Starting university can be a dream come true, new friends in a new city, studying new things. However, this new lifestyle comes with a lot of new responsibility, including organising student loans, tuition fee’s, accommodation, as well as living costs. This can all be really stressful, especially for students that have never had to be this independent before. So to help you start your studies right, here are all the ways you might need help, and how to get it at Aston University…
For Help
Accommodation
Email: accom@aston.ac.uk
Phone: 0121 204 3618
Childcare
Email: nurseryenquiries@aston.ac.uk
Phone: 0121 204 4562
Disability & Dyslexia
Email: enablingteam@aston.ac.uk
Phone: 0121 204 3882
Faith & Spirituality
Email: chaplaincy@aston.ac.uk
Phone: 0121 204 4729
Fees & Finance
Email:
Phone: 0121 204 4355
Health
University Opticians
Phone: 0121 204 3900
Hendersons Dental Surgery
Phone: 0121 204 4310.
International Students
Email: astoninternational@aston.ac.uk
Phone: 0121 204 4567
Student complaints & Academic appeals
Academic Appeals Committee
Phone: 0121 204 4665
Email: sas_academicappeals@aston.ac.uk
Advice & Representation Centre
Phone: 0121 204 4848
Email: advice@aston.ac.uk
Volunteering
Email: outreach@aston.ac.uk
Wellbeing
Email: counselling@aston.ac.uk
Phone: 0121 204 4007
Accommodation
One of the most important decisions you will need to make after deciding which university to go to is choosing where you are going to live. The main choices are university-managed accommodation or private student accommodation, but some students are lucky enough to already live nearby and can commute.
Aston University has three different accommodation buildings for their students, ranging from 5 bed to 7-bed flats. All of the accommodation also has 24/7 security as well as free high-speed wifi. The prices for different rooms can vary so it is important to look at the accommodations separately to decide if the James Watt, William Murdoch or Mary Sturge building is best for you.
To contact the accommodation team you can email them at accom@aston.ac.uk or call them on 0121 204 3618.
Childcare
Aston University understands that it can be hard to balance childcare with work and studies, so they have their own nursery and pre-school to help their students and staff. The nursery and pre-school can look after 104 children from 3 months to 5 years old.
You can take your children to the nursery for a full day (7:30am to 6pm), morning (7:30am to 1pm) or afternoon (1pm to 6pm) session. These sessions include breakfast, snacks, lunch for a morning session and snacks and afternoon tea for an afternoon session.
The nursery require a non-refundable £50 registration fee, as well as a £100 deposit to reserve your child’s place and booking pattern. The nursery should be contacted directly for fee information, and invoices are generated on a monthly basis.
To get in touch with Aston University nursery and pre-school you can call them on 0121 204 4562 or email them at nurseryenquiries@aston.ac.uk .
Disability and Dyslexia
Aston University know how important support can be for students with learning difficulties and disabilities which is why they encourage students to let them know of any disability. Aston University also require students to have a post-16 assessment report to enable them to provide you with support.
Students with a disability will also need to apply for the disabled students allowance so they can access software and equipment. If you think you have a learning disability, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, the university can also arrange a screening appointment.
To contact the disability team you can email that at enablingteam@aston.ac.uk or call them on 0121 204 3882.
Faith and Spirituality
The Martin Luther King Centre at Aston University focuses on faith, social and political issues worldwide, and supports students from all faiths or none at all. The centre’s team of chaplains are available to listen and offer advice, support and guidance to students. The chaplains have different faiths, including Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan and Sikh. The centre also regularly hosts student and university activities that support their aims of exploring justice, peace and understanding.
To get in touch with the chaplaincy you can email them at chaplaincy@aston.ac.uk or call them on 0121 204 4729.
Fees and Finance
Once you start at Aston University you will probably feel like your bank account is crying, as all of a sudden you’re expected to pay tuition fees, accommodation fees, living costs, travel, supplies, etc. For nearly all students, this is the first time they have this much financial responsibility. This is why most students decide to apply for a student loan, which will cover their tuition fees and some people also have a maintenance loan to cover accommodation and living costs.
If you would like some support and guidance on your finances you can get in touch with the finance centre by calling 0121 204 4355.
Health
To make sure all their students have good health during their studies, Aston University has a health clinic with an options and dentist. There isn’t a doctors surgery in the university clinic, but there are local NHS doctors surgeries that students can register with.
The university opticians provides free eye checks from final year optometry students, and they also have reasonable priced glasses, lenses, and contact lenses for students to buy if required. To contact the university options you can call them on 0121 204 3900.
The university is also home to Henerdersons Dental Surgery, who charge £18.50 for a dental assessment. To contact the dental surgery you can call them on 0121 204 4310.
International Students
Birmingham is such a wonderfully diverse and cultured city, so it’s no surprise that Aston University has more than 3000 international students from more than 120 countries. To help their international students succeed in their studies Aston University also offer free English language support, free visa help and advice as well as a range of scholarships specifically for international students.
If you would like to get in touch with the international team at Aston university you can call them on 0121 204 4567 or email them at astoninternational@aston.ac.uk .
Student complaints and academic appeals
Aston University wants to do everything they can to support students through their studies and so they can have the best possible experience at university, but sometimes things don’t go to plan. Which is why Aston University are open to complaints about courses, modules, the student union, members of staff or other students.
To submit a complaint you need to contact the Advice and Representation Centre by calling 0121 204 4848 or emaling them on advice@aston.ac.uk .
Some students may find themselves wanting an academic appeal, which is a review of a decision on your grade, mark, etc. To submit an appeal you need to have evidence of procedural irregularity, bias, etc. Simply being unhappy with a grade is not grounds for an appeal.
To get in touch with the academic appeal committee you can call them on 0121 204 4665 or email them at sas_academicappeals@aston.ac.uk .
Volunteering
A great way to spend some of your free time is by volunteering, as you get to help others whilst boosting your cv and learning new skills to impress future employers. There are dozens of different ways that you can volunteer at Aston University, including through the student outreach and volunteering department who organise outreach work in local schools, mentoring and tutoring . You can also volunteer for local charities in Birmingham, such as St. Basils, who support people who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.
To get in touch with the volunteering team you can email them at outreach@aston.ac.uk.
Wellbeing
Although studying is a huge part of university it is also important to take care of yourself by staying active, eating healthy, having a social life, and looking after your mental health. The Wellbeing Team at Aston University are there to offer advice and guidance on anything that may be having a negative impact on you during your time at university.
To get in touch with the Wellbeing Team at Aston University you can call them on 0121 204 4007 Monday to Friday, or email them at counselling@aston.ac.uk .
