All visiting students are eligible for university-arranged accommodation while at Kingston University (as long as you meet our deadlines). We endeavour to ensure that all visiting students have suitable accommodation arranged prior to their arrival.
There are different accommodation options depending on whether you are studying at Kingston University for a complete academic year or one semester only.
All accommodation is offered on a self-catering basis as there are no meal plans at Kingston University. However, there are student cafeterias across our campuses.
Find out more from our Accommodation website.
We do not provide accommodation for accompanying family members. However, you can view our list of hotel or guest house (PDF) for family members.
We will send you an application pack to apply for accommodation when we offer you a place. It is important to register your preferences as soon as possible.
If you are studying at Kingston for a complete academic year, you can apply for a room in our halls of residence. If you prefer, you can ask for lodgings instead. Once you have accepted your place of study, we will send you application information by email. It is important to register your preferences for halls as soon as you receive the information.
You will share a flat with between two and nine other students, dependent upon which hall you choose. Flats are normally composed of both male and female students from a range of different backgrounds and courses.
All our halls:
When you take a hall room, you sign a legal contract for the 40-week academic year, so benefit from keeping your room during the Christmas and Easter vacations. However, if you decide to move out, you will be liable for rent until we can find a new tenant.
Once you have been made an offer of a place to study at Kingston, our accommodation team will contact you directly with details about how to apply. The team will process all housing application forms and will contact you directly to confirm your room.
Find out about accommodation costs.
If you are applying to Kingston via the international exchange programme, and studying at Kingston for a semester only, you are not eligible to apply for hall rooms. However, you can apply for lodgings.
Here, you live with the owner in their house in a single room. You have:
Please remember that this is not the same as being placed with a host family (ie a homestay), as you will live separately from the householder.
Each household is slightly different so it is important to clarify with the householder exactly what is available – such as use of washing machine, availability/cost of internet, use of family rooms, pets, smoking etc.
If you are applying to Kingston via the Study Abroad programme (ie your institution is paying our tuition fees) for a single semester, then there is some limited provision for hall rooms for specific Study Abroad partner institutions in addition to the lodgings option. The staff in your study abroad office will know which option(s) is/are open to you or please contact us for clarification.
Once we have received your form, the accommodation team will email you with information on how to apply for the lodgings. You will be sent a daily vacancy list where you get to select a place of your preference.
Once you have accepted our programme offer, we will contact the accommodation team with your details. They will then provide you with information about selecting lodgings, using the KU Student Homes website.
As soon as you have received these details, you must contact your landlord/lady to:
Your landlord/lady will provide your bed linen. You will also have use of cooking utensils and kitchen equipment to prepare your meals.
If you wish to send any items to your lodgings before your arrival, please confirm first with your landlord/landlady that this is acceptable.
On arrival you must:
Your landlord/lady will refund your deposit when you leave, less any charges, such as covering the cost of breakages.
Find out about accommodation costs.
Many students would prefer a flat or bed-sit where there is no resident landlord. We do not recommend this as such accommodation is scarce and expensive. You can find details about private accommodation on the Accommodation website.
This is a guide to housing and basic board costs. All board figures are estimates based on feedback from students so it is only an average.
We have used an exchange rate of £1.00 = US$1.57 in the figures below.
You should budget at least £50 (US$78) per week to cover basic board costs (and more if you eat out often).
Semester only students: you pay the rent on a weekly basis, one week in advance. You also pay a deposit on arrival of one week's rent. Meals are not included, but all utility bills, except for the telephone, are. Your landlady/lord will refund your deposit when you leave (subject to no damages).
Academic year students: you pay the fees in three instalments, plus a deposit on acceptance of the room. Meals are not included.
Study Abroad International Learning Office
Enquiries about coming to Kingston as a visiting student:
Study Abroad International Learning Office
Enquiries about coming to Kingston as a visiting student: