Accommodation information for parents

During a University open day, your son/daughter (and you, space allowing) can take a tour of our student residences.

All our residences are located within walking distance of the campus and the city centre. There is no real need to bring a car, although there is limited parking available at most properties.

To make life easier, accommodation fees can be paid in three equal instalments – normally in October, January and May.

As well as covering the rental cost of the accommodation, the fees also pay for:

• utility bills,
• high-speed internet connections,
• cleaning of communal areas,
• accommodation during Christmas and Easter,
• repairs and maintenance.

Once your son/daughter receives an offer to study here, and Solent University is their first choice university, they will be sent an email inviting them to apply for accommodation. This information is normally sent out during March.

Yes. To accept the offer of accommodation, you'll need to choose a payment plan and make an advance rent payment by credit or debit card.

• £150 for UK applicants,
• £1,000 for applicants from outside the UK, if accepting before 31 August,
• £150 for second- and third-year students.

This advance rent payment is not a deposit and will be taken off your son or daughter's overall accommodation fees for the year.

If your son or daughter has requested a car parking space you'll receive a separate parking allocation offer. To accept this offer, you'll need to make full payment of the parking fees. Typically, car parking offers are sent during August.

Accommodation for a ‘standard’ room in student residences is guaranteed providing an application is received prior to 30 June 2025. Places are allocated by the University's accommodation office on receipt of applications on a first-come, first-served basis, although students with an established need (that is, those with a disability) are given priority on certain types of adapted rooms.

All undergraduate applicants are eligible to apply for accommodation irrespective of where they live – unlike some universities, our rooms are not allocated according to distance between the University campus and the family home.

For more independence, some students opt for private rented accommodation, either as a lodger or sharing a house or flat with some friends.

To safeguard our students' interests, we have a landlord accreditation scheme for Southampton and the surrounding area. Properties can be viewed on the SASSH website, along with the criteria that properties must achieve to qualify for the scheme.

It's a good idea to encourage your son/daughter to start looking as early as possible before the course starts and ensure they visit private accommodation to check that it is both suitable and affordable.

Students living in the University's residences are required to provide their own bedding, including sheets, pillows, pillowcases, duvet, duvet cover and blankets. The residences are self-catering and students will need to bring crockery, including cups, plates, dishes, and so on (suitable for microwave use). All cutlery and cooking utensils, pots and pans must be suitable for use on an electric hob. It is also advisable to bring tea towels, dishcloths and coat hangers.

Student life provides young people with the opportunity to be independent and stand on their own two feet, but we believe that help should never be far away if they need it. All our student residences have a dedicated management team on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each residence, study-bedroom and kitchen is designed to ensure only residents can gain access.

The residences meet the current fire safety regulations and the government approved codes of practice for management of student accommodation.

We would welcome comments from parents and students alike, and if, over the course of the year, you have additional questions we could include, please let us know.