Student Living Plus

Not quite – and here’s why.

We know you need a flexible set of options to fit round your busy life. You might prefer to have breakfast at your place. Sometimes you might want to cook your favourite meal from home. At the weekend, you may want to get off campus and explore the city.

Your weekly Student Living Plus budget aims to give you two good meals a day, for any five days a week. You’ll have the same kitchen facilities as in self-catered accommodation, so you can cook for yourself whenever you like. And, at the weekend you can use your budget – or head out to enjoy some of Birmingham’s great dining options.

Any money you haven’t spent will roll over to the next week. That means if you eat out or cook for yourself a lot one week, you won’t miss out. Just make sure to spend all your Student Living Plus balance before the end of the 42nd week of your accommodation contract, as this won’t be refunded. You’ll receive your last credit top-up on the Friday of the last week of term.

You can start spending your Student Living Plus balance on the first Friday of Welcome Week. That’s after Arrivals Weekend, so be sure to you have your bank card on you to cover the first few days.

Student Living Plus covers 34 weeks of your 42-week accommodation contract. Outside term time, our food and drink outlets offer a reduced service, however, you’ll still be able to spend your balance on campus at open outlets. That means if you’re staying here during the holidays, you can use Student Living Plus across the whole 42 weeks of your contract, if you’ve got a rollover balance to spend.

The University caters for wide range of diets, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal.

Unfortunately, we’re unable to cater for high-allergen diets (e.g., nut-free) at present. All food is prepared in kitchens where these allergens are in use, so we cannot guarantee food is 100% allergen-free.

If you have one or more allergies, the University will offer support, advice, and any accommodation adaptations you need. You can also find some top tips for navigating student life with an allergy on our website.

There are plans underway to arrange this service. However, unfortunately, this is not available yet.

If your budget runs out before the end of the week, you can still buy food at campus outlets with cash or a card, just like students who aren’t on Student Living Plus. However, you won’t get the 10% discount.

As it’s part of your accommodation contract, you’re unfortunately unable to opt out of Student Living Plus.

We have a really wide range of affordable food on campus, but some of our partner outlets are not part of the scheme.

Unfortunately, you can’t spend your Student Living Plus credit at:

• Kimiko (University Square)
• Subway (The Guild of Students)
• Waki Maki (The Guild of Students)
• Joe's Bar (The Guild of Students)
• Vending machines/micromarkets
• Street food stalls or vans

Yes, you can add Student Living Plus to your accommodation at any point in the academic year. To do this, please get in touch with us through the Student Living Online Helpdesk. Once your upgrade has been confirmed, you’ll be able to spend your balance on the Friday of that week.

Don’t worry – you can still spend your Student Living Plus credit. You just need to download the Food Fellows App first! Through the app, you can check your balance and use your digital wallet to buy food and drink on campus.

If you lose your ID card, you’ll need to let the team at the Aston Webb Student Hub know as soon as possible. They can then cancel your lost card so nobody else can use it and order you a new one. Replacement cards cost £10. As soon as you receive this, you’ll be able to start spending your Student Living Plus credit right away.

If you have financial or money concerns at any time during the year, please don’t struggle alone. There are plenty of services available to help you, including:

• Student Services
• Guild Advice
• Student Mentors

Did you know you can get part-time, flexible work here on campus? Worklink, the University’s very own recruitment agency, has lots of casual, student-friendly vacancies to help you earn while you learn.

Bars

• Bratby Bar (University Centre)

Coffee shops

• Fellows Coffee Shop (Bramall Music Building)
• Fellows Coffee Shop (Library)
• Starbucks (Muirhead Tower) – 10% discount not available here
• Café 52 (Gisbert Kapp)
• Café 1902 (Business School)
• Campus Express (Murray Learning Centre)
• Park Café (Birmingham Research Park)
• Post Grad Cafe (Alan Walters Building)
• Terrace Tea Room (Winterbourne House and Garden)

Deli sandwiches and salads

• Med Café (Medical School)
• Metro (University Centre)

Pasties

• Atrium Café (Teaching & Learning Building)

Restaurants

• The Shack

Stores

• Costcutter (Shackleton, The Vale) – 10% discount not available here

Street food

• Campus Infusion (University Centre)
• Cantina (University Centre)