March 21, 2014, by International students
An international student’s guide to choosing accommodation — for undergraduates
Hugh Stewart Hall
This is our guide to choosing accommodation for international undergraduate applicants. You can find our guide to choosing accommodation for international postgraduate applicants here.
So you’ve been accepted to Nottingham, and now you have to choose your accommodation! This will be one of the most important decisions you make as an international student. Aside from booking your travel and dealing with those pesky (but important!) visa applications, taking some time to choose your living arrangements is essential.
After all, your accommodation is your own personal space — where you study, where you sleep and where you eat. It will also be a place where you find friends, and maybe some other international students in similar situations!
Broadgate Park
The good news is, as an international undergraduate, you are guaranteed accommodation for up to three years while at Nottingham. This is provided, of course, that you have officially been offered a course place and that you firmly accept this offer and apply for your accommodation as soon as you can. If you wish to return for years 2 and 3, be sure to submit a returner’s application in line with the requirements of the accommodation provider.
But first you have to decide which hall and location suit your needs.
What campus is your course/main area of study based?
In Nottingham, there are three campuses where accommodation is offered: the main campus (University Park), Jubilee Campus, Sutton Bonington. If you’d rather be close to your department, be sure to select accommodation that’s nearest to your campus. NOTE: If you find your accommodation a bit far from your campus, the University runs a free hopper bus service that runs between all three campuses and near most accommodation!
Do you like to cook?
The University offers catered and self-catered halls. In catered halls, you’ll have meals provided to you for breakfast and dinner, as well as a meal card for lunch at catering outlets around the University Park and Jubilee Campuses. Be sure to select a catered hall if this sounds appealing to you. Alternatively, self-catered halls offer full kitchen facilities for you to use any time of the day.
Will you be staying for holidays?
Catered accommodation is term time only (meaning that during holiday periods at the University, you will have to vacate your room). If you want to keep your belongings if your room, or if you wish to stay in your room during the holidays, you can pay an additional charge for this. If you don’t want to pay this charge, make sure you apply for self-catered accommodation, which includes vacation periods and extends to 44 weeks (instead of the usual 33 in catered accommodation).
Prefer being closer to town?
Students relaxing at Broadway Cinema in Nottingham city centre
The University will offer guidance in finding accommodation off campus that further suits your needs. Check out Unipol where they have properties listed under Unipol code — basically, most of the properties have been screened as legitimate and you won’t find yourself being swindled by “dodgy” landlords! (Note: Not all the properties on the Unipol site are covered by the code, so make sure the properties you’re interested in are covered.)
Find out more
To find out more information on each of these halls, visit the accommodation website.
If you prefer living in a non-University flat or house, check out Unipol for some certified accommodation.
John Lynskey, international student from the United States studying a PhD in Film and Television Studies at The University of Nottingham.
English
[…] This is our guide to choosing accommodation for international postgraduate applicants. You can find our guide to choosing accommodation for international undergraduate applicants here. […]