Manchester has been plagued with housing issues since I was a student 10 years ago, but it is nothing as bad as what’s happening right now. So my heart goes out to you all incoming students, and hope that this series would help with any confusion or fear you have, and make sure you have a good experience in Manchester! I have been getting the same set of questions from incoming students, whether it’s accommodation, money, shopping, etc, so I decided to write a series on it. I was a Student Ambassador for the University of Manchester too, if that adds any to my qualifications! Without further ado, let’s cover about your options on accommodation in Manchester for international students, and how you can choose. Plus some personal experience!

First Year: University Hall

The University of Manchester has a vast selection of accommodations. If you meet the criteria as full-time undergraduates or international postgraduate students and apply by the deadline, they also guarantee you accommodation on campus too! So that’s super handy. I chose to live in the university hall in my first year, as there are more uncertainties with the timing and whether I get the visa or not. It is all still very likely to happen, but you never know I suppose.

I didn’t feel it was a particularly bad time, or good time, though one particular time when my room was infested with bed bugs towards the end was absolutely hellish. It was my least favourite option, but only because I felt the other options are more enjoyable for me. If I became undergraduate first year university student again, I would still chose the same option as it is the lowest risk. I meant if suddenly I didn’t get the grades required, or the visa fell through, then my accommodation contract would also be dissolved.

I met other students, which was great, and I was an engineering student living in Weston Hall, so it took me about 3 minutes walk to go for my morning lectures, which is also great. There were many of my coursemates at Weston Hall too, so I hung out with them a lot, so it helped with forging friendships. But, noise at night during the weekends and the someone’s stomach content in the hallway on Saturday morning were not appreciated at all. I had issues with bed bugs towards the end, but the hall handled it really well. Exterminator was called right away and the uni provided me laundry credits to wash all my clothes. All in all, it was not bad, but it went better from there.

Year 2: Private Halls

In my second year, I moved out to Grafton Street by Sanctuary Students. I just wanted to try something new, and some of my friends lived there too. It was cheaper, and I like that the room is brighter. It is slightly further away from north campus, so I had a lot of sprints to not be late to my morning lectures. There are less freshers, so there are less drinking incidents, and generally was a bit quieter (not generalising!). In my second year, I didn’t have so much uncertainties regarding visas and whether I’m accepted in the course or not, so it made sense to go with private accommodation this time.

Year 3&4: Private Flat

I only moved out of Grafton Street because my sister was coming to live in Manchester, so it made sense for us to live together. We chose a flat on Oxford Road, which was great other than it was quite cold. I had to sort out bills, but that wasn’t a big problem for me. I enjoyed living in a flat where I have living room and a big kitchen to host people.

How do I decide?

1. University vs Private Halls: do you want the certainty if you don’t have unconditional offer or visa yet? Then maybe university hall is better. If you are freshers and want to make friends with other freshers, university hall makes sense too. But for 2nd year above, and especially postgraduates, I would recommend private halls personally.
2. Private: halls vs flat/house: if you have a few people you are comfortable living with (maybe you like living with your flatmates at uni halls in the first year!) then you may want to rent a flat/house and live together. Living by yourself in a studio or house is much more expensive. If you like living by yourself like I did, maybe student halls are better as it’s more “private”.
3. Shared bathroom? Some people, like me, really cannot deal with shared bathrooms. Shared bathrooms are obviously cheaper, so if you are very limited with the budget, then it will help. Some of the university halls will have cleaners to clean. However, I heard enough horror stories from halls shared bathroom to not want to live in one haha. If you live in a private flat/house, you are then likely to share bathrooms, but it may not be as bad as you presumably like your house/flatmates. I lived in exclusively ensuite accommodations, and I love having my own bathroom which I consider a must.
4. Location: university halls tend to be located very close to lecture theatres, so it is quite convenient. Some flat/house share tend to be a bit further away and in a lot of cases need a bus to reach university. A deal breaker for some and not for others. Personally, I love to live within walking distance of the university.
5. Price: I think university halls tend to be the more expensive options, and then private halls (outside of the luxury range which will be above university halls). The cheapest option would be flat/house share. Consider the budget. It is difficult to mention a number as everyone’s needs are different. Also, rent has increased WILDLY over the last few years, but do compare prices which are widely available online.

BTW, Manchester 101 is an entire series, so don’t forget to take a look at my other posts on how much things costs in Manchester, how to prepare for winter, things to do within first week of arrival and guide on public transportation and how to get around.

I hope that helps – but if there are further questions, please let me know in the comments! Do let me know what you want me to cover next as well. Good luck!