Accommodation is one of the main factors you need to consider when applying for university, as it will be your new home for the upcoming academic year.
Here you will find a guide on how to apply for our own University-managed accommodation.
One of the first things you will need to consider before applying is your accommodation budget. Many students choose different ways to pay their accommodation fees however, the most popular is via Student Finance England.
So, what is it? Student Finance England is a government scheme that allows you to borrow money to pay for university tuition fees and living costs. While you will pay the loan back, this does not start until you are in employment, and earning over a certain amount. You can find the terms and conditions here: Student loans: a guide to terms and conditions 2023 to 2024 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Top Tip! You may be entitled to Student Finance bursaries. Make sure to check if you’re eligible.
You simply need to click on the “how to apply” button. The process will ask about living arrangements as well as household income. It will generate a figure from this information to how much you may be able to borrow. Once you have completed this, you will be able to apply for an accommodation with a budget in mind.
Before applying for accommodation, you will need to make the University of Lincoln either your Firm or Insurance choice on your UCAS hub. This will create your unique 8-digit Applicant ID, which will be used to access the accommodation application process.
While you will receive an email with your new Applicant ID shortly after confirming, this information needs to be processed by our Administration department, which will then relay it to our Accommodation team. This usually takes at least 24 hours, so if you struggle to log in straight away, do not panic! Take a break and try again in a little while. You can also email accommodation@lincoln.ac.uk to ask about the status of your student record.
Once you have logged into the Student Portal, which you can find below, you need to select “new application” to begin the process. You will be able to choose 4 developments, in order of preference, so that if your first choice has already been fully allocated, we can provide you with another favourite. You simply need to click “apply” next to your accommodation of choice and select the room type.
Top Tip! Review and check your choices in the “application summary” section before submitting.
Once you are happy with your application, make sure to click the “Submit” button.
The Accommodation team will then get to work processing your application. We will send an offer of accommodation via the email address you used to register on the Student Portal.
Top Tip! Use a personal email rather than a school email as we will use this for future correspondences, and you may not always have access to a school email.
If you are happy with the offer, simply accept via the Booking Portal. Now comes the important information. The application will ask you to set up your payment plan for your accommodation. You can choose from the following three options:
- Monthly instalments: Your residence fees will be taken monthly on a set date.
- Full payment: You choose to pay upfront the full cost of the accommodation.
- 3 Instalments: The most popular option, the residence fees will be taken in three instalments in line with Student Finance payments.
Top Tip! Once you have chosen your payment plan, this cannot be changed! Make sure you pick the right one for you.
Once you are satisfied with your payment plan, click “Next”.
We understand that in your new home-from-home, you might have certain preferences for your room. Whether this be living with friends or being on a certain floor, when accepting your offer, you will find a blank text box where you can place these requests. However, while we will try our hardest, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to expedite your requests.
Top Tip! If you are wanting to live with friends, make sure you put their full name and Applicant IDs in the free text box. They will need to do the same for you.
After submitting, you will have successfully accepted your offer of accommodation. You will be able to view your offer in the Booking Portal at any time.
You have your accommodation, now comes the waiting part. We will start allocating students to their rooms later in the year. You will receive an email with: Your block, apartment, and room number closer to your arrival date.
Your accommodation will be your home-from-home. After you have applied, if you have any questions, you can reach us at accommodation@lincoln.ac.uk
Happy applying!
Sophie