Your room, your choice

How to book accommodation

Booking your accommodation is easy using our online accommodation portal. We’ve outlined the process you’ll need to complete to secure your BU accommodation, but you can also read our booking FAQs if you get stuck for any reason.

The booking process:

Stage 1: Register for your accommodation guarantee

Within 24 hours of accepting your offer to study at BU, you'll be able to register for your accommodation guarantee*. You need to complete your registration to be able to go on to stage 2, when you choose and book your BU accommodation through our Accommodation Portal.

If you have applied for a postgraduate course starting in January 2021, you need to hold an Unconditional offer by 9am on Monday 21 December to secure your BU accommodation guarantee*.
If you have applied for an undergraduate course starting in September 2021 entry, once you hold an offer with us, you can register your BU accommodation guarantee*. Once complete, this then secures you access to a room in BU accommodation for September 2021*. If you apply after 30 June 2021, you may not be eligible for our accommodation guarantee. We will update this page and contact you with specific information about your accommodation options nearer the time.
If you have applied for a postgraduate course starting in September 2021, you need to hold an Unconditional offer by 8am on Tuesday 24 August 2021 to secure your BU accommodation guarantee*.
If you have applied for a postgraduate course starting in January 2022, you need to hold an Unconditional offer by 9am on Monday 20 December 2021 to secure your BU accommodation guarantee*.

* Terms and conditions apply

Stage 2: Choose and book your accommodation

For January 2021 entry:

If you are a postgraduate unconditional offer holder joining us in January 2021, you are now able to choose your room and make the required payment to complete your booking.

For September 2021 entry:

Unconditional Offer-holders: From early March 2021, so long as you have completed Stage 1 and registered your BU accommodation guarantee, you'll be able to complete Stage 2 where you choose your room for September 2021 and make the required payment to complete your booking.

Conditional offer-holders: From July 2021, so long as you have completed Stage 1 and registered your BU accommodation guarantee, you can commence Stage 2, where you will choose and reserve a room in BU accommodation. When you meet the criteria of your offer, and your status changes to Unconditional Firm (UF), you can then go on to complete Stage 2 where you make the required payment to complete your booking.

For January 2022 entry:

If you are a postgraduate unconditional offer holder joining us in January 2022, you will be able to choose your room and make the required payment to complete your booking from October 2021.

How to complete Stage 1 & 2

To access the accommodation portal: You will need your BU Student Login, which comprises a username and password? Don't have it? Don't worry:

Your username along with your password was sent to you by email when you first applied to BU (please check your email records).
If you have lost this email then you can search your email folders for an email from BU Account Notification or with the subject title Your BU Student Account (remember to check your junk and deleted items).
Once you have located this email you can retrieve your username and password (you can even reset your password from a link in this email if you wish).
You can then log in to the accommodation portal

If you cannot locate your email then you should contact our AskBU team on +44 (0)1202 969696, Monday-Friday, 08:30 to 17:00 (16:30 on Friday).

To complete Stage 1 and/or Stage 2: Once you are logged in to the accommodation portal, select 'Registration and Booking' on the top navigation. You can then follow the steps to complete Stage 1 (registering for your guarantee) and/or Stage 2 (choosing and booking your room).

Confirming your booking: Once you've become eligible to book your room and made your selection you will need to make a financial payment to secure your room.

If the room is booked directly with BU (Student Village, Unilet and Dorchester House) we will request your first rent payment of £250. You will then need to make this payment within 24 hours. If payment is not made by the deadline provided, the reservation can be cancelled and the room released for others to book.
If you select any of our other accommodation options your booking will be handled by one of the Halls of Residence teams, who will be in contact with you within five working days to request payment to confirm the booking. If payment is not made by the deadline provided, the reservation can be cancelled and the room released for others to book.

Our 2020/21 accommodation price guide (pdf 149kb) details the required payments to secure your booking.

Self-selection: giving you more control

Unlike most universities, we don’t choose and allocate your room for you. Our self-selection system means you choose from what’s available, just like booking a seat in a theatre or for a show.