Student accommodation capacity issues in Manchester

01 Sep 2022

Across the UK, there has been unprecedented demand this year for University-provided accommodation

Due to unprecedented demand across the city, some of our students are experiencing difficulties in securing accommodation in the private sector for the coming academic year. 

We have admitted more students over the last three years, linked in particular to the exceptional circumstances around A Level results during the pandemic and the increase in students achieving the highest marks.This has created a knock-on impact into our own student accommodation, which is oversubscribed this year.

To put this into some context before Confirmation and Clearing last year there were 4,000 unlet Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) rooms in the city. At the same point this year, there were only 400. The demand for student accommodation is outstripping the available supply.  A similarly tight private sector market is being reported in several other university cities, including Bristol and Glasgow.  

In planning for this year our accommodation team, who are incredibly experienced, had already leased additional rooms in Manchester and factored in the potential for some over recruitment. However, the unplanned growth in student numbers across the institutions in the city has led to an unprecedented increase in demand for, and acceptances, in our own accommodation (over 1,000 acceptances up on last year, the majority of which the team has so far been able to accommodate). 

This situation is always monitored closely, and our accommodation team colleagues acted early to put in place additional mitigations to ensure that all first-year undergraduate students who have applied for University accommodation will get a place. The team has also been working hard every day since the release of exam results to support our students, including those with more general questions about non-University accommodation.  

Mitigating Actions 

In the first instance, to help reduce the number of students who require University accommodation and help prioritise those who need it most, we are offering all eligible students £2,500 as an alternative to taking a room in University accommodation in the coming academic year. They will also receive a refund for any monies already paid. This may be of particular interest to those students within commuting distance of campus, however the offer is open to all students who applied under the Accommodation Guarantee before 1 September. The incentive will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.  

If this offer does not result in freeing up the number of rooms required in Manchester, as a contingency, we have secured student accommodation in nearby cities, including Liverpool and Preston. If a small number of students have to be offered a room outside of Manchester for some or all the year, they will be offered additional financial support to mitigate the additional costs of £100 each week. 

Communications 

• We will be writing to all students who have applied for University accommodation to outline these options and encourage them to consider them carefully. 
• This will be supported by detailed FAQs on our website. 
• Any offers of accommodation outside of Manchester will be made initially by telephone to best support our students. 
• The Postgraduate Accommodation Guarantee has been met; the current shortfall of rooms applies to undergraduates. 
• Staff from across PS have volunteered to assist in responding to the emails and phone calls this will create to deal with concerns promptly and offer advice and support.  

If you receive any emails or calls with regard to accommodation please send them to accommodation@manchester.ac.uk.