Students with their back to the camera walking near the exterior of their university accommodation

Living with us

Making our uni halls your home-from-home? Here are some of the ways you can get the most out of life at BSU.

Starting university is an exciting time – even more so if you’re moving into student accommodation and leaving home for the first time. It can also feel daunting – choosing where to live, budgeting, completing the paperwork and handling the legal stuff... not to mention wondering who you might end up living with!

If you’re worried about anything – from making connections, to finances, to how to share responsibilities with your new flatmates, please get in touch. Our Accommodation team is here to support you.

Quick links

Settling in

Get help from our student ambassadors

Campus Life Ambassadors are returning students who have already experienced the joys and challenges of moving to Bath and settling into life at BSU. They’re perfectly positioned to help you adjust to life in halls and make the most of your first year in student accommodation.

They'll organise a series of events throughout the year, to help you get used to the local area and meet new people. Expect walking tours, crafting sessions, and mixers. You could design and print your own tote bag, paint a plant pot for your room, or play board games or cards. Most of these events will be free of charge for you as a resident in our halls.

Agree on your living arrangements as a group

Worried about sharing your space with new people? That’s understandable – everyone's an individual and we all have different preferences and needs. Our advice is to communicate clearly and respectfully. Discuss your expectations and agree as a group how you’ll solve any day-to-day issues that come up. We provide a template agreement to get things started and give you a framework to work from.

Sharing a communal space is easier when you and your housemates know when cleaning gets done, which household essentials will be shared, who’ll do the recycling, and what time you turn down the music. Remember to always treat each other with dignity and respect.

Four students sat together in the Student Union with a pool table and pride flag in the background

Lifestyle preferences

You probably hope to meet like-minded people at your uni halls, which is why our friendly Accommodation team is here to support you throughout the application process. On the application form for accommodation, you can state your preferences for your halls, for example:

Quiet
Alcohol free
Mature students
Single sex/gender
LGBTQ+

We’ll do our best to cater for your preferences and bring you closer to other students who share your characteristics and values.

Help with costs

Are you eligible for a bursary?

For the 2025/26 academic year, we’re providing UK students whose household income is £20,000 or less with a £1,000 bursary to put towards rental payments and other housing-related expenses. UK students whose household income is between £20,000 and £30,000 are eligible to receive a £500 bursary.

This bursary is only applicable to first year undergraduate students living in BSU-managed or third-party nominations halls of residence.If you’re in private accommodation, you won’t be eligible. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Awards team: studentawards@bathspa.ac.uk.

For the 2024/25 academic year, we provided UK students whose household income was £20,000 or less with a £500 bursary to put towards rental payments and other housing-related expenses. Eligible students will have received this payment automatically by 31 January 2025.

Scholarships and bursaries

Food for free on campus

To help supplement your weekly food shop, we run five free food larders across Newton Park and Locksbrook Campuses. These are based in the laundry rooms of Sophia (near Gardens), Commons, and Locksbrook’s The Street.

You can take what you need, and each month the Accommodation team will top up the larders with a selection of food essentials such as tinned veggies, rice, pasta, and recipe packs. Check out our other forms of cost of living support, too.

Cost of living support

Students talking over a cup of team in a shared kitchen

BSU Mediation Service

Mediation is a voluntary, confidential and impartial service that helps students find solutions to conflicts. It provides a safe space for everyone to work toward a resolution.

Mediation is available for:

Housemate conflicts (such as noise or shared space issues)
Group tensions in university accommodation
Disputes in student societies or clubs
Group project disagreements
Friendship or social tensions.

Mediation is not suitable for educational partnership students, legal matters or formal complaints, disciplinary issues under university regulations, and serious harassment, threats, or safeguarding concerns.

Student using laptop in their room in student accommodation

How does Mediation work?

Submit a mediation request by filling out an online form on MyServices.
Provide a statement to share your perspective, key issues and desired outcomes.
Individual private (30 min) meetings with a mediator to discuss concerns.
Facilitated (45 min) meetings where both sides meet with a mediator to discuss and work toward a solution.
If a resolution is reached, key points are documented, and a follow-up session may be scheduled.

Submit a mediation request