To book rooms as a group, follow these steps:

1. Individual applications: The Book Now system works on a first-come, first-served basis, so each of you will need to apply individually from your own device.

2. Coordinate with your friends: Agree in advance on which flat and rooms each of you will select. When you use the Book Now system, you will be able to see which rooms are available in your preferred flat, so make sure to share this information with each other before booking.

3. Apply at the same time: Once you all know which rooms you want, go ahead and submit your applications together, at the same time.

4. Room availability: Keep in mind that other students may also be looking at the same flats and rooms. If someone books a room before you do, that room will no longer be available. In this case, you'll need to choose another room, or as a group, find a different flat with enough rooms for everyone. 

Returning undergraduate and postgraduate students Colchester

Returning accommodation applications for the academic year 2025-26 will open 19 November at 4:00pm. Apologies for the delay.

Please note: Your contract has no "cooling off" period. Once you confirm this booking, you have a legal obligation to comply with your contract, until it ends. 

Undergraduate 

You will be able to choose and reserve your room when you apply online, using our new Book Now process

You will need to access the online form via the following link and select the 2025-26 academic year from the drop-down, when applying.

• Apply now

(You will need your Essex username and password to apply) 

Postgraduate 

You will need to complete an online application form via the following link:

• Apply now

(You will need your Essex username and password to apply) 

Northwest Partnership

Accommodation is guaranteed to Northwest University students, as long as you complete the Book Now process by the closing date of 2 September 2025.

• Apply now

(You will need your Essex username and password to be able to apply)

The cashback amount depends on the type of accommodation booked, please see below to find out how much cashback is offered for each accommodation area.
Please note terms and conditions apply.

£100 Cashback

• The Pastures
• South Towers
• North Towers
• Wolfson Court

£250 Cashback

• The Houses

£500 Cashback

• University Quays
• The Meadows En-suite

£750 Cashback

• The Meadows Townhouses
• The Copse
• South Courts

Start-up Square is a fresh and vibrant new living space for students interested in starting a business while they study or those wishing to pursue an entrepreneurial career path in the future.

Be part of an ambitious, innovative, and entrepreneurially-minded community on campus with access to events and support from the Essex Startups team.

Start-up Square is located in our South Courts accommodation area, a short stroll to the Innovation Centre on the north of campus, where you’ll have easy access to the co-working facilities in Studio X and the Essex Startups team.

Living in our tailored accommodation will provide you with the space and opportunities to share ideas and brainstorm your future business ventures alongside other business-minded students.

Be part of something special

We have created an Athlete Village in our South Courts accommodation on the Colchester campus.

The Athlete Village is a dedicated section of campus accommodation within a few seconds walk of our sports facilities, reserved exclusively for undergraduate students who represent University sports teams. As a member of a community of athletes and sports performers, you’ll benefit from a supportive, encouraging, and exclusive environment designed to help you maximise the benefits of being part of our sporting community and achieve your peak performance.

Both returning students who have previously been an active member of one of our sports clubs and new students who can evidence their level of performance in school, county or national level competition are welcome to apply to live in the Athlete Village.

The Athlete Village is located within our South Courts accommodation in Walton Court, located next door to our Sports Centre.

By selecting to live in our Athlete village, you will not only be living with like-minded people but will also receive the following benefits, totalling more than *£600:

• Free upgrade to Essex Sport Gold Membership £50.00
• Free Essex Blades BUCS participation fee £30.00
• Contribution towards one Sports Club Membership fee up to £50.00
• Free Kit Pack £125.40
• 2 weeks free BUCS pre-season training accommodation, worth up to £395.78
• Please note the dates for BUCS pre-season are TBC.

That's an amazing £651.18 of benefits!

This offer cannot be taken up in conjunction with any other offer (apart from the returner cashback offer).

This offer is not available for Sports Scholar students.

If you would like to apply to live in the Athlete Village, then you will need to select South Courts as your area preference in your accommodation application and tick the Athlete Village option. 

British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS)

If you are a Sports Scholar or are planning on joining one of our BUCS teams and living in our campus accommodation but are not eligible or do not wish to live in the Athletes' Village, then you can still apply for the 2 weeks pre-season training accommodation. However, although this is not free, there is a 50% reduction in the cost of pre-season accommodation, which will be located in South Towers, meaning that you are charged just £134.26. This is for the period pre-season period only. You will be contacted directly about your eligibility to apply for this.

Allocations to the Athlete Village and pre-season training, will be subject to eligibility confirmation by Essex Sport and the Students' Union and will be subject to availability.

Essex has a strong history of supporting students with volunteering activities, but we want to do more. In this learning community, you will gain access to exclusive workshops, talks, volunteering opportunities and year-round support for your projects.

Build and nurture relationships and gain valuable experience by joining our volunteering learning community with access to exclusive opportunities and support from the Student Union’s VTeam.

Living in Volunteer Square comes with a comprehensive package of benefits that are specifically tailored to support your volunteering endeavours.

You're welcome to request an allocation with your friends. You should list their PRIDs in the 'additional information' field on the online application form. Each of your friends must also submit their own separate application and have the same preferences as you. Please note that we cannot guarantee we will be able to allocate you and your friends as a group.

Undergraduate

Once you have chosen and reserved your room online, you will receive an automated email confirming your booking.

Your confirmation of booking will be emailed to your @essex.ac.uk email address and will contain details about your room and the accommodation charges.

Once you have completed the Book Now process, you will have formed a contract which is legally binding and you will not be able to cancel your contract, unless you withdraw from the University. 

Postgraduate

We hope to begin making accommodation offers from December 2024, so please make sure you check your email account regularly from that date, for your new offer of accommodation (please check your junk folder).

You will need to accept your offer of accommodation before its expiry date, to confirm your allocation for the next academic year. The offer expiry date will be clearly specified in the offer letter.

Once you have accepted the offer, you have formed a contract which is legally binding and you will not be able to cancel your contract, unless you withdraw from the University. 

If you have withdrawn temporarily from Essex (intermitted) during the first term of the first year of study and decide to return the following academic year, you may re-apply for accommodation.

How to apply

Contact us in January of the year in which you intend to return to your studies.