Accommodation
Unlock the door to your future
Moving to a new city can be a little daunting. But we are here to support you through the process.
How to book accommodation for September 2023
If you are accepting a place to study with us in September 2023, please be mindful that limited on-campus university accommodation will be available to book.
ARU Residential Services will not be able to guarantee availability and not all students will be eligible. The eligibility criteria for accommodation in September 2023 can be found here.
We strongly recommend that you explore off-campus private accommodation options and make arrangements prior to travel to the UK.
Contact us if you’re ever unsure of anything.
Steps
Familiarise yourself with the ARU Accommodation options
University accommodation options are on the ARU website.
Accept your offer to study and request your booking login details
If you are interested in on-campus university accommodation, please request the credentials you need in order to access the student booking portal here.*
*Please remember that university accommodation availability for September 2023 is very limited. We strongly recommend that you explore off-campus accommodation options in the private sector and make arrangements prior to travel to the UK.
Other accommodation options
Have a look at the accommodation private providers and letting agencies listed below, and if you book with them, please mention you are studying at ARU College.
Cambridge student accommodation providers:
- studentcastle.co.uk
- apartostudent.com
- brunswickhouse.com
- downingstudents.com
- nidostudent.com
- thestudenthousingcompany.com
- collegiate-ac.com
- homestayconsultancy.com
Chelmsford letting agencies that rent to students (subject to availability):
Some landlords will ask for a UK based guarantor. If you don’t know anyone suitable, there are few companies (Rent Guarantor, ukguarantor.com and Housing Hand) who provide this for an additional fee – see How To Get A UK Guarantor For Student Accommodation (propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk)
Other considerations
You may also like to consider renting a large house sharing with other students.
If you are interested in this, email accommodation@arucollege.com with permission to share your email address, and we can put you in touch with others who are interested in this option.
Consider other places out of the city centre accessible by bus
Bus routes:
- Cambridge – Cherry Hinton, Great Shelford, Trumpington, Coton, Girton, Oakington, Histon, Impington, Orchard Park, Milton, Fen Ditton, etc.
- Chelmsford – Great Baddow, Galleywood, Writtle, Melbourne, Broomfield, Beaulieu Park, Springfield, Chelmer Village, etc.
Consider other places out of Cambridge or Chelmsford accessible by train
Train routes:
- Cambridge – Cambridge North, Waterbeach, Ely, Dullingham, Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Royston, Ashwell & Morden, Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Shelford, Whittlesford Parkway, Great Chesterford, Audley End, Newport, Downham, Stansted, etc.
- Chelmsford – Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester, Ingatestone, Shenfield, etc.
Further advice on booking private accommodation is available here.
Staying with a local family is also a good option, particularly if you are under 18 years old. Host Family accommodation can be booked directly with Homestay Consultancy.
Students studying Pre-Sessional English (PSE)
Students studying Pre-Sessional English (PSE) should apply for accommodation with ARU by emailing camaccom@anglia.ac.uk. Accommodation places for pre-sessional students are limited so students may consider booking host family accommodation for their PSE course, with Homestay Consultancy.
Short-term accommodation options
If you require short-term accommodation, please visit https://aru.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/short-term-accommodation for more information.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mailing us at accommodation@arucollege.com. We are happy to help you unlock the door to your future!