We take prices from university and provider websites wherever they publish them, link each one to its source and show which academic year it applies to. Paid placements are always labelled, and our picks are our own judgement based on the facts on the page.
Where our prices come from
We start with the university or provider that runs the accommodation. If they do not publish a figure, we may use a named listing site and link to it. If we cannot find a figure, we say so rather than guess.
Providers publish different years at different times, so a page can include both 2026/27 and 2027/28 prices. Every price is labelled with its year.
How we work out contract totals
Weekly rent can mislead, because contract lengths differ. Our contract total multiplies the lowest listed weekly rent by the charged weeks, before any deposit, booking fee or discount. Your room type may cost more.
Our loan check compares that total with the maximum maintenance loan for a student in England, which most students do not receive in full. Where a page covers Scotland or Wales, it adds a note on the support there.
How we choose our picks
Picks and rankings are editorial judgements. They come from what the page shows, such as rent, contract length, location and room types. Where a ranking uses set criteria, like our college accommodation rankings, the page says what they are. No official ranking of halls exists, and ours should not be read as one.
Partners and paid placements
Unifresher earns money from advertising and partnerships. Every paid placement is labelled as a partner, and paid links are marked as sponsored.
On our letting agent pages, partner cards are labelled and may appear at the top of the list. Our comparison tables and picks on halls pages are not for sale.
We do not publish tenant quotes we cannot attribute. Lines marked Our take are our own view.
Reviews and ratings
Where we quote a Google rating, we show the review count too, because a perfect score from a few reviews means less than a slightly lower score from hundreds. Ratings change, so read recent reviews before you commit.
How we keep pages up to date
Each page shows when it was last updated and when prices were checked. Prices and rules change during the year, so always confirm with the provider before you book. Spotted something out of date? Let us know through our partnership page and we will look into it.
of the 500 UK students in our 2026 Student Experience Survey had hit at least one housing issue. Housemates (34%), the property itself (32%) and Wi-Fi (29%) came up most.
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FAQs
Do providers pay to appear in your guides?
Providers can pay for clearly labelled partner placements, but that does not buy a place in the picks or comparison tables on our halls pages. On letting agent pages, labelled partner cards may appear first, followed by other agencies with their Google ratings.
Why might your price differ from the one I see?
Prices change, rooms sell out and we show the lowest standard listed rent. Your room type or contract length may cost more, and some pages show different academic years. The provider has the final price, so check before you book.
Provide student accommodation?
Put your rooms in front of students choosing where to live. Talk to us about clearly labelled partner placements and campaigns.
How we built this guide: facts come from the sources listed above, checked November 2026. It is general information rather than legal or financial advice, and rules and prices change, so confirm with the provider or an adviser before you commit. How we compare student accommodation.