New Undergraduate students

Our Allocation Policy covers:

• the criteria for students who want to apply for accommodation
• details of those students who are guaranteed accommodation and
• how we will prioritise applications for returning students, part-year students and those on the waiting list

If you are allocated accommodation you will enter into a legal contract with Accommodation Essex and you will be liable to pay the rent for your room for the full term of the contract.

Please read our terms carefully before accepting any offer of accommodation.

• Read our Allocation Policies for Colchester and Southend

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)
• your status at Essex is neither conditional firm nor unconditional firm or
• you do not have a PRID (e.g. SMITH12345) in the Home section of the My Essex Applicant Portal
• you have not allowed 48 hours after becoming firm at Essex for our system to update, before applying for accommodation

Contact your Student Services Hub if you have any queries relating to accommodation applications.

Applications for October entry 2026-27 are now open.

Guarantee deadline for applications is 11 September 2026.

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.

When your UCAS status at Essex is showing as either conditional firm or unconditional firm, you can apply online.

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 from under the Accommodation heading.

Timescales

It can take up to 72 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. 

New undergraduate students are not required to make an advanced rent payment when accepting their offer.

We start to send out room offers from April, however, you will only receive your room booking, once all academic conditions have been met. 

• If we receive your application form before the deadline of 11 September 2026, you will be guaranteed accommodation

• If we receive your form after the deadline of 11 September 2026, you will be offered accommodation as soon as a room becomes available. 

Your offer of accommodation will be emailed to the address you supplied to UCAS (or your @essex.ac.uk email address, if you have one) and will contain details about your room and the accommodation charges.

Full details of your accommodation offer will be sent to you via email. We endeavour to start sending offers out from April 2026.

New students for the 2026-27 academic year can price lock their accommodation for the full duration of undergraduate studies. Just select the 3 year deal option when you apply. 

Stay Longer. Pay Less. Get Rewarded.

Secure your student accommodation for 3 years and enjoy complete peace of mind with fixed rent for the entire period. Plus, we will price match your rates if they go down and the longer you stay, the more you earn with our loyalty cashback:

Cashback

£250 in year 1

£500 in year 3

£750 after your tenancy ends

Need flexibility? No problem, you can leave after year 1 and 2 with just one month's notice. Discounted rent will be removed and you'll have to pay back any cashback or discount received.

Rooms will have to be vacated during the summer period, but we will provide free summer storage for your belongings between academic years.

On a placement or studying abroad year? Don't worry. We'll honour the deal in your 4th year.

All subject to the following Terms and Conditions of Residence.

We wanted to create exciting living and learning communities on our campuses, that are designed to provide you with a unique opportunity to live with like-minded individuals and engage in academic and personal development under a shared topic.

These communities (only currently available on Colchester campus) are supported by experienced professionals, that will guide and support your journey here at Essex, ensuring you get the most out of your time here with us:

• Athlete Village - for those that play sports competitively

You are able to select one of these as an option when you apply for accommodation, so do check out the information, so do check out the information, so you don't miss out on this exciting opportunity.

We want everyone to feel welcome and included at Essex. We support our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender plus community members, including those who may define themselves as queer, intersex, asexual, demisexual, non-binary, gender fluid, pansexual, polyamorous, questioning and others. 

Find out more about our LGBTQ+ accommodation here.

Applications are now open.

We have a limited number of rooms available for undergraduate students starting their course in January 2026, across both our Colchester and Southend campuses. To apply for one of these rooms, please email the team at accadmin@essex.ac.uk. 

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. 

New undergraduate students are not required to make an advanced rent payment when accepting their offer.

If you are interested in living on campus, please email the team at accadmin@essex.ac.uk and confirm your room preferences.