Accommodation

Our Accommodation Guarantee

We offer a guarantee of on-campus accommodation to disabled students who make Keele their first choice and have certain physical disabilities, sensory disabilities or any other medical conditions which impact on their daily living.  If appropriate, you will be invited to attend a familiarisation visit to discuss the suitability of available accommodation and any special access requirements you may have.

There are a number of adapted rooms including those with:
• Wheelchair accessibility
• Wet room style shower (including wheelchair accessible shower)
• Shower seat
• Grab rails
• Adapted toilets
• Low level light switches
• Low level kitchen facilities
• Remote sliding door activation facility to the accommodation block, corridor, bedroom and kitchen
• Deaf alerter alarms
• Interconnecting room for use by a carer

Please note, a guarantee of accommodation for disability related needs is only provided if Keele is your first/firm choice.  We cannot make a guarantee if Keele is your second/insurance choice, or if you come through Clearing.

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Providing evidence

To help us to work with the Accommodation team to meet your requirements, we ask that you provide a copy of any medical evidence you have of your disability. The evidence should be a letter from a medical professional (GP, consultant, mental health nurse or other professional) detailing your disability/medical condition and stating the recommendations they would make for your accommodation. This will help us to allocate an appropriate room for you.

You can scan/photograph your evidence and send it as an attachment to support.dsi@keele.ac.uk or to our postal address:

Disability Support & Inclusion
Student Services Centre
Tawney Building
Keele University
Keele
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG

Please be aware that we will be unable to support any requests for particular accommodation on disability or health grounds without the evidence specified. If you are having difficulties obtaining evidence or have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Please note that students with specific learning difficulties will not be considered as a high priority for on-campus accommodation unless evidence clearly states that they will be unable to manage university life off-campus.

En-suite on-campus accommodation reimbursement

The University offers some financial assistance (in the form of a reimbursement) to students who require en-suite, on-campus accommodation on disability grounds.

This process is separate from the on-campus priority accommodation support offered to students with disabilities. Students who are supported for priority on-campus, en-suite accommodation will not be automatically eligible for the reimbursement.

The reimbursement will also not be awarded automatically to students with disclosed disabilities who are in en-suite, on-campus accommodation. Requests will be considered in accordance with the criteria below and supporting evidence.

Students will only be eligible if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • You have a requirement for en-suite campus accommodation as a result of an unseen condition such as a mental health disability, ASD or a medical condition that prevents you from using shared bathroom facilities without a substantial impact on your wellbeing and ability to carry out self-care activities.
  • Exceptional cases where a requirement for en-suite accommodation is considered appropriate by the Disability Manager, based on independent evidence of ongoing difficulties that substantially impact on your ability to use shared bathroom facilities.

You should apply at the application stage during the academic year. If successful, the subsidy will be credited to your accommodation account for the entire length of your accommodation contract for that academic year. If you move into en-suite on-campus accommodation later in the year, the subsidy will be awarded pro rata to the number of weeks you have been occupying the en-suite room.

The reimbursement is calculated based on the difference between a Classic Plus room with shared facilities on campus, and an En-suite Plus room. Please note there are different grades of en-suite rooms and the same reimbursement is applied regardless of the specific type of en-suite room you reside in.

If you are eligible, you will be awarded the reimbursement retrospectively as a credit on your student account. If you are experiencing any financial hardship due to the retrospective nature of the reimbursement and are unable to cover your accommodation fees whilst you are applying for the reimbursement, you are encouraged to contact the Income Office to discuss the option of a payment plan. If you are released from your accommodation contract (due to withdrawal of studies, taking a leave of absence or unforeseen exceptional circumstances) the reimbursement credit will be reversed on your account for the remaining nights of your occupancy period. 

Personal convenience or preference do not form part of the eligibility criteria and will not be considered.

Visit the accommodation web pages to find out more about our halls of residence.

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