Sorting out accommodation before starting university can be a headache, as you may have only visited the city once or twice, and now you need to decide where you want to live. Those further along in their uni course will also need to determine who they want to live with.
As part of our student hub, we’ve produced the definitive student accommodation guide, offering all the key things you need to know about student accommodation and the costs involved.
Choosing between living at home or opting for student accommodation
This is the first decision to make when considering where to live at university. For many students, this choice is out of their hands as the distance between their home and new place of study is too far. But for those who live local to their campus, this can be a key consideration.
Pros of living at home during your first year
Living at home during your first year might not sound like the dream university experience, but it does have some benefits.
- Cheaper than living in student halls: University accommodation can be expensive, especially if you are living in expensive cities like London, and also paying bills in addition rent. The average student pays £86 per month for gas and electricity.
- Fewer household chores: With less focus on cooking, cleaning and other household chores, you’ll have the headspace to focus on your studies.
- Easier to remain in contact with close friends: If leaving behind close friends and family isn’t the right thing for you at this time, live at home for a little longer while you acclimatise to the pressures of university life.
Cons of living at home during your first year
There are various drawbacks to living at home for the start of your degree:
- Less independence: Remaining in the family home can make it harder to embrace the independence that university life brings.
- Disconnected from the university community: Without a place to stay on or near the campus, it can be harder to meet new people and maximise the social potential of university.
- Less self-sufficient: Getting used to looking after yourself is an important aspect of many people's university experience, with their time at university acting as a bridge between childhood and adulthood. You don’t get to experience this if you stay at home.
- Longer commute: Staying at home will likely mean a longer journey to campus. This means no lie-ins and more early starts.
Pros of student accommodation during your first year
Student accommodation is the favoured choice for many university students, and here are some of the reasons why:
- Independence: Living away from family means living how you want. You can eat what you want, watch what you want, and sleep when you want without any words of advice from Mum and Dad.
- University on your doorstep: This is a significant benefit as it means you can visit the campus as and when you wish without lengthy journeys.
- The chance to make new friends: In your first year, who you live with can be a lottery, and there’s no guarantee you’ll connect with your housemates. However, many people who meet on their first day and share a flat often become lifelong friends.
Cons of student accommodation during your first year
Here are some of the drawbacks of living in student accommodation during your first year:
- Expensive: Even if you factor in commuting, living in student accommodation will almost certainly be more expensive than living at home. How much student accommodation is can vary depending on location, but despite this, it will still take up a large chunk of your maintenance loan.
- You have to do your own washing and cooking: If you’d rather focus on your studies instead of deciding what to cook or waiting in the queue for the washing machine, you may be better off staying at home.
- Who you live with is a lottery: You never know what kind of characters you’ll bump into on your first day at university or who you’ll be living with, whom you may not gel with.
If you’re concerned about the cost of living while at university, our in-depth and detailed student budgeting guide outlines tips and tricks to help your money go further.
Types of student accommodation
Once you’ve decided to stay at university during your studies, the next step is to consider what type of student accommodation you would like to live in. There are a range of different options available, each varying in price. The most popular options are as follows:
Halls of residence
The most popular choice for first-year students (or “freshers”) is halls of residence. They are often owned and managed by the university and can vary in design. Some are made of long corridors with individual rooms, while others are divided into smaller compartments of 6–10 rooms, each with a kitchen attached.
The cost of a standard single room in halls is normally £90-£150 per week, versus closer to £150-£300 per week if the university is in London, and is typically inclusive of all bills. Rooms with an ensuite are usually more expensive.
Looking for ways to top up your student loan? Read our comprehensive guide on how to get a job as a student to find out how to perfect your CV, where to find jobs and more.
Private halls of residence
Similar to university-owned halls of residence, these flats are not owned by the university themselves but by a private company. This means you may be sharing a flat with students from different universities.
These properties are usually more expensive than university-run halls of residence, as they are fancier and have more amenities, such as break-out areas or game rooms.
Private halls of residence are often popular with international students, meaning that they are a great way of getting to know people from all over the world.
House/flat share
If you already know a group of people attending the university you’re going to, a flat or house share could be the way to go. The perk of this is that you know who you will be living with before starting university. This is also the accommodation of choice for students in their second or third year.
A drawback is that you must factor utility bills into your monthly budget, which can be costly. According to Save The Student’s National Student Accommodation survey, the average student pays around £110 per month on utilities, including energy, water, and broadband.
A breakdown of average student bills per month (utilities)
| Utility | Cost per month |
|---|---|
| Electricity & gas | £86 |
| Water & sewerage | £10 |
| Broadband | £6-£11 |
| TV Licence | £3.53 |
| Contents insurance | £4 |
Source: Savethestudent.org, National Student Accommodation Survey 2024
Looking for ways to save money on your bills? We’ve compiled 104 top energy-saving tips for the home.
What to do when moving into student accommodation
Some student accommodation includes bills, but others don’t. Speak to your landlord about what your rent covers to help you understand what you need to factor into your monthly budget.
If bills aren’t included in your rent, as a tenant, you will be responsible for paying the water, gas and electricity bills as soon as you move in. Here are some things to do on moving day:
Read the meters
As soon as you arrive at the student accommodation, read your gas and electricity meters. Meters are usually outside in a meter box or downstairs in the hallway, kitchen, or under the stairs. If you rent a flat, it may be in the communal hallway. Ask your landlord if you’re unsure where your property’s meter is located.
Once you’ve read the meters, you should share this with your energy company to ensure you’re only charged for the energy you use. It is best to take a picture and forward this to the energy supplier so it is time-stamped.
Find out who your energy supplier is
Typically, your energy supplier is stated in your rental contract. However, if not, ask your landlord when moving in, or look out for any letters from your gas and electricity supplier.
If you’re paying your energy bills directly to a supplier, as a tenant, you are entitled to switch energy suppliers to find the best deal. At Uswitch, compare energy prices in an instant – all you need is your address and a recent bill to refer to.
Sorting out your broadband
For students living in shared accommodation, sorting out a functional Wi-Fi connection is vital, not only for work but for streaming and gaming in downtime too. That being said, deciding which student broadband provider to go with can be a minefield, so we have created a guide to choosing broadband packages and providers to help make the process much easier.
Alternatively, if bought with a monthly rolling contract, MiFi devices can be a cost-effective option for students living in shared accommodation who don’t want to take out a long-term contract. Find out more about the difference between MiFi devices and routers.
Determine how you’ll pay
There are several options available for paying bills and ensuring that everyone you live with contributes. The best way to do this is to keep things simple and split all bills equally – the sooner a plan is in place and agreed upon, the better.
Splitting bill options for students:
- Agree a split between you: A dedicated person collects all bill contributions, which are paid into an account you've opened to pay the rent and the bills.
- Setting up a joint account: Each person pays the total into the joint account each month, and bills are paid directly from this account via Direct Debit (which is cheaper).
- Using a bill-splitting service: Some companies take care of the bill management and make payments for you, but this usually incurs a fee. A good example of this is Split The Bills.
Where do students live during their studies?
When looking at the number of UK students by accommodation in 2021-22, statistics show that over half a million (548,575) students lived in halls during university. Of these, 347,680 lived in provider-maintained properties (i.e., university-owned halls) and 200,895 in private halls.
At the same time, 429,620 students – close to a fifth (19%) – lived in homes owned by their parents or guardians. This percentage has remained roughly the same since 2014-15. A further 419,825 lived in their own property, which may include a house share with other students.
Interestingly, more than a quarter of students lived in ‘other’ rented accommodation (598,000), making it the most popular.
A breakdown of where students live during their studies
Read more student statistics, including application data, student employment rates, and more.
Finding accommodation after your first year
It’s not long after you’ve settled into your place in your first year you must consider where to live next year. It can be a mad rush with plenty of myths, where older students warn about the perils of not snapping up property 10 months before the moving-in date.
Here’s everything you need to consider when choosing a property for the rest of your university course.
Who you’re going to live with
This is the most important factor to consider and is one of the reasons why you don’t want to rush the house-hunting process. At university, the closest friends students make are generally those they live with during their first year, people they meet on their course, or those they meet in societies.
Before signing on the dotted line, it’s worth considering whether you’d actually enjoy living with these people. The person you enjoy a wild Saturday night out with may not be the ideal housemate. You need to consider whether they’ll match your energy, how much they’ll want to clean up, stay up late, or be disruptive during exam season.
If there’s nobody in mind you’d want to live with, get in touch with your university, and they’ll be able to get you in touch with other students who haven’t yet found somewhere to stay. This will give you the chance to get to know them better and determine whether they could be your new housemates.
Finding the right accommodation
Generally, second and third-year students will live in a house instead of a flat. Both have their benefits - for example, houses can be more spacious and will have more space for communal activities, such as cooking, playing video games, and entertaining.
One of the biggest factors to consider is cost. While it can be tempting to search for the cheapest property around, this is not always the best strategy, as this can result in you living in a property that has problems with damp and woodworm, which can cause stress and expense in equal measure — not something you want.
Location
In most university towns and cities, there are established areas for students. For example, in Birmingham it’s Selly Oak, in Leeds it’s Headingley, and in Nottingham it’s Lenton. These are the places to look out for if you want to be embedded in the university culture.
That said, there are often properties that are closer to the campus if you’d prefer to have a shorter journey to lectures and seminars. Plus, you may want to live in a quieter part of town, away from the hustle and bustle of some livelier student locations.
Moving into a new property in the second or third year of university? Our broadband and moving house guide has everything you need to know about what to do about your internet connection.
Overall, whatever decision you make in regard to student accommodation, there are perks and benefits. So if you choose to stay at home while studying or stay in student halls you are sure to have a fantastic university experience.
FAQs
Can non-students live in student housing?
Non-students typically cannot live in student housing, as most student accommodations are specifically reserved for individuals enrolled in a college or university.
Are students exempt from council tax?
Yes, full-time students are generally exempt from paying council tax in the UK. If all occupants of a household are full-time students, the property is usually completely exempt. However, if a student lives with non-students, the household may receive a discount instead of a full exemption.
Do students need a TV licence?
Yes, students need a TV licence if they watch or record live TV broadcasts on any device or use BBC iPlayer, regardless of the device or platform used. However, they may be covered by their parents’ licence under certain conditions, such as when using a device that’s only powered by its own internal batteries and not connected to mains electricity.
How to apply for student accommodation?
To apply for student accommodation, research your options through the university’s housing portal or private providers, then complete and submit the required application form, typically online. Make sure to apply early and meet any deadlines, as spots can be limited.
