A Guide to Find the Perfect Student Accommodation in London for International Students

Everybody deserves a place they can call home because that gives them a sense of belonging. After a long hard day of facing the real world and a lot of people, all you would want is to get back home, sit at your favorite spot, have a cup of coffee, and let your cat purr on your lap. Accommodation is an important factor to consider if you are an international student who is looking for an affordable place to stay in a country that is all new to you.

London is a city with a top-notch education system and one of the places in the UK that is known for its cultural diversity and finest architecture. Any international student who picks London to pursue their higher education will definitely find this place overwhelming and warm. While there are a lot of things to consider for an international student who is about to live in London for months or years together, accommodation is the first of them all.

Finding an affordable place to stay is where you start while you're in the process of settling down in a new place. And it needn't be a tiring process if you know everything about student accommodation in London for international students. 

Types of Student Accommodation in London

Deciding whether a place is perfect for living comes with a certain criteria, some of them being the cost of living at the place and how well it meets your standard of a comfortable living. If you are an international student who is looking for affordable accommodation in London, you will definitely be flooded with a lot of options. But if everything is so good about a place, anybody would get confused about picking the right one. Maybe knowing about all of the available accommodation options might help you choose the right one for you. Student accommodation is classified into these main categories.

Shared accommodation - This is an accommodation option where two or more students can share a place of stay. Except for a private bedroom, other basic amenities like laundry, cooking, and other facilities will have to be shared. The average cost of this would be £ 180 per month.

En-Suite/Private accommodation - Here you will be sharing the living room and the kitchen with your roommate and you will have a private bathroom and bedroom for yourself. Here you will be spending an appropriate amount of £ 800 per month. 

Student Accommodation for Long Stays

Halls of Residence - These are usually located on or near your university campus and this is mostly reserved for the first-year students who are new to the place. You will be renting a room for yourself in the hall of residence and this comes as both shared as well as private accommodation based on your choice. The rent here comes on a weekly or monthly basis, and some of them even offer you parking permits if you have a vehicle. The approximate cost of this accommodation ranges from £ 400 to £ 600 per month.

Home Stay - This type of accommodation has a family who serves as a host for the student. You will be offered a stay at their residence and the food will be provided. You will be paying the family rent for your stay each month. This would be perfect for a student who is moving to their second year of education. This accommodation approximately ranges from £ 10 to £ 60 per week. 

Things to Keep in Mind Before Choosing a Student Accommodation 

Deciding if a place is liveable enough to make it your home is not a decision that you can make without a few second guesses. London is definitely a dream destination for international students to kick start their higher education, as it has a lot to offer them apart from a quality education. If you are planning a long-term stay in London, you will be able to find a lot of affordable options for student accommodation. Here are some of the things that you need to consider before choosing a place for your accommodation.

• Lock your budget - As an international student, the very first reality check for you will be the fact that you will be living on your own in a new country. In order to ensure that the new place you are shifting to will be affordable for you, check if your university offers any scholarship opportunities for your student accommodation.

• On-campus or off-campus? - Before beginning your accommodation hunt, make the decision of going for an on-campus or off-campus accommodation. Choose an on-campus accommodation if you're looking to stay somewhere close to your university. And choose off-campus if you want to know more about the city, its people, and the environment.

• Adapt to the new home - Since this is going to be a new place of stay for you, you will have to accept the fact that you might not be getting the exact comfort that you had back at your home. Ensure to make up your mind about this before you start planning your accommodation.

• Cook for yourself - You might not be used to cooking for yourself but now as you are shifting to a new place, you will have to start cooking for yourself because that is one of the ways in which you can cut down your expenses in half.

• Move in with a roommate - Before you decide to go for a private housing option, make sure that you find a roommate to move in with because going for shared accommodation is always one of the best options for you financially as an international student.

• Where you live matters! - Before moving in, make sure to know everything about the area and the neighborhood. Do research about the locals there and see if the place is suitable for a safe and comfortable living experience.

Change is a part of life that we can never afford to refuse. They say everything changes once you shift to a new place, be it a new house or a new country. As a student who is moving to a new country, it is normal for the place to feel foreign. But doing a good amount of research and finding the right place for student accommodation can fade this feeling. Pick the perfect place for your student accommodation in London and make that foreign city feel like home!

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