Accommodation in Exeter

Early arrivals

Welcome Weekend will be Saturday 14 September to Sunday 15 September 2024.

For operational reasons, most of our residences cannot accept arriving students before these dates. 

Unless you meet the criteria below, you will need to make plans to arrive from 14 September 2024. Although your contract start date is 15 September, subject to availability you can book an arrival slot for 14 September (or 13 September for the residences listed on this Moving In page) and at no additional nightly charge.

If you meet our criteria for an early arrival, the earliest date you can arrive on is Sunday 11 August 2024. If you are looking to arrive before this date, you will need to make an additional application for Summer Accommodation. Please contact us if you require clarification about your intended stay.

The latest date you must arrive by is Sunday 8 September. No arrivals will be taken between Monday 9 and Friday 13 September 2024 as we need to ensure that all rooms have been cleaned and are ready for the start of Welcome Week.

Early arrivals are restricted to the following students:

  • Current INTO Students (progressing on to a degree/masters course)
  • Students whose course starts before 14 September 2024 (e.g. MSc FAFM)
  • Care leavers and estranged students
  • Others with extenuating circumstances of which we have been made aware

If you fit into one of these groups and have accepted an accommodation offer for the 2024/25 year you will be able to apply online for early arrival accommodation from Friday 28 June 2024.

Please note:

  • It is unlikely that your term-time room will be available before the start of the Arrivals period. You will instead be offered a temporary room, which may be located in a different residence. This means you will be required to move again on or around Wednesday 11 September (or Friday 13 September if you are moving into catered accommodation).
  • We can only offer an Early Arrivals temporary room to students who are coming to live in University of Exeter accommodation. If you have secured private accommodation, please contact the company/landlord directly to discuss your options. 

 Applications will open on Friday 28 June 2024. Please apply by the closing date of Thursday 5 September 2024.

Please select 'Summer 2024' then 'Early Arrival Applicant' to complete your application.

When will I hear?

Applications are processed in date order of arrival, subject to availability, and it possible you may not hear until 3 days before your arrival.

Your offer

Your offer will contain details of the total cost for your stay and arrival information for both temporary and term time early arrival accommodation, including the day you will need to move rooms (if applicable). 

The offer will be valid for 5 days and you must accept the offer by the expiry date. Due to demand for rooms at this time, we reserve the right to withdraw the offer after it expires and offer the room to another applicant.

All correspondence from the Accommodation Office, including your offer of accommodation, will be sent to the email address you provide on your application. Please check your inbox as well as your spam/junk email folders regularly.

You will need to pay the amount stated in your offer email in full, within 7 days of your arrival, via one of these methods:

  • UK (GBP) Bank Transfer
  • Local currency Credit/Debit card or Bank Transfer
  • Online Credit or Debit card

Visit the University's  Make a Payment page for more information.
Please include your student number as a reference so that we can identify who made the payment.

You’ll be given a room condition check form to fill out when you arrive to record any damage or maintenance problems you may find in your room; please complete and return it within 7 days. If you discover an issue and do not record it in your form, you may be charged for the cost of repair at the end of your contract.  

A room inspection will take place after you move out.

Once you have been allocated accommodation and have accepted the contract, you will not be able to amend your booking or move rooms.

However, you can cancel your contract if you give written notice within five working days by emailing exeterao@exeter.ac.uk, beginning on the day after the date the agreement becomes binding, stating that you wish to cancel your contract. Please mark your email "For attention of Accommodation Office - contract cancellation". The agreement becomes binding on the date you receive your “Contract Formation” email from the University confirming the contract has been formed. If you fail to notify us within the five working days, you can only terminate the accommodation agreement in accordance with the points set out below:

  • If after the first 4 weeks stay you wish to cancel your booking, you need to give at least 2 weeks’ advance notice. You may be eligible to receive a refund for any unused nights remaining after the 2 weeks' advance notice.
  • If after the first 4 weeks stay you wish to change the end dates of your booking, you also need to give at least 2 weeks’ advance notice.
  • Refunds can only be paid into a UK bank account and this must be from the same account that the initial payment was drawn.  Please be advised that refunds can take up to 28 days to process.
  • Please be aware that we cannot guarantee that you can stay in the same room if you wish to extend your stay. We will advise accordingly.
  • Sub-letting is prohibited.
  • We reserve the right to amend your room booking prior to arrival in the same residence/price to meet our operational needs.

You’ll be told about arrangements for moving to your term time accommodation after you have arrived. These arrangements will depend on whether you are moving into catered or self-catered accommodation later on.

  • Self-catered students are likely to be required to move into their term time room on Wednesday 11 September.
  • Catered students are likely to be required to move into their term time room on Friday 13 September.
  • On the day of your departure you will be required to vacate your accommodation and return your key to reception or left in the drop-off box by 10:00am. If keys are not returned by this time, a charge will be made to your student account, as well as additional nights charged.
  • We aim to have your term time room ready for moving into from 10:00am but for operational reasons, there may be a delay until 4:00pm. If this happens, we will ensure there is an area for you to wait with your belongings.