Happy New Year everyone! Today’s blog is aimed at our prospective students for 2021-22 and whether you’ve already confirmed your offer with Exeter or are still making decisions, it’s good to find out as much as you can beforehand.
Finding somewhere to live can be quite nerve-wracking. However, it is also one of the most exciting parts of moving to University. Whether itâs your first time living away from home or youâre starting in a new city, itâs always good to know what’s out there and all options available to you.
The Accommodation Guarantee
Accommodation applications for the 2021/22 academic year open on Monday 12th April 2021. We try to ensure that we can offer as many students as possible a place in accommodation. However, due to the amount of bed spaces we have available we are unable to guarantee accommodation to everyone. Despite this, if you meet our guarantee criteria you will be offered accommodation with us.
We guarantee to make you an offer of accommodation if you apply by 31 July 2021 and are:
- An undergraduate unaccompanied home, EU or international student who has firmly accepted an offer of a place at the University of Exeter entering their first year of study (i.e. Year 1).
- An unaccompanied international postgraduate from outside of the EU, in your first year of study, for the full academic year starting in September.
- An unaccompanied incoming study abroad or Erasmus student at studying at the University of Exeter for the full academic year starting in September.
How are rooms allocated?
We allocate all applications received before the deadline randomly. We look at the most popular residences first and once weâve filled a residence, we look into assigning flats. When doing this we will check your accommodation preferences as put down on your application, including interests, to try to get the right fit for you. These preferences can include the following criteria:
- If you would prefer a quiet flat (to live with other people who have mentioned this within their application)
- The ages of people you wish to live with out of the following options: 20 and under, 21-25, 25-35 or over 35
- If you would prefer to live on the ground floor
- If you would prefer to live with people who do not drink alcohol
- You are also required to a minimum of four interests out of the following: sport (type), music, social, clubs, pubs, shopping/fashion, culture, reading, TV/cinema, travel, art, drama/theatre, current affairs, outdoor, gaming and other
- If you would prefer single gender accommodation or a mixed flat
Will I get the accommodation I choose?
Whilst we try our hardest to allocate you to your preferences, due to high demand we are sometimes unable to do this. If this is the case, the information you provided on the application form will be used as a guide for the type of accommodation we offer you.
Although you may not be allocated accommodation on-campus, Exeter is a small city and wherever you are based wonât be any more than a 30 minute walk to campus. Take a look at our walking distances map to see where our residences are located.  
What do I do if I donât qualify for University accommodation?
Exeter has a large range of accommodation available for students. There are a lot of purpose-built private halls of residence within the city which offer individual tenancies. These are often similar to University accommodation with corridors of flats or en-suite and studio rooms available for all-inclusive rents. Many of the private residences also offer social spaces and facilities where you can have the opportunity to meet other students. We have information on our website about the larger providers who operate within the city.
We also suggest Studentpad to look for private accommodation. Studentpad is the official University of Exeter student accommodation search engine and contains a variety of properties from private landlords. It also includes a message board that allows you to speak to other students which can be incredibly useful as a way to find flatmates.
Whatever your circumstances we are here to support you in finding your place to live. Thank you for taking the time to read todayâs blog. Check back next week for more useful information to help you in choosing your accommodation options!
Accommodation Team