The National Union of Students (NUS) said the figures revealed that students were crime targets.

NUS president Mandy Telford said students often lived in "substandard accommodation... at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords", which made them vulnerable to burglary.

The safety and well-being of students is of prime importance Robert Burgess, University of Leicester vice-chancellor

"With four or five students commonly sharing a student house there is often four or five times the domestic goods that burglars know they can sell on quickly."

She urged students to ensure their homes were secure, take out insurance and to report all crimes.

Home Office Minister, Bob Ainsworth, said the government was working to ensure student were aware of crime issues.

A new information website about student crime has been set up and 'Campus Watch' schemes are being promoted, he said.

Professor Robert Burgess, vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester and chair of the East Midlands Universities Association, welcomed the report.

"The safety and well-being of students is of prime importance to institutions involved in education," he said.