Accommodation 

If you don’t have a placement, try not to sign-up for accommodation until your placement has been arranged and you know what your budget is and where you need to be.

When to start looking

For all students, we recommend waiting until after the Christmas break before thinking about accommodation for next year – if your course has a placement year, prepare to wait even longer and try to resist the pressure to book something early and limit your opportunities to do an international placement, or relocate within the UK.

Don’t have a placement yet?

If you’re worried you won’t have accommodation booked if your placement search doesn’t work out, you can apply to live in halls, even as a back-up option. Our flexible application process means that you are under no obligation to accept any room offered, will not be asked to pay a deposit when applying, or sign a contract until a room offer has been made to you.

Current students can apply to return to halls from 1^st November and are typically allocated rooms from March onwards. However, applications for halls are accepted all year round from full-time students in any year of study, including postgraduate. Standard tenancy agreements are 44 weeks (September to July) and there is also a limited supply of one semester accommodation.

Once you receive a room offer you can review your placement situation before deciding whether to accept or reject any room offered. Please note that each residence will have specific cancellation policies which we advise students to review and understand before proceeding to accept any room offered and committing to a legally binding contract.

Contact Sheffield Hallam Accommodation Services for further information and to discuss your options.

Staying in Sheffield

Get help from Sheffield Hallam Accommodation Services to source private sector accommodation or book a place in one of our Halls of residence. Don’t believe the myth that there’s a shortage of student housing in Sheffield. Ask one of our Placement Reps.

Relocating away from Sheffield

Here are some options to consider:

• Contact a Placement Rep for recommendations
• Contact your Placement Provider’s HR team. They can often assist new employees with their accommodation search and recommend good areas to live in, letting agents, estate agents etc. It may be that they can put you in touch with this year’s current placement student/s at their organisation (even if they’re not Sheffield Hallam students) and there might be the option to take on their flat or room once they leave in the summer
• studentpad.co.uk allows you to search for student accommodation via location 
• Living with family or close relatives is something to consider on placement if they live close to your chosen placement and could mean saving a lot of money compared to renting somewhere separately
• Ask the advice of friends at other Universities if they are living in the city you are moving to. Use their knowledge and access to accommodation support at their university to set up a house or flat share. Or even share with them!

Take extra care when booking accommodation through third parties as these will be private agreements between yourselves and your accommodation provider which the University will not be able to assist with if things go wrong; including the sites mentioned above, which are included for information as previous students have found these useful rather than a recommendation or endorsement.

Travel and commuting

Visit your new place of work before agreeing to work there so you can see how easy the travel to work will be. It is also a good idea to plan for the cost of transport you will be using. If you’re going on an international placement, find out more about those too.

Public Transport (and Transport for London)

Remember, your SHU card entitles you to cheaper bus fares in Sheffield, and elsewhere it's usually possible to find savings on weekly and monthly tickets or travel passes using your student discount.

The 16-25 railcard (which mature students who attend university for over 15 hours a week can also buy) currently offers a 1/3 reduction on network rail travel.

The railcard can also be applied to an Oyster travel card to provide similar savings on the London Underground, as well as savings on other routes - do some research into how it might help you on your journey to work. 

Apply for an 18+ student Oyster card for work placements – this requires a letter from the University to confirm you are an enrolled student on a work placement, so contact the Work Experience Team to arrange this. Be careful to apply for the correct card, as the application fee is non-refundable.

Please have a look at the below useful links to help you plan travelling to work on public transport:

Travel South Yorkshire

Stagecoach

Firstbus

Transport for London

Traveline

Driving / Car sharing

If you find that driving to your place of work is unavoidable, consider car sharing or arranging a lift into work or near to where you work with someone you know. Either take turns at driving, or chip in for fuel if there’s just one person with a car.

Walking

This one seems obvious but what’s less obvious is the potential risks of walking home after dark. Make sure you’re safe, walking with others where you can and don’t take unnecessary risks.

Cycling

Another great option if you’re looking to stay healthy while you’re on placement or looking to keep costs down. Stay safe and make sure you’re wearing protective equipment.

More information on addressing environmental concerns and how you can be more sustainable can be found on the page Sustainability in the workplace.