courses.

Record numbers of students are working their way through universities because they are overwhelmed with debt or struggling to cope with making ends meet, according to a survey by NatWest.

It found that more than two fifths of undergraduates will, come the autumn, be juggling a job with lectures, tutorials and private study. They will be paid a total of £2 billion.

As inflation rises, university students will spend an estimated £10.8 billion on living and accommodation costs this academic year, £500 million more than last.

The report claims that 25,000 more undergraduates took up part-time jobs in term time this year than in 2007.

The survey of 2,600 students in 26 university towns found a startling range of employment. While most worked as shop assistants and bartenders, other jobs included working in a care home, front of house at a theatre, on public transport, in a legal firm, for a museum, for a call centre, as a photographer, lifeguard or hairdresser, or in the Territorial Army.

Most universities are relaxed about the issue and accept that many of their students will need to work, but some try to ensure that studies do not suffer.

At some Oxford colleges, students are told to seek permission before applying for jobs. A spokeswoman for Oxford University said: “Students are discouraged from working during term time as terms are short - eight weeks.

“The holiday periods are therefore long, giving many students the opportunity to take up paid work outside term time.

“If a student is worrying about finances, the university and colleges would prefer they came to talk about the wide range of financial support available.”

However, Oxford is nowhere near the bottom of the survey's table, suggesting most students ignore the advice. On average they spent 13.7 hours a week in paid employment, varying between 18.5 hours in Portsmouth and 9.9 in Exeter.

The cities where the most students have jobs are Belfast and Dundee, with 64 per cent and 61 per cent respectively.

One in 20 students said their choice of university was influenced by the cost of living in that city.

Mark Worthington, head of student banking at NatWest, said: “Students are increasingly aware of the wider economic climate and this is filtering down into their decisions when they are choosing their university, and also when deciding whether to take a part-time job during term time.”

Of the £10.8 billion that students will spend this year, almost £4 billion will go on rent and £1.2 billion on supermarket food shopping.

Another £864 million will be spent on going out, £489 million on books and course materials, and £773 million on cigarettes - a significant drop since the introduction of the smoking ban, down from £806 million last year.

Times recommends

• Graduates move home to cut costs
• Screen tests are the future of exams
• Briefing: University funding