The Essex website uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are consenting to their use. Please visit our cookie policy to find out which cookies we use and why. View cookie policy.

University of Essex homepage Life Accommodation apply New students Postgraduate
Accommodation

New students

Apply now

Applying for postgraduate accommodation

New October start student accommodation applications for 2025-2026are now open.

January and April 2025 start applications remain open.


Essex Accommodation on social media:

Two female students in accommodation sitting on the beds and looking at a phone
Now available! – A limited number of budget double and twin rooms available to postgraduates

Want to live with a friend? Our double occupancy twin and double rooms offer great value for money and are now available for new postgraduate accommodation applications from 6 August 2024. Pricing starts from just £105 per week on a first come first served basis (terms & conditions apply).

Find out more

New postgraduates October 2025 entry

Applications for October entry 2025-26 are now open. Please see details below on how to apply and secure your room today. 

The deadline to apply for guaranteed accommodation is 12 September 2025.

IMPORTANT: please remember, there is no cooling off period. You cannot cancel your contract with us once accepted/confirmed, unless you withdraw or intermit from the University, even if you don't move in. So please consider carefully before accepting an offer we have sent you.

Make sure you read the application guide (.pdf) before making an application for accommodation.

You need to:

  1. Create your myEssex applicant portal (see timescales below)
  2. Login to the portal
  3. Go to your home page on the portal, where you will find the link to the online accommodation form under the Accommodation heading. 
Timescales

It can take up to 24 to 48 hours for the relevant data to be imported into the accommodation application system from the point of creation, so set up your portal as soon as you can.

Follow the next steps below to see what happens after you have made your application.

End of summer interim booking

If you are currently living in our accommodation and will be a returning student and have accommodation booked with us again for 2025-2026, then you will stay in your current room until your term-time room is ready, you will not need to move out between contracts (there is a charge of £17.02 per night for this period).  You will be issued with an interim booking for this period and we will let you know what the process is and give you the opportunity to cancel, if you will not be staying. 

New postgraduates January 2025 entry

Applications are now open.

We have a limited number of rooms available for postgraduate students, across both our Colchester and Southend campuses. To apply for one of these rooms, please follow the steps below.

Rooms will be offered in order of application date.

On the application form, you will be asked to select your preferred locations. Please select these in order of preference and don't select any location which you wouldn't be prepared to accept. We cannot guarantee that you'll be offered your first choice of accommodation.

Colchester January 2025 entry 

IMPORTANT: please remember, there is no cooling off period. You cannot cancel your contract with us once accepted/confirmed, unless you withdraw or intermit from the University, even if you don't move in. So please consider carefully before confirming your booking through Book Now or accepting an offer we have sent you.

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Southend January 2025 entry

IMPORTANT: please remember, there is no cooling off period. You cannot cancel your contract with us once accepted/confirmed, unless you withdraw or intermit from the University, even if you don't move in. So please consider carefully before confirming your booking through Book Now or accepting an offer we have sent you.

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Applications will be processed as soon as possible.

Early arrivals

Want to arrive before Christmas and have time to settle in before your course starts? No problem, we are able to offer you free early arrival accommodation from 20 December 2024, until your term-time contract starts on 5 January 2025. You just need to be a January 2025 start PG student, that has applied for and accepted accommodation on campus. If you are interested, please email us at accarriv@essex.ac.uk by 1pm on Friday 20 December 2024.

Requests after this date will not be approved and processed.

Your term time room may not already be available, so you will likely have to take an alternative room for your free early arrival period.

New postgraduates April 2025 entry

Applications are now open.

We have a limited number of rooms available for postgraduate students, across both our Colchester and Southend campuses. To apply for one of these rooms, please follow the steps below.

Rooms will be offered in order of application date.

On the application form, you will be asked to select your preferred locations. Please select these in order of preference and don't select any location which you wouldn't be prepared to accept. We cannot guarantee that you'll be offered your first choice of accommodation.

Colchester April 2025 entry

IMPORTANT: please remember, there is no cooling off period. You cannot cancel your contract with us once accepted/confirmed, unless you withdraw or intermit from the University, even if you don't move in. So please consider carefully before confirming your booking through Book Now or accepting an offer we have sent you.

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

Southend April 2025 entry

IMPORTANT: please remember, there is no cooling off period. You cannot cancel your contract with us once accepted/confirmed, unless you withdraw or intermit from the University, even if you don't move in. So please consider carefully before confirming your booking through Book Now or accepting an offer we have sent you.

You are required to complete a PDF form and please note, that these are interactive PDF forms. Therefore, you must save a copy of it to your device before completing your information. If you do not save this file to your device, you will lose any information you have filled in. The submit button will then attach the form to an email ready to send to us. Alternatively, please send via email to accadmin@essex.ac.uk.

Applications will be processed in the autumn term.

Next steps

  • If we receive your application form before the deadline of 12 September 2025 you will be guaranteed accommodation.
  • If we receive your form after the deadline of 12 September 2025 you will be offered accommodation as soon as a room becomes available.

Full details of your accommodation offer will be sent to you by email. We endeavour to start sending offers out from April 2025. An accommodation advanced rent payment is no longer required at the point of application. Instead, it will be payable when you accept your offer.

Your offer of accommodation will be emailed to the address you supplied with your application to study at the University (or your @essex.ac.uk email address, if you have one) and will contain details about your room and the accommodation charges. You will have a limited time to accept your offer of accommodation so it is very important that you check this email account regularly throughout the entire summer.

Car Parking available

Car parking permits are available for a limited number of accommodation areas on the Colchester Campus.

Current availability is for those choosing to live in either South Courts or The Copse for the 2025-26 academic year.

The permits are offered on a first-come-first-served basis and spaces are limited.

The permit will be charged at a reduced rate of £25.00 per term.

Please contact us at accadmin@essex.ac.uk for more details.

This offer is only available to new students.

Payment

Don't worry about the money at this stage. When you receive an accommodation offer you have one week to accept and pay your £250 advanced rent payment. You will be able to make this payment by credit/debit card as part of the online acceptance process.

If you are not able to pay your advanced rent payment at the point of acceptance, please contact the Student Information Team in the Student Services Hub. Please do not try and pay your advanced rent payment via the student online payment system. We have experienced difficulty tracing such payments in the past and this option has therefore been discontinued.

The deadline to request to cancel and receive a refund on your prepayment, is 1 September 2025. You can still request to cancel your offer after this date but no refund will be offered.

Reasons you may not be able to apply

Please also note that you will not be able to apply if:

  • you have not received an offer of academic study at Essex
  • you have only just created an applicant portal (see timescale above)
  • you have not accepted your offer of academic study or
  • you do not see a PRID (for example, SMITH12345) in the Home section of the My Essex Applicant Portal
  • you haven't allowed 48 hours after accepting your offer at Essex, before applying for accommodation

If you have a debt to the University

Students who have a debt to the university will not be made an offer of accommodation until the debt is cleared. You will be notified if this is the case and be given an opportunity to make payment to clear this debt.

If this is not received then we may not be able to proceed with your application.

Terms and Conditions of Residence
Current Terms and Conditions of Residence (.pdf)
Life at Essex
What it's like to live at Essex
Accommodation
Find your new home
Open Days
Come see for yourself
WE ARE
ESSEX ARE YOU?
Sign up for a prospectus Get to know Essex
STUDY
Find a course
LIFE
RESEARCH
EXPLORE
CONTACT US
Contact


  • +44 (0) 1206 873333
  • University of Essex
  • Wivenhoe Park
  • Colchester CO4 3SQ

 

 

University of Essex - Where change happens

CONNECT WITH US
© 2025 University of Essex. All rights reserved