Being away from home means having full control over your meals. If you’re unsure whether you’d like to be in a catered or self-catered residence, here’s a more detailed look at both to help you decide.
Catered – What are the benefits?
Catered accommodation can be a great choice for your first year at University as it’s less hassle than cooking for yourself, and you don’t need to spend money and time to shop, prepare meals and wash up. With our catered option, you’ll have high quality and nutritious meals made by award-winning chefs throughout the term, whilst having plenty of time to socialise and study.
Meals are also enjoyed in communal dining rooms, allowing a great sense of community and the opportunity to make new friends.
Which residences are catered?
- Holland Hall – En-suite bedrooms with a glass-fronted dining room and a sun terrace, both with a stunning view over the Exe valley.
- Mardon Hall – A traditional building with single standard bedrooms and a wood-panelled library (now used as a study room) and grand staircases.
- Exeter Halls – Lopes Hall, Ransom Pickard and Pennsylvania Court offer a mixture of standard and en-suite bedrooms. The large dining room and social area for all three locations is based in Lopes Hall.
Our catered residences are all on the Streatham campus and available on a 32 week contract. This means you’ll need to move out of your room during the Christmas and Easter holidays. However, we can arrange alternative accommodation for you during these times if you need it.
What food is available?
The University catering team will cook up a range of international cuisines, and even dedicate one night a week to food from a particular country in the world.
Your accommodation fees cover 16 meals per week: breakfast and dinner Monday to Friday, and breakfast, brunch and dinner at the weekend. You’ll sort your own lunches during the week, but there’s a mini fridge in your room and you’ll also have access to a utility room to prepare snacks.
What about special dietary needs?
Various diets can be catered for as long as you speak to our chefs in advance. A vegetarian choice is available at every service and vegan options are at every dinner.
Find out more about catered, including meal times, special diets and view our sample menus>>
Self-catered – what are the benefits?
Shopping and cooking for yourself can help you develop great skills for life post-university. You’ll learn a lot about budgeting as well as what you do and don’t like to cook.
If you’re doing a course with late lectures and workshops, or if you’re going to be involved in sports or other societies, you may want to choose self-catered accommodation so you have flexibility around meal times.
Another thing to consider is the choice of food available. Whilst our catered accommodation offers a fantastic variety, if you like particular tastes or have certain dietary requirements, you might find cooking for yourself easier.
Many students who live in shared accommodation find that the kitchen area is the social area of their flat or house. Cooking together is ideal for socialising and saving money.
Which residences are self-catered?
Check out our Room Finder to see which residences are self-catered. We have 3 types available: en-suite, standard and studio.
- Shared kitchens (en-suite and standard) have a cooker with an oven, hob and grill, microwave, fridge/freezer, water boiler/kettle, dining table and chairs, and an ironing board. You will need to bring your own pots and pans, cutlery and crockery.
- Studio kitchens have a microwave or combi-oven, hob, fridge with freezer compartment, water boiler or kettle. Our studios at Birks Grange Village and Lafrowda also have a dining table and chair.
Need a day off from cooking?
The University has food outlets across both campuses which offer both eat-in and takeaway options. Whether you’re looking for something fresh on the go, hot plant-based meals or an exciting new concept each week, there will be an outlet for you.
The University catering team also offer Meal Package Cards, which enable self-catered students to buy a number of meals in catered residences for a fixed price, so you can have a night off from cooking and enjoy a meal with friends in catered dining rooms any time of the year.
You can also treat yourself to a variety of takeaways or meals out from restaurants around the city.
We hope this has given you some food for thought when you come to apply for your University accommodation.