The first round of online applications for accommodation for new undergraduates are now open, and will close on the guarantee deadline date of 31 July 2017.

Completing your application

When you fill out your accommodation application you will need to complete the following sections of the form: 

• Name and contact details - it is essential that the email address you provide is vaild from the time of application until the weekend before you move into your University accommodation. Contact us if your email address changes during that time. 
• Accommodation preferences - your three preferred residences, the type of room that you would like, the maximum rent, and any other choices. See our choosing your accommodation page for full details.  
• Health and disability - any health issues you have, please do try and include anything we need to know - it is all treated in confidence.
• Personal statement - you will be asked for a short personal statement that will help us to match you with suitable housemates. This is used to match you with other students who will share your flat or corridor. It is not looked at until after we allocate you a residence. You have a maximum of 1000 characters for your statement (including spaces), and should prepare this beforehand as otherwise the application can time out. 

For further information, read our FAQs on applying for accommodation.

To log on to the form and apply, you will need to have accepted an offer of study at Bristol as your first choice.

Apply for undergraduate accommodation

You will need the following information to access the form:

• University of Bristol student number, or UCAS personal ID.
• Last name
• Date of birth

You should apply as soon as your place has been confirmed via UCAS (you will not be able to access the form before that).

The second round of applications will open on Thursday 17 August and close on Thursday 31 August. This round of applications is for non-guaranteed students.  

Problems logging into the application system?

Please check that you:

• are using your student number (found on your offer letter) and not your applicant ID;
• have accepted your offer of study a day before or earlier. The University's student records system is updated overnight so if you have accepted your offer of study today, try again tomorrow.

Once you have applied for accommodation and A-level results have been confirmed, we begin to allocate students to rooms. Accommodation is not allocated on a first-come-first served basis. For the second round of applications (open between 17 August and 31 August) residences that are already oversubcribed will be removed from the preference options, so those applying later in the process will have a limited selection of residences. 

How we allocate undergraduate accommodation

The University is committed to creating balanced communities in all its residences, reflecting the overall profile of the student body. The selection of residences is managed by the Accommodation Office.

• Selections are randomised within fixed criteria: student preference, gender, nationality, school type, faculty.
• Students with disabilities, health-needs or other special requirements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Only one offer of accommodation will be made.

All allocations to University and partnership residences are governed by the University of Bristol's Equality and Diversity Policy:

You will be sent an email on the accommodation offers days with a link for you to log in and access details of your accommodation offer.

• If you apply for accommodation in the first round of applications, which close on the guarantee deadline of 31 July your accommodation offer will be made on 23 August 2017, and you will need to accept by 29 August 2017.
• If you apply for accommodation in the second round of applications (open between 17 August and 31 August) and we are able make you an offer, your accommodation offer will be made on 1 September 2017 and you will need to accept by 5 September 2017. 

The email normally contains the following information:

• Name and address of residence
• Type of room allocated
• Accommodation fees and instalment information
• Tenancy dates
• Student residence conditions

All rooms are allocated when the offers are made, there are no rooms left for moving people or changing rooms at this stage. Please note the following important information about your offer:

• We will only make you one offer.
• You normally have 3-4 days in which to accept your offer.
• Due to the large numbers of applicants it can take a while to process offers. If you do not receive your email by 6 pm log back into your application following the link on our home page, your offer should be there. If it isn't give us a ring.

Check your offer email carefully. If you miss the acceptance deadline you will lose your room and we may not be able to offer you another.

The information below answers the most commonly asked questions, please read through it to see if it answers your query before contacting us: 

Why is my offer not for my preferred residence(s)?

Unfortunately every year some of our residences are over subscribed and we cannot offer places to all the students who would like to live there. We appreciate this can be disappointing at first. Look at the web pages for the residence you have been offered, join the Facebook group and get to know some of the other students who will be living there. And remember - none of our residences are a bad place to live!

I have been offered a temporary shared room, what does that mean?

We occasionally need to double up some rooms at the start of term. In 2016 a total of 150 students had to share a room at the very start of term. By the end of November, all students who wanted their own room had been moved. Some of these temporary sharers chose to stay sharing for the rest of the academic year. If your offer is for a temporary share, please do keep an open mind. These temporary shares are very short-term, can be a great way to meet new people at University and, because you pay a reduced fee while sharing, it's a cost-saving option too.

Can I change, transfer or cancel my offer?

It is not possible to change your offer or move you to another residence at this stage. You must not transfer your offer to another student yourself, as this could mean you are charged for two amounts of fees. We recommend you accept your accommodation offer so that you are guaranteed somewhere to live.

Once you move in to your residence you can then join our transfer waiting list, which opens after the first two weeks of term. Details about moving between residences can be found on our current undergraduate students page.

What if I've been offered more expensive accommodation than I asked for?

Occasionally we have to offer a small number of students accommodation that costs more than their selected maximum fee. This is because we have too many applications for our lower-price rooms. You should accept your current offer so that you are guaranteed somewhere to live.

As soon as less expensive accommodation becomes available we will make you an alternative offer. We will usually be in contact with an alternative offer before the start of term, or soon after. Remember, you don't need to pay accommodation fees until after you have moved in.

If your question has not been answered here, please do contact us. 

Once your accommodation offer has been made, you will need to formally accept it online. Instructions are included in your offer email along with a deadline for accepting your offer. Please note the following important information about accepting your offer:

• We will only make you one offer
• You normally have 3-4 days in which to accept your offer
• If you miss the deadline to accept your offer you will lose your room and we may not be able to offer you another

You don't need to pay any accommodation fees at this stage, as long as you have accepted your offer of accommodation you will receive an invoice after you have fully registered at University. 

How do I accept my offer if I am out of the country?

If you are out of the country you can still accept your offer as long as you have internet access. If there is a chance you will not have reliable internet access, make sure you arrange for a parent or guardian to accept the offer on your behalf. They will need your 7-digit student number and must be able to access your offer email.

Once you've accepted your offer, naturally you'll start to think about moving in to your new home! Your offer will contain a lot of information about your new residence, including the terms and conditions of living in University-allocated accommodation and the rules and regulations for your residence. You should take the time to read this information before you arrive so that you know what is expected of you as a tenant of the University.

Now is also the time to think about insurance for the belonings you'll be bringing with you to University. The type of cover you have varies according to which residence you are in, and you can get details on our accommodation fees page. It is your responsibility to check that the level of cover offered is adequate to cover your belongings. If you plan to bring your bicycle with you you should top up your cover as bikes are not covered by any of the policies.