Housing

Information for Study Abroad & Exchange Students from Outside Europe

As a student studying abroad with us from either outside of Europe, or coming to us on a fee-paying basis from anywhere in the world, you are eligible to apply for Queen Mary accommodation.  Queen Mary housing is not guaranteed, this is subject to availability and deadlines being met. However, where possible we endeavour to house students on our Mile End Campus or with a partner accommodation provider in the local area or within a short commute of the Mile End campus. 

What to expect  

All Queen Mary accommodation is self-catered, and all rooms are for single occupancy, within en-suite or non en-suite cluster flats.  Each cluster flat will have communal facilities shared between 4-10 residents.  We also offer single sex accommodation. 

All rooms are carpeted, equipped with either a single or small double bed, wardrobe, bookshelves, desk, chair, and storage space. Rooms have access to shared kitchens which are fully equipped with refrigerators, freezers, cookers, storage cupboards, food preparation areas and dining areas.  

Mile End Halls of Residence are all within a maximum five-minute walk of each other. Visiting your friends is easy and our 24-hour Security team and Residences Support teams are on hand if you have any queries.   

The Study Abroad programme gives you a fully immersive experience: you will be placed in flats with first-year, full-time degree seeking students and fellow study abroad students, of all genders, so you can meet a range of people with varied viewpoints and experiences.   

If you have any special requirements, please contact the Residences team so that we can accommodate them.  

For more information and current prices, please visit the Residences website or contact: residences@qmul.ac.uk  

Applying for campus housing  

Queen Mary housing is very popular, and a housing placement is not guaranteed.  Eligible students are encouraged to apply to the Study Abroad/Exchange Programme early, accept their programme admission offer as soon as they receive it, and apply for campus accommodation via the online housing portal as soon as possible after accepting their offer. 

Information for European Exchange students

One of your main living costs will be housing. While exchange students from Europe are not eligible to apply for Queen Mary housing, our Residential Services and Support (RSS) Team can help you find affordable housing in London. This can mean that you either rent private housing, live in private student halls or participate in a homestay (living with a UK family).

You can arrange either a one-to-one or a group meeting with the RSS Team to help you find suitable alternative accommodation for your stay with us at Queen Mary. The team can offer you advice on finding private housing, an online property search, a student search noticeboard and a contract reading service.

Get together

Our exchange students make friends quickly when they arrive and often group together to rent a flat together. The Global Opportunities team also organises an offer-holder Facebook group each semester, so you can find like-minded people and discuss your options.

There is plenty of housing in the Mile End area and compared to other parts of London, it is often surprisingly good value for money. We provide you with all the support you need to find a comfortable home while you study in London.

For more information, please contact residences@qmul.ac.uk or visit the Residences website.

Once you have received and accepted your unconditional or conditional offer within 48 business hours you will have access to apply to housing via a tile within your applicant portal.

To create a housing application you will need to use the login details sent to you from: noreply@qmul.ac.uk in the email titled “Receipt of Application”.

For more details visit: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/residences/college/application/

The residences team can provide specialist advice on a range of alternative housing including renting a local room or flat, finding a room in a privately built hall of residence, or choosing a homestay or short-stay option. 

Some of our full-degree students rent out their rooms while they are on their semester/year abroad. You can register online to view these rentals on the Student Share Notice Board.

For information on living costs, please visit our Advice and Counselling Service’s page ‘Planning a budget and managing your money’.

You can make substantial savings on the cost of eating on campus by buying the Curve restaurant’s pre-paid meal vouchers. There are four packages, covering different breakfast and main meal options.

It is important that you state any extenuating circumstances or medical/disability that you wish to be considered when submitting your application.

Without this information, the residential team may be unable to allocate you suitable housing in advance. Once you have arrived on campus it becomes very difficult to relocate you so please make sure that if you have any concerns or have forgotten to raise these comments at the point of your application message housingservices@qmul.ac.uk

At Queen Mary, we have a dedicated residential welfare team that ensures that our residents’ stay is a positive one by providing support and guidance for all those who need it. This includes pastoral services through their work with other departments at Queen Mary.

If you would like to speak with a member of the team, you can call 020 7882 6470, or email residentialwelfare@qmul.ac.uk to connect with a member of the team.

The Queen Mary Security Service Team comprises a diverse team of male and female Security Officers providing 24-hour, 365-day safety, security and crime prevention cover from three Security Control Rooms at Mile End, Whitechapel and Charterhouse Square. All Security Officers are easily identifiable by their navy blue QM Security uniforms and are in direct contact with the Security Control Rooms via two-way radio communication. 

Queen Mary Residences have a useful page where you can take a virtual tour of the different accommodation types available to associate students*

*Please note due to individual requirements, not all halls may be available to associates. European exchange students are not eligible to apply for these housing types and will need to seek alternative housing.

Whilst we do not allow emotional support animals on our campus, we do have our resident cat Queenie who loves to say hello around the campus, she even has her own page.