Accommodation

Whether you're looking for a city centre experience or a quiet part of town, we'll help you find a place to call home.

University accommodation

Living in a university residence offers you the chance to join a student community. Residences organise their own sporting and social activities, and a team of staff and students is on site to offer you support and practical help. You'll live with undergraduate students from other countries and cultures, including the UK.

Take a look at the residences available to Study Abroad students.

Accommodation guarantee

All September entry students are guaranteed an offer of a place in University accommodation, if they apply by the deadline.

January entry, non-exchange students are guaranteed an offer of a place in University accommodation, if they apply by the deadline. We cannot offer an accommodation guarantee to January entry exchange students, but we make every effort to place as many students as possible in a University residence or help them find private accommodation.

If you are on the STABEL programme you will need to apply for university accommodation twice: once for the pre-sessional English course, and once for the Study Abroad Programme. It may not be possible to stay in the same room for both courses. The Centre for Study Abroad inbound team will contact STABEL students with more information.

Health needs or disabilities

Some students may need accommodation that has specific facilities or adaptions. This could be due to disability, health conditions or other accessibility needs. Find out more about how to request a University room that is suitable for your accommodation needs if you have a disability and/or health need.

Mature students

If you are 21 or over and want to live in accommodation with other mature students, you should indicate this on the accommodation application form. We will do our best to make sure that you live with other mature students, but most often the students living around you will be 18 or 19 years old.

Living in private rented accommodation

After the first year at University, most UK students live in private accommodation. If you are looking for a more independent lifestyle, you may prefer private rented accommodation. Most rental contracts are for a minimum of 12 months but it is possible to find shorter-term accommodation.

There is a lot of competition to find private rented accommodation in Bristol. To give yourself the best chance of finding somewhere suitable to live, start looking as early as you can. If possible, we advise that you visit the UK when looking for accommodation.

Our Accommodation Office offers information and guidance on where to look for private accommodation and how to make sure you find a safe place to live by following their housing advice. You can use their Bristol rental areas map to explore the different rental areas along with details about each of these. We also recommend Bristol SU lettings, a lettings agency run by the Students' Union.

If you are living in privately rented accommodation, you will be liable for paying council tax for any dates outside your official university registration. You may be exempt from council tax during university term dates, but you will need to apply for this exemption.

More information on living in privately rented accommodation.