Please read our advice carefully before making your application. If you have questions about your eligibility, or believe other circumstances should be taken into account when your application is considered, contact the accommodation service at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk for Brighton students and accomeastbourne@brighton.ac.uk for Eastbourne students.
This section explains how our accommodation allocation policy applies to
UK, EU and Island fee status students
The majority of our rooms are allocated to UK, EU and Island fee status students who meet our postcode criteria, have firmly accepted an academic offer and met the required deadlines.
Students who have been assessed as UK, EU or Island for fee status purposes are not guaranteed rooms in university-managed residences or houses. This includes students living in the European Economic Area or in a British Overseas Territory.
If you’re in any doubt, check with our admissions team.
International fee status students
Students in the first year of study who have firmly accepted an academic offer and who have been classified as international status for fee purposes are guaranteed an offer of a room in a university-managed residence or house.
Students aged 18 or under on 1 September 2018
If you have met the application deadline but have not turned 18 by 1 September 2018 we will guarantee you a place in a university residence. We are unable to guarantee university accommodation for late applicants but we prioritise them for rooms that may become available.
Students on courses involving placements
If your course involves a placement that requires you to live away from the university during term time in your first year of study you will not be eligible to apply for university accommodation. We’ll help you explore suitable private rented sector options.
If you’re not sure about where your placements will take place check with your school office. We reserve the right to withdraw an allocation where a placement arrangement becomes known to us retrospectively.
Students who have been in care
We provide a range of additional help to care leavers applying for full-time undergraduate courses. We define a care leaver as someone who has spent time in any of the following:
- foster care
- residential care – children’s home
- under a Special Guardianship Order
- supported accommodation outside of the family.
To be eligible for additional help you usually need to be under the age of 25 and have been in local authority care for three months or more since the age of 14.
Care leavers who apply by 30 June 2018 are guaranteed an offer of a room in university accommodation. We will also consider you for a university residence as a returning student if you request it, or help you to find suitable private rented sector accommodation.
Contact our widening participation team to find out more about the help we offer: aboutuni@brighton.ac.uk, 01273 641043.
Students with disabilities
If you have a disability please liaise with student services at the earliest opportunity to make sure that you receive the best support available – disability@brighton.ac.uk.
Some students have a medical condition or disability which needs to be managed in specific accommodation, such as a hall of residence.
We consider each case on an individual basis: in order to do so we require applicants to disclose medical conditions, disability or specific requirements during the online application process. You will also need to provide medical evidence to support your case at the point of application which demonstrates that you would be unable to study successfully in the private rented sector.
The supporting evidence must be at least one of the following:
1. A letter which fully explains your condition. It needs to be written in English by a certified medical practitioner. We have guidance available to help medical practitioners – if this is needed, please ask. The letter must explain how the condition affects the way you live and why your condition is best supported in a hall of residence.
2. A direct referral from the student services team recommending an allocation in a hall of residence.
In cases where an applicant does not disclose when they apply, where the information is not sufficient or when it is not supplied by the application deadline, it cannot be considered unless there is a direct referral made by the student services team. We work closely with this team to provide the best support to our students and will seek advice to make decisions when needed. You can also discuss your case or any ongoing support needs at any time by emailing disability@brighton.ac.uk.
We consider all evidence in the context of the Equality Act 2010 definition of a disability as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on the ability to do normal daily activities. 'Substantial' means more than minor or trivial and 'long-term' means 12 months or more.
We have some rooms that are suitable for students who use wheelchairs, and for people with visual and hearing impairments. If you require specialist equipment such as hoists, fridges, heaters or beds the university can provide some equipment, but you must make the accommodation service aware of your requirements at the earliest opportunity so that arrangements can be made.
Adaptations to equipment such as bedroom units can usually be made to suit individual requirements, but major structural adaptations may not be possible. If you think you might need adaptations to your accommodation, please contact us to arrange a visit to view the accommodation as early as possible.
In special circumstances where a student would find it difficult or impossible to find suitable accommodation in the private sector, permission may be given for a three-year continued stay within the university accommodation. However, this will only be considered if the student would be unable to continue their studies unless they remained in university accommodation.
Students at the School of Health Sciences
Health Sciences students are eligible for university accommodation and the standard accommodation allocation policy criteria and deadlines apply.
However, we recommend Health Science students consider unihomes, unilets and private rented sector housing with other Health students as their preferred option.
Health Science courses can involve shifts and weekend working which can be easier to manage when living in house with students in the same situation.
The contract lengths offered in the private rented sector can be a better match for the longer terms involved in some health courses.
University halls of residence do not offer parking. Paramedic Practice students, for example, are required to have their own transport. Some of our unihomes and private rented accommodation offer on/off road parking. Let us know if you have to bring a car with you to university when you apply.
If your course starts in February we can advise you about university accommodation availability and help you to find accommodation in the private rented sector. To find out about availability contact the accommodation service early in the New Year.
Students at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)
BSMS students studying for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery are guaranteed an offer of a room in university accommodation. Students can choose either University of Brighton accommodation at Paddock Field or University of Sussex accommodation at Lewes Court. Both options are within walking distance of the Medical School and contract lengths match the BSMS term. We cannot guarantee to offer you your first choice of accommodation.
Advice for BSMS students offered rooms in Paddock Field
- Postcode exclusions apply – if you live in one of the Sussex postcodes listed below you will not be eligible to apply.
- A 2% discount is available if the contracted rent is paid in full in advance when you accept your accommodation offer.
- The EAT IN package is available to BSMS students allocated Paddock Field catered accommodation during standard University of Brighton term times only. Rent levels are adjusted to take this into account.