How and when to apply
Whether you're a new student, or a current student returning, you need to think about your options for student accommodation for the next academic year as early as possible. Select the relevant tab below for information on applying.
Before you apply
If you are already a student at Keele and will be studying with us again you will need to check to see if you are eligible and make sure that you do not have any outstanding accommodation fees.
- If you are a current final year undergraduate applying for a postgraduate course you will apply for accommodation as new starter rather than a returning student.
- If you are planning to study abroad next year, for either the 1st semester or the full year, please don’t apply for accommodation now.
If you have any disabilities or additional needs that we are not already aware of it is important that you contact our Disability Support and Inclusion team to discuss these in order that any necessary adjustments can be made and you are offered an appropriate room.
There are of course many other things you need to think about before applying.
Looking to live off campus? If you are not eligible or are unsuccessful in applying for campus accommodation, you will need to look for somewhere to live in the local area. We have lots of information and advice about living off-campus.
Specific dates and more detailed information on accommodation applications for the following academic year can be found here.
Key dates:
|
DATE |
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN |
|
December |
If you require your application to be supported by Disability Support you must contact them by the end of December. Please contact them as soon as possible to ensure that the support for your accommodation application is in place before the accommodation application window opens. |
|
January |
Applications open |
|
29 January |
Students' Union Housing Fair – to look for off-campus accommodation. |
|
February |
Offers of accommodation made |
|
February |
Deadline to accept your contract If you wish to accept the offer. Please remember that once you accept your accommodation contract you are legally bound to pay all fees. |
|
31 August |
Deadline for paying £150 deposit and £300 part payment towards the first instalment of your accommodation fees. |
Before you apply
If you are interested in living on campus during your first year at Keele, there is no better way to see our range of student accommodation than on one of our Open Days that run throughout the year. If you are unable to attend one of these days, you can always find out more information about our accommodation online. Places are limited and in high demand, so we encourage you to apply as early as you are able.
You can only apply for accommodation after you have formally accepted your place at Keele as follows:
- If your application to Keele was made through UCAS you will need to select your Firm and Insurance choice Universities - see accepting your offer through UCAS
- If you made a direct application, you will need to complete and return the acceptance/fee classification form which was sent with your offer to Keele.
We recommend that you apply as soon as you receive your invitation e-mail. Please note that it can take up to 48 hours for your record to be updated once you accept your offer of a place at Keele, so you will need to wait before completing your online accommodation application.
If you have any disabilities or additional needs it is important that you contact our Disability Support and Inclusion team to discuss these in order that any necessary adjustments can be made and you are offered an appropriate room.
Key dates:
| Date | What Happens When |
|---|---|
| February - June 2024 | Applicants begin to apply for accommodation |
| 30th June 2024 | Deadline for accommodation applications (applications will continue to be accepted after 30 June deadline and any accommodation offers will then be made from mid August onwards) |
| Mid July onwards | Accommodation allocated to students that have met their course conditions (including deferred and unconditional applicants) and offers sent via e-mail |
| 1st August - 15 August 2024 | No offers sent out |
| From 15 August 2024 | Accommodation offers sent to Firm applicants (where the offer to study at Keele was conditional on your examination results) |
| From 15 August 2024 | Accommodation offers sent to Insurance applicants (where the offer to study at Keele was conditional on your examination results) |
| 19 August 2024 | Clearing applicants apply for accommodation |
| 31 August 2024 | Advance payment deadline |
| 19 September 2024 | New international/EU arrivals day (including Postgraduate) |
| 21 & 22 September 2024 | UK students arrivals weekend (including Postgraduate and Nursing & Midwifery) |
If you are starting your course in January, there will be limited campus accommodation available and please note that you may be placed in a household of students who arrived at the start of Semester 1. If we are unable to offer you a room on campus, we will support you in finding a room off campus with one of our accredited landlords. Find out more about living off campus at www.keele.ac.uk/discover/accommodation/otheraccommodation/livingoffcampus/
If you have any disabilities or additional needs it is important that you contact our Disability Support and Inclusion team to discuss these in order that any necessary adjustments can be made and you are offered an appropriate room.
Key dates:
| Date | What Happens When |
|---|---|
|
October onwards |
Applicants can begin to apply for accommodation for January entry on a first come, first served basis. We advise you to apply before 6 December to receive an offer of accommodation before Winter vacation begins, based on our availability. |
|
1 November onwards |
We will begin to offer accommodation to applicants who are starting their course in January, based on our availability. Applications will be reviewed daily and offers of accommodation made until we reach full capacity. Applications will then be placed on our waiting list and offers made as rooms become available. |
|
22 January 2025 |
Study Abroad, Exchange or Erasmus programme, and BFSU (Beijing Foreign Studies University) arrival and key collection day |
|
22 January 2025 onwards |
Current students returning from leave of absence and semester abroad |
Live at one university but enjoy the facilities of two. There is no better way to see our range of student accommodation at Keele than on one of our Open Days that run throughout the year. If you are unable to attend one of these days, you can always find out more information about our accommodation online.
Before you apply
You can only apply for accommodation after you have been interviewed, received your course offer and firmly accepted your place.
You will be unable to apply for accommodation if you have selected Harper and Keele Veterinary school as your insurance choice.
Accommodation will be offered on a 41 week occupancy period which matches the length of the course.
If you have any disabilities or additional needs it is important that you contact our Disability Support and Inclusion team to discuss these in order that any necessary adjustments can be made and you are offered an appropriate room.
Key dates:
| Date | What Happens When |
|---|---|
| After accepting your course offer as firm choice | Applicants begin to apply for accommodation |
| Mid August onwards (after A Level results) | Accommodation allocated to applicants (after examination results confirmed) |
| Mid August onwards (after A Level results day) | Clearing applicants apply for accommodation |
| 31 August | Advance payment deadline |
| 19 September 2024 | New international/EU arrivals day |
| 21 & 22 September 2024 | Arrivals weekend |
With the exception of new Veterinary students you will submit your application via our accommodation portal.
New Veterinary School students will receive an invitation to apply for accommodation shortly after you accept your course offer on UCAS.
We want to create a diverse community within our accommodation, and we only allocate based on the letting period you choose and gender where you are sharing a bathroom. Here’s how we prioritise applications.
You will receive notification that an offer of accommodation has been made to you via email and you will be asked to log into our accommodation portal to review the offer.
We will use your Keele email address except if you are a new student, where we will initially use your personal email address for any correspondence. Please ensure that you do not use your school email - this will be de-activated before we send out offers of accommodation.
We will send mailings from accommodation@keele.ac.uk address. Please set this address as a ‘safe sender’ to avoid losing important information from us into your spam folder.
When you receive an offer of accommodation will very much depend upon your entry period and whether you are a returning or new or new vet school student.
The table below gives you an indication of when you can expect an offer so that you can keep an eye on your emails.
| September entry | January entry | |
| Returning students | February |
November onwards. Applications reviewed and offers of accommodation made daily, based on our availability. |
|
New foundation year or undergraduate students Holding an unconditional offer |
End July End August* End August/Early September*
|
November onwards. Applications reviewed and offers of accommodation made daily, based on our availability. |
| New postgraduate students | June - September* | November onwards. Applications reviewed and offers of accommodation made daily, based on our availability. |
| New Vet School students | End August | NA |
* depending on when your place to study at Keele is confirmed
- Offers of accommodation cannot be changed. There will be a room move list at the start of the next academic year if you wish to change rooms, but this is subject to availability.
- If we have more applications than rooms available, a small number of September entry students will be offered a temporary shared room at the start of term.
- Offers of accommodation cannot be changed. You will need to consider the offer that has been made to you.
If we make you an offer of accommodation you will have 3 working days to review it and decide whether you want to accept it, beginning the day after you receive the offer.
You will need to log into our accommodation portal do this.
If you are a new Veterinary School student, you will need to register for an account on the accommodation portal, before you can review your offer.
Offers of accommodation cannot be changed. If the accommodation that has been offered is not a preferred choice, depending upon availability, it may be possible to move rooms after teaching has commenced. There is no guarantee that your preferred accommodation will become available and so in accepting your offer you need to be prepared to live in that accommodation for the full occupancy period.
Your Licence Agreement is a legally binding contract. The Agreement will start from the moment that you accept your offer of accommodation online and not from when you make a payment.
We have a 7 day 'cooling-off period'. This means that if within 7 working days of accepting the Agreement you change your mind and notify us by email of that fact, you will be released from the Agreement.
If you choose to decline your offer of accommodation or do not respond within the 3 days, the room will automatically be offered to another applicant. If you want to live in University accommodation you should contact us immediately BEFORE declining the offer or letting it expire. Once you decline an offer, or it expires you may not be made another one.
Students who reside on campus are not usually eligible for a parking permit. You can find out more about the eligibility criteria for parking permits on the student parking page.