Listed below are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from applicants about staying in student accommodation while studying at Solent.
Our applications will usually go live during March. If you have selected Solent University as your firm choice through UCAS, we'll email you inviting you to apply for accommodation from this point onwards.
You must apply before 30 June to be guaranteed a place in our residences.
No. You can only apply for our residences if Solent University is your firm choice, when we'll send you an email inviting you to apply for a room with us.
We set aside certain areas for specific types of students including mature, postgraduate, returning students, single sex and LGBTQ+. We also have designated quieter areas in most of our residences. These areas have limited rooms and we cannot guarantee we'll be able to meet your request.
Please note that we cannot provide completely quiet living as it is not possible to prevent noise from corridors or externally.
If you require a specific allocation or change to your room, we need to know in advance - preferably when submitting your application for accommodation. This could be a minor change or addition - you may have requirement for a longer bed if you are over 6’ 4”, or you may require a small fridge for medicine or special dietary requirements, or you may need an en-suite room due to an unseen medical condition.
If you require a room with specific adaptations, the University has a few rooms which have some levels of accessibility. In these circumstances, we would advise an occupational therapist visit to ascertain whether the room is suitable for you and if there are any further adaptations required to be made in the room.
Please note that these changes/adaptations take time and need to be arranged well in advance of your arrival into the residences. We may delay or not be able to accommodate requests that are not submitted prior to your moving in date.
If the above applies to you and you have a firm offer of a place to study at Solent, you'll be able to fill in our personal needs form for living in residences.
Yes. You can request to be in the same flat or kitchen group as a friend. All friends involved must put the names of those they want to share with on their application. However, we cannot guarantee we will be able to undertake your request, as it depends on when you apply for accommodation and whether we have availability.
You don't need to let us know you are living at home or in an alternative provider in the private sector and can ignore any emails from us. However, we do send out reminder emails to students and if you wish to stop these emails being sent to you, just email us and ask to be removed from our list.
We guarantee accommodation to undergraduate applicants who apply for a full-time course starting in September at Solent University until 30 June. You must have chosen Solent as your firm choice.
Please note, our accommodation is self-catered, single-occupancy, en-suite with shared kitchen facilities and non en-suite with shared kitchen, shower and toilet facilities.
We don’t take deposits from students. We require students to pay an advanced rent payment of £150 for UK students, £1000 for international students, and £150 for returning students at the time of accepting your room offer. This will be deducted from your accommodation fees.
Under the current Terms of Residency, you do not need a guarantor to apply for our accommodation.
Accommodation fees for UK students are split into three instalments due around the time your maintenance loan is paid in October, January and May. Remember, your advanced rent payment will be deducted from this amount. Payments are automatically taken from the card details provided when students pay their advanced rent payment.
Accommodation fees for international students are due in two instalments do on 1 September and 1 February (less the £1,000 already paid by your advanced rent payment, if the contract is accepted before September).
There are separate arrangements for Merchant Navy cadets and students, which we will be happy to advise you of separately.
Yes. The Income Team can do this for you. You can change your card details here.
Don’t worry, the Income Team can help you. You can contact them by email or phone:
E: income.team@solent.ac.uk
T: 023 8201 3970
Please do contact them if you are struggling with your fees as they may be able to set up a payment plan for you to help.
- Up to 100 MB WiFi access (ethernet cables are also provided).
- Personal contents insurance.
- Social spaces with various complimentary activities.
- All utility bills.
- Cleaning of communal areas.
- Repairs and maintenance.
- Residence team available 24 hours a day.
- Exclusive access to the ResLife events and giveaways.
We'll email students who have deferred their place and invite them to apply in time for their year of entry. If you haven't received an email from us by April, please do contact us and we'll look into this for you.
If you're deferring after you've accepted your contract, please email us to let us know. Providing you let us know prior to the start of your contract, we'll refund any payments made.
Yes. We do not have a cut-off date for applying for our residences, so if we still have rooms available, we'll offer students a room. We also keep a waiting list for when we have rooms released and offer advice to students looking for accommodation in the private sector.
We can still provide support and guidance for you. The University has a website which we run in collaboration with the University of Southampton and Southampton City Council called SASSH. This provides a list of local landlords who sign up to the SASSH standards of housing. There are also privately run halls of residence on the website who are all signed up to ANUK.
Our private housing adviser will also look over a contract for you if you want it checked.
No. All our accommodation is self-catered single student study bedrooms with shared kitchens, either en-suite or non en-suite.
Standard contracts start on 11 September 2025, with main moving in slots on 11, 12 and 13 September. You will not be able to move in prior to this date, with the exception of international students, who are able to arrive two days early to assist with flight arrangements.
Yes. Your contract starts on 11 September 2025, but if you're unable to arrive during the usual move in dates, just email us to let us know.
Yes. We keep a waiting list for students wanting to move rooms to either a different flat/kitchen group or residence.
Southampton city centre has many hotels and bed and breakfast establishments where parents can stay. The Visit Southampton website may be useful.
No. We're sorry, but we're unable to store your belongings when you are out of contract. There are plenty of storage companies in the city that will collect, store and deliver your belongings to a new location at competitive prices.
Study bedrooms at university have limited storage space, so think about what you really need to bring with you. All rooms within the student residences are furnished with a bed, chair, desk, wardrobe and bookshelf space.
Yes. Since 1 September 2016, you need to be covered by a TV Licence to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer. This applies to any device and provider you use. You will also need a TV Licence to watch or record programmes on any channel.
- A TV Licence applies to any device and provider you use, including:
- TV sets (including smart TVs).
- Laptops and desktop computers.
- Tablets, mobile phones and other portable devices.
- Digital boxes or PVRs (such as Sky, Virgin Media or BT Vision).
- Games consoles.
- Media streaming devices (such as Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Now TV).
- Freeview, Freesat or YouView.
If you’re found to be using TV without a licence, you may be prosecuted and fined up to £1,000. Students requiring further information should visit the TV Licensing website.
No. We're sorry, but we do not allow pets or support animals in our residences.
Each residence has its own car park. There is an additional charge for parking. Students can apply for a space at the same time as applying for their accommodation and must provide us with the make, model and registration number of their car. The parking contract is offered for the same duration as your accommodation contract and we cannot offer custom dates. Parking must be paid in full, in advance, to accept the offer. Please note, sometimes we are unable to offer a parking space in the same residence as your room offer, due to limited capacity, but all of our parking and residences are within five minutes of each other.
If there are surplus spaces, we will offer these to non-resident students at the end of September.
There are provisions for motorbikes at the residences and there is no charge to park there. Some of the residence car parks can facilitate motorbikes free of charge. We will require your motorbike details as well, so please email us to arrange this.
The residences also have bike storage available.
Core possessions insurance has been provided through Howden for every student living at the student residences for the 2025/26 academic year. Your policy number is HH1179.
The insurance covers a range of belongings in your room, including laptops, sports and electrical equipment, clothes and frozen food. This has been arranged by the University at no extra cost to students.
You have the option to customise and extend your policy to suit your individual needs and avoid being under-insured. For example you may also want to insure your other possessions such as your mobile phone, push bike, or laptop for use outside your room.
For claims information or to extend your policy, please visit the Howden website.
Our Residence Team are available 24/7 via their mobile number 07778 345113 or you can email them on reshub@solent.ac.uk. They're based at David Moxon in the Residence Hub for any of your queries or problems with your room.
