u/stex2025

Hi everyone!

I’m an incoming international postgraduate student at the University of Manchester, and I’m trying to decide between living closer to campus or choosing Ashburne Hall.

Financially, Ashburne Hall seems like a good option because it includes breakfast and dinner. However, I also feel that living closer to campus might be better for studying and spending more time around the university.

The website says it takes around 20 minutes by bus from Ashburne Hall to campus, but I’m wondering what it is actually like in practice. I’ve seen some comments saying that because many students live in that area, buses can get very crowded, and sometimes students may have to wait a long time or might not be able to get on the first bus.

I’m currently deciding between:

• Square Gardens: £226 per week, very close to campus
• Ashburne Hall: £190 per week, including breakfast and dinner I would apply for a 41-week contract and then try to extend it for around 10 weeks.

For postgraduate students, would you recommend living close to campus, or is Ashburne Hall still a good choice despite the commute?

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I’m an incoming international postgraduate student at the University of Manchester, and I’m trying to decide between living closer to campus or choosing Ashburne Hall.

Financially, Ashburne Hall seems like a good option because it includes breakfast and dinner. However, I also feel that living closer to campus might be better for studying and spending more time around the university.

The website says it takes around 20 minutes by bus from Ashburne Hall to campus, but I’m wondering what it is actually like in practice. I’ve seen some comments saying that because many students live in that area, buses can get very crowded, and sometimes students may have to wait a long time or might not be able to get on the first bus.

I’m currently deciding between:

• Square Gardens: £226 per week, very close to campus
• Ashburne Hall: £190 per week, including breakfast and dinner I would apply for a 41-week contract and then try to extend it for around 10 weeks.

For postgraduate students, would you recommend living close to campus, or is Ashburne Hall still a good choice despite the commute?

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming MSc Electrical Power Systems Engineering student at the University of Manchester for 2026/27.

I’m currently trying to decide where to live. As I understand that the course can be quite intensive, I expect I will spend a lot of time studying on campus, in the library, or around the engineering buildings.

I would like to live somewhere close to campus and reasonably quiet, but still with some opportunity to socialise. Because of that, I’m currently looking at rooms on SpareRoom, but I’m still unsure whether it would be better to choose private student accommodation, such as Unite Students, iQ, Vita, Dwell or Canvas, or a room in a shared flat/house found through SpareRoom.

For postgraduate students, the university accommodation options seem quite limited. Apart from Square Gardens, the other suitable options appear to have very few places available, so in practice Square Gardens seems to be the main realistic university accommodation option for me. However, it is quite expensive and I have seen some mixed/negative reviews, so I am also considering private student accommodation or a shared flat/house through SpareRoom.

For postgraduate students, would you recommend private student accommodation or a room in a shared flat/house through SpareRoom?

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming MSc Electrical Power Systems Engineering student at the University of Manchester for 2026/27.

I’m currently trying to decide where to live. As I understand that the course can be quite intensive, I expect I will spend a lot of time studying on campus, in the library, or around the engineering buildings.

I would like to live somewhere close to campus and reasonably quiet, but still with some opportunity to socialise. Because of that, I’m currently looking at rooms on SpareRoom, but I’m still unsure whether it would be better to choose private student accommodation, such as Unite Students, iQ, Vita, Dwell or Canvas, or a room in a shared flat/house found through SpareRoom.

For postgraduate students, the university accommodation options seem quite limited. Apart from Square Gardens, the other suitable options appear to have very few places available, so in practice Square Gardens seems to be the main realistic university accommodation option for me. However, it is quite expensive and I have seen some mixed/negative reviews, so I am also considering private student accommodation or a shared flat/house through SpareRoom.

For postgraduate students, would you recommend private student accommodation or a room in a shared flat/house through SpareRoom?

Any advice would be really appreciated.