New students

Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are now open.

All full-time undergraduate students studying at our Colchester or Southend Campus are entitled to accommodation for the first year of study provided they fulfil the following conditions:

• You return your application by midnight, Friday 13 September 2024

Follow the next steps below to see what happens after you have made your application.

If you are an International Student (paying overseas fees) joining Essex as an undergraduate in the 2024-25 academic year, you are entitled to guaranteed accommodation for the duration of your course.

If you have chosen us as your insurance choice, you will only be able to apply for accommodation here, once you have a 'firm' academic offer with Essex.

For more information please refer to our Allocations Policy.

Allocation Policy

Our Allocation Policy covers:

• the criteria for students who want to apply for accommodation
• details of those students who are guaranteed accommodation and
• how we will prioritise applications for returning students, part-year students and those on the waiting list

If you are allocated accommodation you will enter into a legal contract with Accommodation Essex and you will be liable to pay the rent for your room for the full term of the contract.

Please read our terms carefully before accepting any offer of accommodation.

• Read our Allocation Policies for Colchester and Southend

Contact your Student Services Hub if you have any queries relating to accommodation applications.

New undergraduate students are not required to make an advanced rent payment (previously known as a prepayment).

3 year undergraduate Colchester Campus deal

 If you are a new undergraduate student for the 2024-25 academic year and want to secure accommodation for the duration of your course, then you now have the option to select a 3 year accommodation contract, when you apply.

Benefits

By selecting the 3 year deal, you benefit from:

• Rent fixed at the 2024-25 rate for the duration of the 3 years, so no rent increases
• Free storage of your belongings in the summer (of years 1 and 2) as you keep the same room
• Option to book summer vacation accommodation, in your room, at your current rent rate
• We will honour the 3 year deal over a 4 year period, if you have a 1 year placement or will be studying abroad for 1 year during the 3 year deal period

Location

The 3 year deal is available in the following accommodation areas:

• South Courts
• North Towers
• University Quays
• The Meadows Townhouses

If you would like to take advantage of this new 3 year deal, then select the option when completing your accommodation application. Rooms are limited and are subject to availability.

If you are a new undergraduate student for the 2024-25 academic year and want to secure accommodation for the duration of your course, then you now have the option to select a 3 year accommodation contract, when you apply.

Benefits

By selecting the 3 year deal, you benefit from:

• Rent fixed at the 2024-25 rate for the duration of the 3 years, so no rent increases
• Free storage of your belongings in the summer (of years 1 and 2) as you keep the same room
• Option to book summer vacation accommodation, in your room, at your current rent rate

Location

This deal is only available for en suite rooms.

If you would like to take advantage of this new 3 year deal, then select the option when completing your accommodation application. Rooms are limited and are subject to availability.

We wanted to create exciting living and learning communities on our campuses, that are designed to provide you with a unique opportunity to live with like-minded individuals and engage in academic and personal development under a shared topic.

These communities (only currently available on Colchester campus) are supported by experienced professionals, that will guide and support your journey here at Essex, ensuring you get the most out of your time here with us:

• Start-Up Square - for the entrepreneurs that want to learn about starting a business
• Athlete Village - for those that play sports competitively
• Volunteer Square - for those that want to help in their community

You are able to select one of these as an option when you apply for accommodation, so do check out the information, so do check out the information, so you don't miss out on this exciting opportunity.

You will be able to choose and reserve your room when you apply online, using our new Book Now process.

Make sure you read the application guide (.pdf) before making an application for accommodation.

When your UCAS status at Essex is showing as either conditional firm or unconditional firm, you can apply online.

You need to:

1. Create your myEssex applicant portal (see timescales below)

2. Login to the portal

3. Go to the Living section of the portal, where you will find the link to the online accommodation  form under the Life and Leisure heading.

Timescales

It can take up to 24 to 48 hours for the relevant data to be imported into the accommodation application system from the point of creation, so set up your portal as soon as you can. 

You will not be able to apply if:

• you have not received an offer of academic study at Essex
• you have only just created an applicant portal (see timescale above)
• Essex is not your firm choice
• your status at Essex is neither conditional firm nor unconditional firm or
• you do not have a PRID (e.g. SMITH12345) in the Home section of the My Essex Applicant Portal
• you have not allowed 48 hours after becoming firm at Essex for our system to update, before applying for accommodation

Once you have chosen and reserved your room online, you will receive an automated email confirming our booking.

Your confirmation of booking will be emailed to the address you supplied to UCAS (or your @essex.ac.uk email address, if you have one) and will contain details about your room and the accommodation charges. 

3-year accommodation deal Colchester

Offer only available to new students. The 3-year deal is available in the following accommodation areas: South Courts, North Towers, University Quays, and The Meadows Townhouses only. Rooms are limited and are subject to availability. Rent fixed at the 2024-25 rate for the duration of the 3 years starting from October 2024. Free storage of your belongings in the summer (of years 1 and 2) as you keep the same room. Option to book summer vacation accommodation, in your room, at your current rent rate subject to availability. Offer subject to change and availability.

3-year accommodation deal Southend

Offer only available to new students. The 3-year deal is only available for single en suite rooms.  Rooms are limited and are subject to availability. Rent fixed at the 2024-25 rate for the duration of the 3 years starting from October 2024. Free storage of your belongings in the summer (of years 1 and 2) as you keep the same room. Option to book summer vacation accommodation, in your room, at your current rent rate subject to availability. Offer subject to change and availability.

How to apply

We have a limited number of rooms available for undergraduate students starting their course in January 2024, across both our Colchester and Southend campuses. To apply for one of these rooms, please follow the steps below.

Rooms will be offered in order of application date.

If you are interesting in living on campus, please email the team at accadmin@essex.ac.uk and confirm your room preferences. 

January 2024 entry (2023-24 academic year)

We have a limited number of rooms available for postgraduate students, across both our Colchester and Southend campuses. To apply for one of these rooms, please follow the steps below.

Rooms will be offered in order of application date.

On the application form, you will be asked to select your preferred locations. Please select these in order of preference and don't select any location which you wouldn't be prepared to accept. We cannot guarantee that you'll be offered your first choice of accommodation.

Colchester January Postgraduate

•  2023-24 January Postgraduate Colchester application form (pdf.)

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Southend January Postgraduate

• 2023-24 January Postgraduate Southend application form (pdf.)

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Applications will be processed as soon as possible.

Early Arrival

Want to arrive before Christmas and have time to settle in before your course starts? No problem, we are able to offer you free early arrival accommodation from 22 December 2023, until your term-time contract starts on 7 January 2024. You just need to be a January 2024 start PG student, that has applied for and accepted accommodation on campus. If you are interested, please email us at accarriv@essex.ac.uk by 1pm on Friday 22 December 2023.

Requests after this date will not be approved and processed.

Your term time room may not already be available, so you will likely have to take an alternative room for your free early arrival period.

April 2024 entry (2023-2024 academic year)

Applications are now open.

We have a limited number of rooms available for postgraduate students, across both our Colchester and Southend campuses. To apply for one of these rooms, please follow the steps below.

Rooms will be offered in order of application date.

On the application form, you will be asked to select your preferred locations. Please select these in order of preference and don't select any location which you wouldn't be prepared to accept. We cannot guarantee that you'll be offered your first choice of accommodation.

Colchester April Postgraduate

• 2023-24 April start postgraduate accommodation application Colchester (pdf.)

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Southend April Postgraduate

• 2023-24 April start postgraduate accommodation application Southend (pdf.) 

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Applications will be processed in the autumn term.

Applications for October entry 2024-25 are now open.

All full-time postgraduate students studying at our Colchester or Southend Campus are entitled to accommodation for the first year of study provided they fulfil the following conditions:

• You return your application by midnight, Friday 13 September 2024

Please only select areas you are willing to accept as we will not make any changes once an offer has been sent.

Make sure you read the application guide (.pdf) before making an application for accommodation.

You need to:

1. Create your myEssex applicant portal (see timescales below)
2. Login to the portal
3. Go to the Living section of the portal, where you will find the link to the online accommodation form under the Life and Leisure heading.

Timescales

It can take up to 24 to 48 hours for the relevant data to be imported into the accommodation application system from the point of creation, so set up your portal as soon as you can.

Follow the next steps below to see what happens after you have made your application.

End of summer interim booking

If you are currently living in our accommodation and will be a returning student and have accommodation booked with us again for 2024-25, then you will stay in your current room until your term-time room is ready, you will not need to move out between contracts (there is a charge of £15.70 per night for this period). You will be issued with an interim booking for this period and we will let you know what the process is and give you the opportunity to cancel, if you will not be staying. 

Don't worry about the money at this stage. When you receive an accommodation offer you have one week to accept and pay your £250 advanced rent payment. You will be able to make this payment by credit/debit card as part of the online acceptance process.

If you are not able to pay your advanced rent payment at the point of acceptance, please contact the Student Information Team in the Student Services Hub. Please do not try and pay your advanced rent payment via the student online payment system. We have experienced difficulty tracing such payments in the past and this option has therefore been discontinued.

The deadline to request to cancel and receive a refund on your prepayment, is 1 September 2024. You can still request to cancel your offer after this date but no refund will be offered.

Please also note that you will not be able to apply if:

• you have not received an offer of academic study at Essex
• you have only just created an applicant portal (see timescale above)
• you have not accepted your offer of academic study or
• you do not see a PRID (for example, SMITH12345) in the Home section of the My Essex Applicant Portal
• you haven't allowed 48 hours after accepting your offer at Essex, before applying for accommodation

• If we receive your application form before the deadline of 13 September 2024 you will be guaranteed accommodation.
• If we receive your form after the deadline of 13 September 2024 you will be offered accommodation as soon as a room becomes available.

Full details of your accommodation offer will be sent to you by email. We endeavour to start sending offers out from April 2024. An accommodation advanced rent payment is no longer required at the point of application. Instead, it will be payable when you accept your offer.

Your offer of accommodation will be emailed to the address you supplied with your application to study at the University (or your @essex.ac.uk email address, if you have one) and will contain details about your room and the accommodation charges. You will have a limited time to accept your offer of accommodation so it is very important that you check this email account regularly throughout the entire summer.

For all UEIC students that are progressing onto either an undergraduate or postgraduate course at Essex for the 2024-25 academic year, please complete the online application via your portal.

Applications will open on 9 January at 10am and you will be able to apply, as soon as your University of Essex record has been created.

Undergraduate applicants will be able to choose and reserve their room when they apply online, using our new Book Now process.

Postgraduate applicants should only apply for areas they are willing to accept. We regret that Book Now is not as yet available to postgraduate students.

Make sure you read the application guide (.pdf) before making an application for accommodation.

You need to:

1. Create your myEssex applicant portal (see timescales below)
2. Login to the portal
3. Go to the Living section of the portal, where you will find the link to the online accommodation form under the Life and Leisure heading.

Timescales

It can take up to 24 to 48 hours for the relevant data to be imported into the accommodation application system from the point of creation, so set up your portal as soon as you can.

If you are a First Team Sports Scholar student and want to apply for accommodation, please contact the Sports Centre directly.

Incoming study abroad students should contact Essex Abroad directly, regarding applying for accommodation.