Bristol Uni accommodation.

[Theteenagerera]

Our eldest is going to Bristol in September, obviously a very new stage of life for us all and we have been admittedly very naive and far too relaxed about the whole thing up until the last few weeks when we have realised how expensive accommodation is with prices rising weekly especially as there are no halls where she is going

DH normally handles all the finances and any kind of big applications and he seems to think that the cheapest way to do it is the shared modern type buildings with concierge where although rent is slightly more expensive, all bills/services are included. He feels this is best for her first year away rather than a flat or house share, trouble is we can’t now find anything like this under £300 a week!!

Is DH right and this is the most savvy way and what most first years do?

DD has applied for a student loan but due to our earnings it won’t cover even nearly enough and also want kick in 4 weeks past start date.

Feel very overwhelmed by it all and any help either Bristol specific or finance advice would be really welcomed.

Why is your dd not going into student halls for her first year? There are new halls that have been built and the halls are for a range of budgets.

Uwe or Bristol?

The unhelpful answer is that parents need to be told about this at least when their kids are in Y11 in order to plan ahead financially

The practical answer is that the vast majority of first year students go into student halls - either run by the Uni or by private providers (in which case the occupants may not all attend the same institution). Rent in halls includes all bills except TV licence, and duration of tenancies may differ (ie they may need to remove all possessions each holiday which is sub optimal if you live far away)

I was trying to keep my post not too outing but can see it won’t help in this instance with the advice that I’m looking for.

She is going to BIMM rather than UWE or Bristol which doesn’t have any halls.

They’re website details private Hall options - go with these, a better student experience for your daughter than any non student focussed option or house share

When you say shared modern buildings with concierge, do you mean private student halls?

Unfortunately it’s one of the factors in choosing a smaller institution like BIMM that they don’t tend to have their own halls, and private options are generally on the expensive side, with less favourable T&Cs, and timings that don’t line up with term dates/payments.

OP, have you checked out the accommodation website that is listed on BIMM accomm.bimm.university/places/search/bristol-1811028541951?partner_id=bimm-a014fd89

Most of them are very very expensive! I guess there’s going to be a rush for the cheap seats!

Generally it is very true that accommodation of Bristol is eye watering - we’ve got one more year to go of this. Finding somewhere with bills included is unusual.
Its hard if there no halls to give that student experience for the first year.

This is a tiny little college though. I’m guessing it’s got no property. It seems an odd choice to me.

Hey @Theteenagerera a glance at the BIMM website suggests there are places for about £150-£200 pw which is pretty standard for Bristol. Is there nothing suitable there? Or are all the cheaper ones gone? I agree with others, private halls are probably the best in terms of meeting people if the institution has no dedicated halls (which is where most first years go in bigger unis).

£300 pw is a lot. What is the appeal of this uni? I guess a big issue is that it has no accomm of its own; also the city is one of the most expensive. Was there a reason to choose Bristol above the other locations (Manchester for example?). Not that that is helpful now!

A friend has a DC at UWE and after this year in halls (which also usually are 40 weeks' rent at £xx pw rather than 52) is having to find £192 pw for a shared house next year, obvs x 52 weeks so almost £10k. What I am trying to say is that's the reality of student life in Bristol tbh (as opposed to places like Leeds or Notts or Leicester where rents can be more in the order of £5-6k py).

It’s a university.

an odd choice to someone who isn’t interested in a music degree probably isn’t something we are going to worry about.

My DS is at UWE. Looking at the accomodation site linked above I can see private halls that UWE students use. My DS was in Phoenix court which is run by Unite. It's a big standard Unite offering. Small ensuite rooms grouped into.6 with a shared kitchen and small living area. It was OK. Pretty typical. Great location.
The Tower was also on offer to UWE students (much more expensive tho).
I would apply to these sorts of places as she'd be with other students. The halls listed above are in central Bristol and used a lot by UWE students on art courses (whose studios etc are in central Bristol and not on UWEs campus in the north of the city).
I would act quickly though as accomodation is not only expensive in Bristol but also scarce.

@Theteenagerera You do seem worried about costs. Loads of unis do music degrees: conservatoires and places like RCM. BIMM is a private university so I guess parents usually have deep pockets.