Arrival Procedures

Please do not arrive before 25th September as we are unlikely to have accommodation for you. Should you need to arrive earlier due to unavailability of flights, please inform both the Accommodation Service accommodation@keele.ac.uk and the Keele Study Abroad Office l.j.stoker@keele.ac.uk in advance.

You will be told what room you have been allocated on the day you arrive. All Study Abroad, Exchange and most ERASMUS students will be living on campus, unless they have requested to live off-campus. 

Late Arrivals

If you are a late arrival and you have told us, you should report to Student Accommodation Services, Darwin Building (map ref. D6). You should do so during office hours (i.e. between 09:00 - 17:00) or to the 24-hour Reception outside these hours.

When you have checked into your room, join the Welcome Programme.

If you are a student with accommodation off campus you will have received a letter asking you to inform your landlord/landlady of the date and time of your arrival. If Student Accommodation Services has not provided this information (ie your off-campus address), please go directly on arrival to Student Accommodation Services Reception, Darwin Building.

Contracts

Students coming for a full year:

  • If you have booked accommodation for 33 weeks, you will have to move yourself and all your possessions out of your room during the four week Easter (April) holiday so that others may use it.

  • When you sign for your keys are you also signing a contract. If you decide you want to move off campus mid-semester you will have to pay for the rest of your contract. You will get a Residential Information Guide with more details.

Students coming for one semester only:

  • You will be allocated a room depending on whether you have booked Plan A or B as per the application form.

  • In the second semester there is less choice and you may have been allocated a 33 week letting period even if you wanted a 37 week one. If this is very important to you, make sure you let the Accommodation Services know well in advance.

The cost of your accommodation will be calculated from 18 January 2013 whether you actually arrive on this day or not.

Accommodation will not be held beyond Sunday 23 September or 21 January for non-arrivals, unless special arrangements are made.

The Students' Union will be organising transport to your Hall, but if you have come by taxi, it is probably best to ask the taxi to wait while you collect your keys and then to drive you to your Hall of Residence.

If you arrive by taxi after 19:00, collect your key from the 24-hour Reception, Darwin Building (map ref. D6); ask for the taxi to wait, as you will have to travel to another part of campus (5-10 minutes by car).

A Resident Support Assistant (RSA), a staff member who is in charge of dealing with any problems in each of the Halls of Residence, will be around to help you to settle in. If you have any problems with life in your accommodation you can contact them or the Residential Managers.

Campus Accommodation

Campus accommodation is self-catering (you cook your own food) in one of the Halls of Residence. There are kitchen facilities so that you can choose whether to cook for yourself or eat in the campus restaurants. Kitchen facilities are different in each Hall.

Most exchange students will be allocated single study-bedrooms. However, some ERASMUS students will be allocated a shared room for the first few weeks, in particular if they are only staying for one semester.  Rooms are either with or without washbasins. Some exchange students will be allocated a room in a flat accommodating 4 students. Rooms and flats are available for different periods ranging from 33 weeks (excluding Easter and Summer Vacations) to 42 weeks.  Special letting periods apply to students staying for one semester only. There is also a range of prices. Rooms are also available in single sex accommodation blocks and quiet blocks.

All rooms have basic furnishings (bed, wardrobe, desk, chair, bedside cabinet, desk and lamp) and are centrally heated. Electric fires are not allowed. The electricity supply is 240 AC, mostly requiring 13-amp fused plugs for any electrical equipment. The section on ' What to Bring with You ' gives further details about electrical equipment and other things to bring.

The Residents' Information Guide, which you will receive when you are notified of your room allocation, provides you with all the information you need about living in on-campus accommodation.

For information about paying  for your accommodation, see 'Fees and Finance' section.

For more information click student accommodation.

Off Campus Accommodation

Accommodation off-campus is very varied, but falls mainly into 2 categories:

1. A shared house or flat owned by a private landlord/landlady who does not live in the house. The accommodation is usually shared with other students and is self-catering.

2. Living in a house or flat with the landlord/landlady also resident (and sometimes their family too). The accommodation may be shared with other students and is self-catering.

If you want further information about what private accommodation is available in the areas around the university please contact Student Accommodation Services, who have a list of properties, alternatively please have a look at Studentpad.

Most things you will need (sheets/pillowcases) can be easily and cheaply bought locally. The supermarket on campus stocks a range of household items at the beginning of the Semester and many shops in Newcastle are cheap. You can borrow a lot of household items at the Trash and Treasure sale.

If you live off campus in accommodation owned by a private landlord or landlady, you will pay rent to the landlord or landlady direct, usually in the region of (£60-70) per week usually inclusive of bills. Sometimes gas and electricity is paid for by meter (coin or tokens), or every quarter year after receiving a bill from the gas/electricity supplier. Either the landlord/landlady, or Student Accommodation Services at Keele, can explain this to you in more detail.

For information on average spends off campus visit: http://www.keelestudentpad.co.uk/Statistics

If you have any concerns about off-campus housing before you arrive then the Advice and Support Unit of the Students' Union can help. They can advice exactly what living off-campus will mean to you. Explain the terms of your contract; the meaning of any unfamiliar terms and the practicalities. For contact details go to: www.keelesu.com/ask

Council Tax

Council Tax does not apply to those students living on campus.

Students not living on campus should obtain a Council Tax Exemption certificate from the Student and Course Information Office in the Tawney Building after the second week in October. You will need to produce your Keele card in order to collect this.

B&B and Guesthouses

Keele Management Centre now offer B&B accommodation from (approximate) £30  for a single room including breakfast, Click Here to book online or call +44 1782 738900 for more information.

Alternatively, a directory of local hotels can be found here.