Student Accommodation - Living at Aston University

All Aston’s student accommodation is on our green, self-contained campus in the
centre of Birmingham

If you are going to be living away from home, it is important to choose a university that offers you the type of accommodation you will be happy in. At Aston we encourage our first-year students to live in our residences on campus (and have a first year guarantee in place). This is because you are assured of quality facilities and support, and also because they are so conveniently placed and offer an easy way to meet friends. Our attractive, safe, compact campus and friendly students make living in University residences a very sociable and enjoyable experience and Birmingham city centre is only a short walk away.

Student Residences

• guaranteed room on campus for first-year students (see next section for details)
• 2,117 places in total, all on campus. Many of our final year students are also allocated places
• good value for money – fully inclusive prices with no extra bills or travel costs
• c39 week contracts – September to June each academic year.
• attractive, green campus in the heart of the city
• modern, safe and secure self-catering flats with 24-hour security, CCTV and swipe card access
• standard or en suite accommodation
• single study-bedrooms (no shared rooms), in flats of three to twelve students
• mixed and single-sex flats available
• Internet access in all rooms using WiFi technology
• numerous shops, cafés, pubs and eating places on and next to campus
• active student-run Residents’ Association (ACRA) who organise social and cultural activities, and help provide amenities for residents – launderettes, satellite TV rooms etc.
• access to a team of Residence Tutors living on campus, available to offer advice and support
• overall, one of the most convenient ranges of student accommodation in any UK university

Allocation Policy

You are guaranteed a place in University-owned residences on campus for your first year (2007 entry), providing you:

• hold Aston as your ‘firm choice’ (CF/UF) university
• have returned your accommodation application form and UCAS acceptance form (AS12) to the University by a certain date in July and August 2007 respectively

We also endeavour to accommodate students:

• holding Aston as their ‘insurance choice’ (CI/UI) university
• applying through Clearing

(Please note that Clearing and Insurance first-year students are not guaranteed University accommodation although we endeavour to find them a place on campus each year.)

Priority for non-first-year students is given to those in their final year returning from a sandwich or language placement abroad/outside Birmingham.

International fee-paying students are currently guaranteed accommodation for the full duration of their programme, provided that they apply each academic year by a certain date.

Local students (i.e. those living locally around Birmingham and the West Midlands) are currently guaranteed first-year accommodation on campus if they want it, in the same way as our non-local students.

Living on campus

Situated in the heart of Birmingham, the campus is a surprisingly green and tranquil setting for our student accommodation.

As well as being home to over 2,000 students and all our academic facilities, the campus has all the amenities of a small town: sports centres, swimming pool, cafés, restaurants and pubs, post office, supermarket, shops, travel centre, hairdressers, doctors, dentist, places of worship, opticians, three banks and plenty of green spaces.

In addition to all that the University has to offer, Birmingham city centre is only a few minutes’ walk away, making the campus an exciting and convenient place to live.

Here you will find everything else you could possibly need on your doorstep, including excellent shopping, social and part-time work opportunities in what has become Europe’s new shopping capital.

“The benefit of living on campus in University residences is that it’s so close to shops, nightlife etc. and Birmingham caters for everyone. I feel very safe both on campus and in the centre of town. Birmingham is a great student city, with many beautiful buildings, fantastic shops and superb nightlife.” Melissa, 2nd Year, from Norfolk, Lawrence Tower

“The accommodation at Aston is all on campus, which is a great benefit and makes it really easy to get to lectures on time. Security is of a high standard which makes students feel safe. The location of the university is great – we’re right in the centre of a magnificent city, and there are enough shops, restaurants, bars, clubs and other activities to make sure that you don’t get bored.” Samantha Ogden, 1st Year, Marketing, from Somerset

Internet Access in Student Accommodation

From 2004 Aston University has invested in a new wireless campus access system enabling students to access the Internet from their study-bedrooms on campus using special ‘wireless access cards’ that can be inserted into their PC or laptop. This means that students living on campus have Internet access in their rooms if they require it, as well as in our open access IT rooms (with fixed Internet access) around campus.

Facts, Figures and Prices

Campus accommodation comprises three towers (Lawrence, Dalton and Stafford), four low-rise houses (Gem House, Bishop Ryder House, Old Cross House and Vauxhall House) and Lakeside en suite residences, 2,117 study bedrooms in total.

Standard accommodation comprises a total of 1,470 study-bedrooms, which are grouped into self-catering flats sharing kitchens and bathrooms. You will find you have your own privacy, but within a safe, friendly and lively student environment. Students in the Lakeside residences (647 places) share kitchens and communal areas but have their own bathroom.

All standard study-bedrooms are centrally heated, the vast majority with individual washbasins. Heating, electricity and cleaning charges are included in the rent, which is paid termly in advance. For the current 2006-7 session, this equates to £59.81 a week, for c.39 weeks (i.e. includes Freshers’ Week, Christmas and Easter vacations). This provides good value for money as prices are inclusive and there are no bus, train or taxi fares to pay – the University and city are on your doorstep.

Lakeside provides 647 superior quality study-bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms (shower, washbasin and toilet) and telephones, grouped into flats. Each flat has its own large kitchen and dining/social area shared by students. For the current 2005-6 session, the rent is £93.48 per week c.39 weeks.

Applicants holding Aston as their firm/insurance (CF/CI/UF) choice are sent application forms and an accommodation brochure and are able to express a preference as to the type of accommodation they would like to live in. There is also the opportunity to view our accommodation during this application process, subject to prior arrangement with the Accommodation Office. Please note, we cannot guarantee your first choice of accommodation type.

Typical Dimensions of Study-Bedrooms:

Standard Residences – on campus

• Each apartment/flat accommodates between 3 and 12 students, sharing bathrooms and kitchens.
• Individual study-bedrooms, the vast majority with washbasins
• Each bedroom is approximately 4.5m long by 2.2m wide
• Internet access (WiFi) in each room, telephones in each flat
• Common rooms/TV Lounges are located around the campus and there is a large launderette on campus too.

Lakeside Residences – on campus

• En suite individual study-bedrooms
• Each apartment accommodates between 6 and 10 students
• Internet access (WiFi), telephone points in each study-bedroom
• Shared kitchen and communal area in each flat
• Each bedroom is approximately 4.1m long and 2.9m wide (including a bathroom 1.7m long and 1.4m wide)

Students Living off Campus – e.g. Second and Third years or students living at home

In Birmingham, private rented accommodation for students is easy to find and relatively inexpensive. The vast majority of our second-year students live in this type of housing; rent (2005-6) for a room in a shared house is around £50 per week. Popular areas include Erdington, Edgbaston, Selly Oak and the private student developments in the City Centre itself. Bus services in the city are frequent, extensive and cheap, with a termly Birmingham student travel card costing around £95.

Some of our students from the local West Midlands area choose to live at home with their family/parents and still take a full part in campus life, both in social and academic terms.

Students with Disabilities

We have a number of specially adapted rooms on campus in Lakeside and Vauxhall House, catering for students with disabilities. Rooms are available which have ground floor/lift access, larger floor space, en suite bathrooms, vibrating alert/doorbell systems, shower seats, grab rails and hoists etc. Please discuss your individual needs with the Accommodation Officer once you have been made an offer by the University. You are encouraged to view the accommodation before or after you apply so that you can see the campus and discuss arrangements well in advance. (Please see the separate section on Students with Disabilities).

Car Parking

In line with the vast majority of UK universities we are not able to offer students car parking spaces on campus on a day-to-day basis, due to our Birmingham city centre location, meaning that space is limited for cars. Parking is available on open days, events such as graduation and loading/unloading belongings and some of our students park off campus in pay and display car parks run by private companies or the City Council. The Welfare Services Department has a small number of campus parking permits for students with specific disabilities.

Further General Information

Diane Lacey
The Accommodation Office
Aston University
Aston Triangle
Birmingham
B4 7ET

Tel: 0121 204 4706/4707/4704
Email: accom@aston.ac.uk

www.aston.ac.uk/accommodation/

Help and Advice

The Students’ Advice Centre in the Students’ Guild has a register of local houses, flats, bedsits and lodgings for those students looking for accommodation off campus. Staff are always happy to advise on tenancy agreements, tenants’ or landlords’ rights, safety in the home, and help sort out any problems which may arise. They also have a website advertising student housing which meets the Guild’s standards.

“It is great living together with such a diverse mix of people. Rolling out of bed five minutes before lectures is a bonus as well and the regular security patrols make the place feel really safe.” Karen Gunnell, Pharmacy

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