How to book your room

If you submitted your application before 30 June (UK students) or 31 July (international students), you’re guaranteed a room with us. So, all you’ve got to do is wait for us to be in touch on (or just after) A-level results day!

Don’t worry if you missed the above deadlines though. You can still apply for accommodation with us, but we can’t guarantee that you’ll receive an offer to select your accommodation on results day.

As soon as your place at the University of Birmingham is confirmed, we’ll let you know by email when and how to book your room via our Accommodation Portal. You’ll then be given a timeslot to complete your booking and, as soon as you’ve found the room for you, simply pay a £550 Advance Payment to secure it. You’ll also have the option to pay for your accommodation fees in full if you prefer.

The Advance Payment is an initial instalment towards your accommodation fees, not a deposit, which means that it won’t be refunded to you at the end of your contract. You can choose to pay this in full, via Direct Debit to help you spread the cost, or by submitting your sponsorship details (if applicable).

If you’ve chosen to live with one of our partners, you’ll need to pay an Advance Payment or a deposit to secure your new home. They will get in touch with you directly with all the details.  

You’ll be able to book your chosen room as soon as you’ve submitted your online application. To get started, simply click on the ‘Book your Room’ tab on the Accommodation Portal. UK students will not have the option to book their room until after the 31^st July 2023.

Once you’ve found the perfect room for you, all you’ll need to do is pay an Advance Payment of £550 to secure it. You’ll also have the option to pay for your accommodation fees in full if you prefer.

Please note that the Advance Payment is an initial instalment towards your accommodation fees, not a deposit, which means it will not be refunded to you at the end of your contract.

Accommodation applications for the next academic year will open on 1 December. You can apply as soon as you receive your offer letter from us but, to guarantee your room with us, you’ll need to apply before:

- 30 June if you’re a UK student

- 31 July if you’re an international student

So long as you’ve applied by the above dates, you’ll receive an invitation to book your room within a week of A-level results day (undergraduates only), in mid-August.

If you’re an undergraduate student, you’ll be invited to book your room on, or within a week of, A-level results day so long as your place at the University has been confirmed and you’ve submitted your application by 30 June/31 July.  

You’ll receive an invitation to book your room from the Student Living team, including details on how to book and your unique booking window. Timeslots are generated randomly to ensure everyone has fair access to the booking system. 

If you can’t login to the Accommodation Portal during your allocated timeslot, you’ll have another chance to secure your room within a week of A-level results day.

Postgraduate student? You can book your room as soon as you’ve applied for accommodation.

Yes – We put students in timeslot groups based on your accommodation preferences to ensure the right type of accommodation is available for you to book. So, don’t worry if your group isn't the first one; you won’t miss out! There will only be a limited number of students per group too, so everyone has an equal chance to find the perfect accommodation for them.

You can expect to receive your group timeslot within a week of results day. Once you do, you'll have the next 12 hours to book your room. Don’t worry if you can’t book during your timeslot though; you’ll have another chance to book in a few days' time.

Once you’ve found the room for you and made your £550 Advance Payment, a confirmation page will be displayed. This will tell you everything you need to know about your room and your contract. As soon as that’s appeared you’re all done – you’ve successfully secured your room at Birmingham!

If you’re an undergraduate student and have chosen to live with one of our accommodation partners, they will be in touch within a few days to finalise your booking.

When you book your room, you’ll have the option to create a student profile, a short bio about yourself to share with your future flatmates. You’ll also be able to view other student’s profiles to help you find like-minded students to live with to enhance your student living experience.

This is completely optional; you don’t need to share any information about yourself if you don’t want to, and you can still book your room without doing so.

Yes - we want everyone to feel at home at Birmingham and get the most from their student journey. That’s why, if you’ve listed your additional preferences or requirements on your accommodation application, we’ll be in touch to ensure your new home meets your needs.

You will therefore not need to book your room; we’ll work with you to find the best accommodation available.

Our system will randomly generate a timeslot for you to book your room. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that you’ll be able to book the same accommodation as your friend at the same time.

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet like-minded people when you start with us though, including at exciting student events, and our Hall Reps will help you to settle into life in your new home.

Yes, we offer a range of mixed sex and single sex flats within all our accommodation buildings. Simply use the filter tool during the booking process to find your desired flat.

There are plenty of ways to find out more about life at Birmingham. You can take a 360° virtual tour of our rooms online or see some of our rooms in the flesh at one of our open days.

Eager to know what makes student living at Birmingham so special? Check out our Accommodation Brochure.

There are 6,000 rooms to choose from at Birmingham so, while we’re unable to confirm what accommodation will be available to book during your timeslot, we’re confident that you’ll find your ideal home with us.   

If you’ll be joining us after 17 October, please do not book your room; we’ll get in touch closer to the time to discuss your options.

When you have found the room that is right for you, a confirmation page will display everything you need to know about your room and your contract. Once you have confirmed and made a £550 advance payment, the room will be secured for your arrival. 

For undergraduate students, if you have chosen to stay with one of our partner providers, their team will be in touch within a few days to finalise your booking.  

That’s it – You have now secured a room at University of Birmingham. You'll receive further information from us but for now, you can focus on packing and telling your friends about your new home.  We look forward to welcoming you to the University of Birmingham Student Living Community.

We know that sometimes plans change. Please let us know as soon as possible if you’ll no longer be coming to live at Birmingham.

While we can’t refund your accommodation if you change your mind and no longer want to live at Birmingham, we can offer full refunds under the following circumstances. If you feel like you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from living at Birmingham, please get in touch.

If you’re an undergraduate student…

You can cancel your accommodation at any time within the 7-day cooling off period (which starts from the date of your reserving your room) to receive a full refund, so long as this is before the start of your contract.

You can also cancel and receive a full refund if you’re no longer coming to study at the University. Just let us know before the start of your contract.

If you’re a postgraduate student…

You can cancel your accommodation at any time within the 7-day cooling off period (which starts from the date of your booking) to receive a full refund, so long as this is before the start of your contract.

You can also claim a full refund if:

- Your offer to study at the University has been declined (you’ll need to provide evidence on these under our ‘No Place No Pay’ policy).

- Your offer of a place at the University of Birmingham is withdrawn due to you not meeting the entry criteria. You’ll be released from your contract as soon as you supply us with a copy of your rejection letter before your contract start date.

If none of the above apply, and you decide that you no longer want to study at Birmingham, you’ll be charged the £550 Advance Payment and released from your contract, provided we are notified before the 1 September.

For summer lets…

If you’ve booked accommodation for the summer only and wish to cancel your contract, you’re eligible for a full refund so long as you cancel within the 7-day colling off period after your booking (providing it’s before the start of your contract) or have had your placement cancelled by your department. If this is the case, you’ll need to provide evidence.