Your Search for Accommodation in Cambridge or Chelmsford

Available Alternatives

1.  Homestay

One viable option is to opt for a homestay arrangement, where students live with UK families. This offers choices ranging from shared to en suite or double rooms, providing a sense of familial comfort amidst a new academic environment.

2. Private Rental

Renting privately, either acquiring a room or an entire house shared with other students, is another option. Platforms like SpareRoom, On The Market, or Rightmove are valuable resources for locating private rentals. However, you should be aware you may need a guarantor.

3. Private Student Accommodation

Private student accommodations offer modern living spaces with private en suite rooms and shared kitchen areas. These options are not affiliated with any particular university and again can be in high demand and short supply.

Considering Living in London?

Many students coming to the UK may consider the capital as the best place to search for accommodation. This is NOT always the best option for studying at ARU, especially for our Cambridge campus. It is a long commute from London to Cambridge and though it is not too far from Chelmsford, you should be aware that train strikes in the UK are likely and can prevent you from getting to campus.

We would advise that you look at accommodation within a closer radius to campus. If you’re unable to find anything within the city centre, then there are some areas just outside that you can consider.

Consider other places out of the city centre:

By bus:

• Cambridge – Cherry Hinton, Great Shelford, Trumpington, Coton, Girton, Oakington, Histon, Impington, Orchard Park, Milton, Fen Ditton, etc.
• Chelmsford – Great Baddow, Galleywood, Writtle, Melbourne, Broomfield, Beaulieu Park, Springfield, Chelmer Village, etc.

By Train:

• Cambridge – Cambridge North, Waterbeach, Ely, Dullingham, Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Royston, Ashwell & Morden, Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Shelford, Whittlesford Parkway, Great Chesterford, Audley End, Newport, Downham, Stansted, etc.
• Chelmsford – Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester, Ingatestone, Shenfield, etc.

Switching to Chelmsford?

We often have more accommodation  availability in Chelmsford than we do in Cambridge. Especially, since a brand-new purpose-built student accommodation block was built on campus within the last year. If your course is delivered on both campuses, consider whether switching to Chelmsford is the better option for you. Get in touch with us as soon as possible if you wish to consider this.

Why not team up?

Another option to consider is shared housing.

By joining forces with fellow students, you could secure a larger, more appealing, and cost-effective house. To facilitate this, we’ve established a dedicated Facebook group where students seeking shared housing for January 2024 can connect and collaborate. Join the group to meet like-minded individuals looking to create shared living arrangements.

Final words

The most important thing here is that you book your accommodation before you travel to the UK!

There are several services from both ARU and ARU College that can assist you in finding the perfect accommodation for you. The Residential Services team at the university have a dedicated house hunting team who help students search for private accommodation, you can reach them on Househunting@aru.ac.uk

We also have a dedicated team within the college who you can contact via email for advise and guidance: accommodation@arucollege.com