Accommodation FAQs

From mid-February, once you have accepted your offer of a place on the UCAS website, you will be sent an automated email within 48 hours from our admissions team. This email has a link to access the accommodation information and online application portal.  

You need to log in and complete the online application accommodation form and submit it as soon as possible. We allocate on a first come first served basis.  

We will allocate your accommodation once we have received your application.  Please note that all offers of accommodation for halls of residence will be sent by email to the address that you provide on your accommodation application form. Please check your inbox regularly (including your junk folder) for your offer of accommodation. There are lots of attachments on the email we will send, so please ensure sufficient space in your inbox. 

The link to the online application form for Undergraduate and Postgraduate accommodation will be sent by email once applications are live and you have accepted the University of Cumbria as your first choice (normally around the end of February) . 

If you have any questions please email: 

Accommodationadmin@cumbria.ac.uk 

On the Accommodation Application Form, you will be asked if you would like to share a flat with anyone in particular. You need to write the name of your friend(s) on this section of the online form and the Accommodation Officer will try their best to meet your request. If possible, it would be helpful if you and your friend(s) could submit your forms at the same time. 

You can only apply for accommodation if you have accepted a place to study at the University; you must have accepted your place as your first choice to be able to apply.  

Also, you must wait 48 hours from your acceptance of a university place to allow the accommodation system to be updated. 24 hours after accepting a place of study you can apply for accommodation online.  

For more information, visit: How to register on the accommodation portal.

The full postal address of each campus residence and further information is listed on the individual residence page for each campus which can be found on the accommodation webpage. 

We cannot send you the personal details of the people who will be living with you. However, we encourage you to follow us on our social media channels: @uocaccommodation to connect with fellow students. 

Please refer to the information on each individual campus residence page. 

Carlisle – Brampton Road

Carlisle – Fusehill Street

Lancaster

Ambleside

Luggage should only be sent to arrive after your arrival date. We cannot guarantee secure storage of luggage, and belongings will not be covered by the university's block insurance policy until you are officially in residence. 

No. Our accommodation agreement includes the Christmas and Spring Holidays, so you can leave your belongings in your room during these periods. However, you will need to empty your room at the end of your booking agreement period. 

Please download our guidelines to access our ‘ What to bring to university accommodation’ checklist. You can also watch our video here. 

While you’ll want to make sure you have everything, there are a number of items either already available in the Halls or not allowed on campus, including: kettles, toasters, grills, rice cookers, deep fat fryers, chip pans, fridges, freezers, “one cup” elements, microwaves, washing machines and dryers, halogen lamps, candles, incense burners, sunbeds, heaters, barbecues, weapons, ornamental swords, amplifiers, illegal substances and pets.  

International Students can find advice about travel adaptors on the Electrical Safety First website. Please refer to the Electrical Safety website for further guidance appliance safety and voltage when travelling oversees.  

Everyone must now be covered by a TV Licence to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer – live, catch up or on demand. This applies to any device and provider you use.  

Don’t forget, you still need a TV Licence to watch or record programmes on any channel as they are being shown on TV, or live on an online TV service.  

This is the case no matter what device you’re watching on (whether it’s on a TV, a laptop, a mobile phone or a tablet), and no matter how you’re receiving the programmes - via an aerial, satellite, cable or streaming through the internet. It’s the law, and anyone without a valid TV Licence who watches or records television programmes as described above is at risk of prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.  For up-to-date cost information and details on the many ways you can pay, please visit the TV Licensing website.  

You will therefore almost certainly need a TV Licence if you:  

• Watch live TV (except where it is a communal TV in Halls)  

• Watch catch-up TV on BBC iPlayer (via any means i.e. Freeview / online)  

• Have a TV tuner attached to your computer  

• Watch TV via a PC or laptop  

• Watch TV via a games console  

• If you are in halls or a shared house - you will probably still need your own TV Licence to watch any BBC content (some exceptions apply).  

More information is available: Students - TV Licensing

The routes most commonly travelled by students are well covered by public transport and the University of Cumbria is committed to encouraging students and staff to consider alternative modes of transport in a bid to reduce the university's overall carbon footprint.   

With the University's sustainability and green initiatives and the green transport plan, we do not encourage students to bring cars when living in university accommodation. There are car parks at all sites, but these have extremely limited spaces and a permit will be required. For more information please visit: Parking | MyCumbria 

Yes, you can, but you are not permitted to store bicycles inside the residences. Bicycles must be stored in cycle sheds where available or in cycle racks. Further information on where you can store your bikes can be found in the Accommodation Halls Handbook.  

No. For special medical requirements, pharmacy fridges can be provided on request during the application process. Please contact your accommodation team if you have a requirement for a separate fridge. 

Heating, lighting, water and internet costs are included in your rent and full-time students do not need to pay council tax. Additional costs to consider are paying for laundry, food and or transport.

As a student of the University of Cumbria living in our Halls of Residence, your rent also includes Contents Insurance via Howdens UK.

We provide free Howden's insurance for all students in our accommodation and we recommend you take up the insurance that we provide. To take advantage of this offer you need to activate the policy, details for this are included in the pre-arrival emails sent to you and during Welcome Week, upon arrival and via the Accommodation Portal. 

Each hall has laundry facilities operated by Circuit Laundry available for students to use. The washing machines and dryers are operated by downloading the Circuit Go App. You will be provided information how to use these during arrivals weekend. 

Accommodation invoices are issued by our Accounts Payable Team in three termly instalments: September, January, and April. These payment dates are typically aligned with the schedule for student loan payments. 

Each instalment amount is calculated based on the number of nights covered within that term, so the charges are not split into equal amounts. A detailed breakdown of the invoice amounts for each term can be found in your booking agreement, available through the accommodation portal. 

From the date of issue, students have 7 days to pay their termly accommodation invoice in full via our online payment platform. 

If your student finance payment is delayed, you must contact both the Accommodation Team and the Accounts Receivable Team as soon as possible to notify them of the delay. 

You will be required to provide evidence of the delay, such as confirmation that your student loan payment date has been changed. Once this has been reviewed, a temporary 7-day hold may be placed on your account while further updates are received, or payment arrangements are confirmed. 

It is important that you maintain regular communication with the relevant teams throughout this process and keep them informed of any changes to your student finance status. 

If you experience financial difficulties and are concerned about making your accommodation payment, it is important that you contact the Accommodation Team and the Accounts Receivable Team as soon as possible. They can discuss your circumstances with you and advise on any payment plan options that may be available. 

We also encourage students facing financial hardship to contact the university's Money Advice Team, who can provide guidance and assess eligibility for any available hardship funding or financial support. 

Please note that if an accommodation invoice remains unpaid and attempts to communicate or agree a payment arrangement are unsuccessful, the university may commence debt recovery procedures and seek recovery of the outstanding balance from your guarantor, where applicable. 

Payments are made through our online payment platform. If a payment plan has been agreed and your payment details change, you should update these through the online payment platform as soon as possible. 

If you experience any difficulties updating your details or believe the changes may affect your agreed payment plan, please contact the accounts receivable team for further advice and support. 

Students are bound by their Booking Agreement to pay rent for the entire duration of the contracted length of stay, even if you vacate your room for a period of leave before the end of the Booking Agreement.  

Please refer to the Conditions of Residence which forms part of your Booking Agreement for more information and any break-in-agreement clauses, then email your accommodation office with your request. You will be contacted as soon possible. 

Yes. All students applying for accommodation will be required to provide a UK-based guarantor.  

For those unable to provide a guarantor, the University of Cumbria partners with Housing Hand, who can provide a suitable guarantor. To access this service, you will be required to complete a Housing Hand application during the offer process via our affiliate link. Please visit housinghand.co.uk for more information. 

If you reject your offer of accommodation, you will not be able to repeat an application at this stage. If you wish to proceed with a further application, please contact the accommodation team to check availability. 

You can log into your online accommodation portal, where you can access your booking agreement along with all other accommodation documents. 

You must notify the accommodation team as soon as possible if you are having Visa problems, should you no longer wish to proceed with your accommodation. Please see the international guide for more information. 

If you wish to extend your Booking Agreement past the end date, please contact the accommodation team who will advise on our availability. Please note that where this may be possible, it will require an additional room move for consolidation purposes. 365 accommodation is available to those with Care Leaver status. 

Yes. While many students choose to stay in university accommodation, you’re not required to. You can live at home or arrange your own accommodation locally and commute to campus for your studies – it’s all about what works best for you. 

That said, many students find that living in university halls during their first undergraduate year can be a great way to make friends, build a social network, and fully experience student life. Halls often provide opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds, get involved in activities, and develop a sense of community. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your personal circumstances and preferences. 

Yes. Many students choose to rent privately in their second and third years, either on their own or with others. There are a range of options available near our campuses, and you can explore local letting agents, student housing groups or online listings to find suitable accommodation. Our Student Life team support Housing Events during winter term to support students in the house hunting. 

We partner with StudentPad, which shows available properties let by registered landlords within the local area. To find out more, please visit www.cumbriastudentpad.co.uk 

A commuter student is someone who travels to campus for their teaching rather than living in university accommodation. This might mean living at your family home or in your own local accommodation and travelling in for lectures and study. 

No. You’ll still attend lectures, work on group projects, join societies, access support services and build friendships. Many of our students commute, so you won’t be the only one balancing study with travel. 

In most cases, yes. Some students choose to commute in their first year and move into accommodation later, or vice versa. You get to decide what works best for your circumstances. 

Yes. Our campuses in Carlisle, Lancaster, Ambleside, Barrow-in-Furness and London are well connected by road and public transport. Many students travel daily from surrounding towns and counties. 

If you are a Tier 4 student, you must confirm in advance where you intend to live while studying in the UK. We strongly recommend that you live in accommodation on the campus on which you will study. If you choose to live in private rented accommodation, you must not live more than one hour away from your campus.  

Once you have accepted your offer of your study place you will receive an email from our admissions team with information about the accommodation application process. Please use this information to let us know your preferred places to live. 

Please refer to 'Paying Fees' section above, where you will find information for those wishing to pay in instalments.

For our international students, we would encourage you to live with our home (UK-based) residential students. However, if your preference is to live together mainly with other international students, this can also be arranged. 

Prior to arrival at your allocated hall of residence, the accommodation team will send out useful documents and checklists to ensure you have everything you need before leaving home. 

Please refer to the Electrical Safety website for further guidance appliance safety and voltage when travelling overseas: Click Here

No. We do not provide bedding and kitchen packs to those students travelling from overseas. You will need to buy these in advance. However, Uni Kit Out can deliver these items directly to campus, and we can place them in your room upon arrival. Please visit https://www.unikitout.com/ for more information. 

Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) students are offered a choice of accommodation: our on-campus residence Carrock Halls, based at our Fusehill Street Campus, or Denton Holme Student Village, the university’s nominated partner for off-campus accommodation. 

Both residences offer a mix of room types, with Carrock Halls providing Ensuite provision, organised into flats of 5-7 rooms per flat. Denton Holme offers a mix of Ensuite and Standard Single rooms, in Townhouse settings, and offer residential parking with a short 20-minute walk from Fusehill Campus and the city centre. 

A 46-week agreement length will be issued to PCSM students choosing either of the above accommodation options. You will not need to vacate your room at Christmas or Easter. 

For those seeking accommodation within the private sector, we support a registered landlord database, Cumbria Student Pad, which shows property availability within the local area. To find out more, please visit www.cumbriastudentpad.co.uk 

Given the nature of the course requirements for Pears Cumbria Medical School students, we can reassure students that during the allocation process you will be placed in flats alongside other medical school students. 

Students are asked to provide details of their preferences as part of the application process to support our accommodation team in making allocation decisions. Please note that whilst we will endeavour to meet your preferences are requested, we are unable to guarantee them. Please note that the availability of single sex accommodation is limited due to the ratio of male to female applicants and the requirement to house medical students together against a longer contract length. 

University-level study will come with more freedom than what you’re used to, but we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Whether you live on or off campus, our teams are dedicated to helping you both in and outside of the classroom, providing advice on managing your studies, making friends, protecting your health and wellbeing, navigating the cost of living, and so much more. To learn more, visit our Student Support page here. 

The University of Cumbria gives all possible support to disabled students and those with limiting long term illness. To enable us to work with you to help meet your individual requirements, it is important that you provide full details on your application form of anything that is likely to impact your accommodation needs.  

We understand that disability is not always visible and related to physical impairments and our Student Services teams can also provide additional support. We have adapted rooms and encourage you to visit us to see our facilities and talk to our accommodation team before you accept a place in residence. If you want us to consider any special circumstances, please let us know as soon as possible.  

For further information on disabled access please visit our Disability Services page. 

If you have any religious requirements, please let the accommodation team know when you apply. They will do their best to support your needs or can direct you to the campus Chaplain for further guidance. 

We also provide a dedicated prayer room on campus for students to use.