Northern Ireland

QUB 'unlikely' to offer accommodation to any student living less than 40 miles from the campus

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has said it is `unlikely' to offer accommodation to any student living less than 40 miles from the campus
Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has said it is `unlikely' to offer accommodation to any student living less than 40 miles from the campus Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has said it is `unlikely' to offer accommodation to any student living less than 40 miles from the campus

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has said it is "unlikely" to offer accommodation to any student living less than 40 miles from the campus.

The news comes as the university has found itself facing "unprecedented" demand for rooms in its halls of residence, which are oversubscribed.

Students living outside the 40-mile limit have been told they may not get a room until mid-October.

In addition, the university has told students living within the 40-mile radius to make "alternative travel and accommodation arrangements".

Previously, Queen's had offered students a £1,500 deal to withdraw from its accommodation.

Around 3,500 students each year live in university's halls of residence.

However, an email sent to students who have applied for QUB accommodation for the 2021/22 academic year have now received an email in which the university apologised "for the upset caused by the uncertainty of the past few weeks", adding that it is working "to find solutions".

The email said that in previous years, its 3,400 rooms "has been enough to meet all our requirements".

"This year, despite securing an additional 770 rooms, we are still unable to meet demand which hopefully gives you some idea of the size of the challenge we have faced.

"We continue to work tirelessly to secure other options but it may be mid to late October before some of these become available.

"We will be allocating all available accommodation by distance lived from Queen's.

"Presently, it is unlikely we will be able to offer a room to anyone who lives within a 40 mile radius of the university."

The university said it strongly advised students "who have not yet received an accommodation offer and who live outside the 40-mile radius, to make travel arrangements for the first three to four weeks of term as it is unlikely you will be able to move into your accommodation before mid-October.

The university also said it was "working with a range of local hotels" so students could book rooms "for one or two nights per week" if needed.