University of Bristol accommodation and experience

[luckybees]

DD had an offer from Bristol and I think she is going to accept it. What is the situation with the accommodation? The sooner she accepts the sooner can she choose? And what is the best halls to be in? We have not seen the accommodation as she had a private tour regarding her course as we couldn’t go to Open day.

I heard there are lots of drugs there. What is your child experience?

She had her eyes on IC, haven’t heard from them and after seeing Bristol she seems very keen on it and not sure about IC anymore,

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Congratulations to your DD on her offer. My DC has also had an offer and Bristol is one of the top choices. There's lots of info on Mumsnet about Bristol accommodation if you do a search. My take from it is unfortunately that it is expensive, not particularly nice overall and some of it is far away and requires getting a bus (which has been free but someone said recently they will have to pay from Sept 2026). Have also heard that hardly anyone gets the choices they put on the form and that the selection seems quite random (e.g. if you ask for catered you get non catered etc). Despite all of that, my DC is still keen and I think it's probably character building! Have a look at the Uni website as they have all the types of accommodation listed: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/accommodation/about/residences/

My DC is loving Bristol but his experience of accommodation was that he didn't get any of his choices on his list, got non catered when he'd requested catered, and his accommodation was more expensive that his top budget. I wouldn't spend hours trying to choose between halls.

But, saying that, he has lovely halls, and is having a great time.

DD was in collegiate tower last year - was expensive and actually quite bad!

Thanks. Doesn’t sound good re accommodation

Ohh

Thank you. Which halls is he in and how much does he pay?

not sure what is the point of choosing; seems like a lottery in terms of accommodation

It’s a great place to be at university. My DS started in September 2024 and really likes it. From memory the accommodation opened for prospective students to submit their 9 choices in the March then they heard their allocation in June, obviously there is a bit of shuffling about after that, depending on who takes up their place at the university. My DS was offered a place with grades in hand so obviously that meant he knew he was definitely going there which helped when he requested a change: he was allocated Wills Hall catered which he really didn’t want (though it had been on his list). From memory it was very expensive (they’re all expensive but it was top of the price list). He called them straight away and was reassigned to Goldney Hall and uncatered which he wanted.

He liked Goldney; good mix of people, not too public school (he didn’t want to be in an expensive hall surrounded by people who socialised in a way he couldn’t afford as he is working in the holidays and funding himself. Goldney is in a lovely position in Clifton and though there is a free bus he walked to the campus. He liked the fact the Goldney wasn’t far from the centre and a lot of good pubs and cafes. It’s pretty basic inside, a triumph of award winning architecture on the outside and municipal car park concrete on the inside! He has friends who were very happy in their north village accommodation and that seems to be a sociable arrangement. Happy to ask him if he has any tips/intel.

That is great. DD has also grades in hand as is in a GAP year; hope she gets nice accommodation and has a great, safe and happy experience at Bristol. I am excited for her, albeit a bit nervous, but she will be over 19 when she goes there.

@luckybees yes exactly the same situation as my son. He couldn’t visit any accommodation as he was abroad on his Gap year so he did chance it. In fact he didn’t even visit the university at all (bit risky!). I think being firm that he was definitely going to Bristol and firm that he simply couldn’t afford to go to his assigned halls meant that they were happy to change things for him, in fact they were super helpful despite them saying the allocation was absolutely fixed. I think having a gap year does give them some extra inner resources to draw upon. It’s a great student city with tons to do so I’m sure she will be just fine!

I lived in University Hall, it’s the cheapest, and it was fine. Good mix of people, had its own bar which was subsidised!

Its flat-style accommodation, 5 people per flat, self catered.

its up on the downs at Stoke Bishop where the majority of non-city centre accommodation is.

Edit: I also didn’t visit the University properly until I joined, I just rocked up with my stuff on my first day!

My dc is at Bristol and applied via the new 2025 accommodation process and got what they wanted which was catered / shared bathroom in Stoke Bishop. We visited Stoke Bishop and saw the halls from the outside. We then spent ages on the accommodation questionnaire and I tried to work out how the algorithm would work. Hence they chose a high budget but shared bathroom and catered and this is was they got - you select 3 halls on the form. Several of their friends from school are also in the hall which a bit odd but good. It’s a walk to the city campus or a bus ride which is fine, I think there are about 3000 students in the Stoke bishop area. I would really try and visit if you can. There is lots of movement around the city, my dc has joined a gym miles away. It’s a totally different experience than going to a campus uni like Warwick or Nottingham.

I was at Bristol @luckybees but it was back when dinosaurs walked the earth so my intel is ahem not the newest.

I was in Churchill which somewhat to my astonishment when I recently looked at the current accomm is still going strong. Catered halls in Stoke Bishop are actually cheaper (esp when you consider you get food) than some of the newer SC halls in town (I was <gasp> at some prices! like £10k for SC!). They are a bit of a hike from the uni buildings tho (I refuse to call it a campus as it wasn't in the 1980s and I doubt the geography has changed). We used to walk or cycle but i doubt that would fly today.

It sounds as tho it is a bit of a scrum for who gets what. There is certainly a good variety but I would agree with a PP, Goldney or maybe Manor (not a shared room!) is a good location.

Do be aware that 2nd-year accomm is even more ££ and of course as it is not halls you usually pay for the whole year. A friend has a DC at UWE and is paying their rent of £10k, and that's not unusual. It’s an expensive city for sure. I did have a good time there tho. All the best to your DD.

Thank you. let’s hope she gets good accommodation; maybe she can see them on offers day or arrange another tour? I have not seen it as she went with a friend.

She really liked Bristol, the course and the university; we live in London so she is used to big cities; didn’t get the feel for Loughborough as didn’t get much out of the open day reg her course. I think she will be happier in a bigger city like Bristol as where there is more to do, etc.

Sounds like is going to be expensive. We’ve better brace ourselves for the extra costs. We are planning to pay for accommodation and fees and get her to live on the maintenance loan with top up with some part time work.

can you just borrow the maintenance loan? Is this a good idea? We don’t want her to a accumulate so much debt.

I got my answer. It looks like she can only borrow fees or fees plus maintenance. And she won’t get much maintenance either only 5k.

Sounds like is going to be expensive. Need a chat with DH. I don’t want her to accumulate too much debt but may be on avoidable; if we pay for maintenance and accommodation that is just going to be enough.

How much money at month does she need for decent living in Bristol? She is not a big party person or drinker.

Is £100 per week too little?

My son just finished there. He’d say Stoke Bishop halls for 1st year if you’re sociable. Had a great year there. Did a gap year and got his 1st choice. He was self catering which he really wanted as you get the better social space in the flat and more flexibility.
2nd and 3rd year private b expensive.

My Dc was in self catered, shared bathroom in Hiatt Baker at Stokes Bishop. It was fine (and there was a wash basin in the room). The free shuttle bus every 15 mins worked fine.

They loved Bristol as a city.

The accommodation is expensive though, which continues once they move out of halls.

And the train service to London seems more than other routes too. But the coach services can be v cheap.

2nd year my DD is in a shared flat in Redlands. £950 per month not including bills. A lot more expensive that some cities definitely

Her halls sc last year was £320 a week - she went as her insurance choice so had little choice as most accommodation was taken. Some people on her course were staying in Newport as they couldn’t get halls

They are a bit of a hike from the uni buildings tho (I refuse to call it a campus as it wasn't in the 1980s and I doubt the geography has changed).

When DD and I went to an open day back in 2018, there was talk of the university reorganising the main teaching area - somehow, can't remember exactly how, given that a lot of the buildings seemed to be on normal roads - in order to make it more of a 'proper campus', but I've no idea whether that came to fruition. (DD didn't apply in the end).

In terms of how and when to apply for accommodation, one needs to look at the details on the university website for the correct year of entry, as this can change. A pp has already mentioned that the system when their DC applied for 2025 entry was new that year, so it's unlikely to be radically different this year, but there may have been 'tweaks'. Same advice would go for any university.

Op please read Martin Lewis re loans and debt. He argues it’s cheap debt and if you are going to pay lump sums as a parent it’s better to pay house deposits etc as that’s ’real debt’ with higher rates. https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2025/09/five-student-need-to-knows/
DS is at Bath and equally expensive. (Dd is now looking at unis). We pay for accommodation. He lives off his minimum student loan and summer earnings. No top ups asked yet.

There seems to be a lot of building going on so no need for students to be placed outside Bristol this year. There is a reasonably active university of Bristol parents Facebook group with no mention of students living outside the city. @luckybees, if your dd lives in London then she will love Bristol but you must visit Stoke Bishop before selecting the halls based there. My dc has also told me the free bus will be charged for from next year but I don’t know if that is official. It is possible to walk from Stoke Bishop to most of the uni buildings although I believe a new innovation centre is opening in Temple quarter in 2026. These are questions to ask at the open day for offers. Ie how do you get from Stoke bishop to temple quarter if you have a lecture there etc. if it’s an issue then choose accommodation in another area of the city.

That's interesting about the proposed campus @MarchingFrogs - I mean, the union building is in Clifton and the library is a good 10-15 min walk away along a load of regular streets with shops and that, past the art gallery and over Woodlands Road. Unless the uni buys all that up (joking) I really don’t think it can call itself a campus, can it. Campus is Nottingham or Loughborough or Warwick – all uni buildings, halls, teaching facilities, library, union, sports facilities on one site and nothing on that site that is not the uni.

Bristol is fine tho, nothing wrong with a city-centre uni. And it’s a great city.

@Blushingm£320 a week for self catered halls?! Are they having a fucking laugh? Who on earth can afford that? DD is at Durham on 170 a week and I thought that was expensive. £320 is next level - I’m glad other dd hasn’t applied there as there is no way we could afford that.