So ds, still waiting on bristol, but has 4 other great offers, if we wait too long for bristol, will me miss out on getting accommodation at the other unis?

[Accommodation]

As most people seem to be firming amd insuring now, and I'm worried about if we put in a later accommodation application, will that be detrimental to us, as everything we see says apply for the accommodation ASAP, and other unis accommodation applications say opening in spring so any day now ?

So we are waiting for the accommodation office to open applications for new undergraduates at York. DC's offer was accepted (firm, unconditional) back in October so this has had no bearing on what kind of room they get or when they find out. They open for everyone "in Spring" and then there's a lottery system after results day. Each applicant has to list 7 possible options, including at least 3 which are not ensuite and off to the races we go. No one gets priority treatment, though disability needs are obviously catered for, that's still a minority of students.

Every university is going to have a different policy on this. Have you looked at the accommodation pages or emailed the accommodation officers at these 4 unis?

we are in the same boat. DS is still waiting for Bristol and Bath offers. He wants to go to Exeter and has an offer - their accomodation application opens in April and it is allocated first come first served. I think he should just withdraw from Bath and bristol and firm up Exeter and his insurance choice so that he can get the access to apply for accomodation but he is resisting a bit as thinks you need to wait for all your offers.

Bit annoying that some unis open the accomodation before the offers deadline.

@BrieAndChilli You can let your DS know that you absolutely don't have to wait for all your offers. I have two DC who applied this year, one had 4 offers and the other had 2. Each were able to firm their unconditional first choices and "decline" or "withdraw" from the rest via the UCAS site.

Unless they’re a Postgrad or exchange student, Exeter isn’t first come first served. As long as they apply by the July deadline it’s random allocation- similar to the York system.

Bristol was the last one to offer DD last year by quite a long way.
It was just one of the reasons she put it last

The other unis of interest are Southampton and York

York is fine as the poster upthread said. Apply by the deadline and then it’s all random. DD is going to firm York and will choose accommodation options as soon as allowed but only because it’s one less thing to do. Deadline is in the summer.

this is directly from the Exeter website for the Penryn campus

Applications for accommodation are processed in date order and allocated on a first come first served basis. You can only submit one application.
Applications for accommodation in September 2024 will open on Monday 8 April at midday via our online booking system, Room Service. Students who hold a conditional or unconditional place at the University of Exeter will be able to apply along with students who have deferred from a previous year.
Applications are processed based on the date and time they are submitted.

Sorry- thought you were talking about the main campus in Exeter.

Oh I thought you got more chance of getting accommodation if you applied for it earlier, we are having to go for the cheapest accommodation possible really

From what I've searched up, southampton guarantee accommodation if your firm or insurance choice
I think I've go that right

Oh so there's no advantage of applying early then? Just as long as you apply by the deadline

Hi- no advantage ( unless they change the system this year but they said they wouldn’t at the offer day..)

from the website…

How it works:We collect and hold all applications until our guarantee deadline date.

From UK A-Level Results Day, we put all firm-choice guaranteed students through our ‘mass allocator’ system. The mass allocator will pick out a student at random. That student will get their first choice if possible. If their first choice is sold out, they get their second choice; if their second choice is unavailable, their third choice; and so on, moving through students until everyone in the batch is assigned a room offer.
All applications are considered and rooms are not allocated on a “first-come, first-served” basis, but use a computerised auto-allocation system to select impartially from the applicants based on preferences.
Not everyone will receive one of their top three accommodation preferences, given the variety of our rooms and that some room types are more popular than others.

@letsgogirl Just to qualify, you're quoting from the York accommodation web pages?

I have also seen vlogs by current / recent York students who said they didn't even get one of the 7 choices they listed. They got somewhere completely different.

Oh wow thank you so much for looking that up for me, that’s for uni of York right ?
Thank you so so much

now I just need to get my head around Southampton
then I’ll be set

so basically do you and would you think it’s worth waiting for Bristol then ? I suppose we might aswell if there’s nothing to lose

already have offers form Southampton and York so got 2 out of the 3 favs

@BubbaHorovitz- yes, that’s from Yorks website. I have also read that some don’t get any of their 7 choices but I think that’s relatively rare.. hopefully..

I think this is not entirely true. Unconditional offers are first come first served (or at least get accommodation offers sent out immediately after the June deadline, ahead of conditional offers who won’t receive them until their offers become unconditional after results day) so gap year kids get first pick, effectively.

Yes that is true but they told us that they do it in percentages so deferred students won’t all get their first choice. Eg ( I think) if 15% of total undergraduates first years will be deterred students they will allocate 15% of each accommodation to those students and keep the rest back for the ones waiting for results.
i think it could be tricky at Exeter this year. They’ve already said they will probably have less accommodation on campus available due to refurbishments etc.

Oh that’s good intel @letsgogirl . Yes they are knocking down a chunk of birks village or something aren’t they. My Dd needs to apply next week (she is on a gap year so was deferred from last year) - she was going to apply for all popular self catered ones. East x 2 (standard and en suite) new laf, Rowe and maybe Birks. Do you think that’s too risky?

I haven’t a clue I’m afraid! There’s info on their website about application v offer ratios for each accommodation.

My daughter went to Exeter 3 years ago and had a nightmare securing her first year accom. She didn't get any of her 5 choices and ended up in private housing in town, off campus. She was devastated. Eventually we begged the uni accom office, and she eventually got a place in Marden Hall before start of term. Turned out to be the best place ever. It's a beautiful, big old 1920s residence right next to Holland Hall. Students have all the meals in HH, but they have shared bathrooms in Marden. Very sociable and private at the same time. It might be worth having this on your reserve list if you don't get any choices.

Wasn’t three years ago while there was still a hang over from the Covid grades fiasco? So not representative?

no, it was the first year of no Covid interruptions. It was Sept 21-24. She ranked 5 different accom and received none of her choices.