Nottingham is one of the most affordable major student cities in England, with rooms currently starting from £97.00 a week. There are 24 properties available in Nottingham right now, with prices running up to £230.00 a week, so there are currently rooms available from under £100 a week, including Raleigh Park & The Village from £97.00. Nottingham’s student accommodation broadly splits between buildings clustered around Nottingham Trent University in the city centre and quieter options on the west side near the University of Nottingham, so the postcode you choose shapes your walk to lectures and your weekly spend. For a wider benchmark, the Unipol and HEPI report “Student accommodation costs across 10 cities in the UK”, published October 2023, put Nottingham’s average purpose-built rent at £8,427 a year for 2023/24, up 15.5 per cent over the previous two years, so a large share of the student accommodation in Nottingham listed here comes in below that city average once the rent is spread across a contract.
Every property in Nottingham on this site is private student accommodation, which means purpose-built and co-living buildings run by professional operators rather than by either university. The main advantage is flexibility: most are bookable by any student at either Nottingham Trent University or the University of Nottingham, in any year of study, and many welcome postgraduates and international students too, though eligibility varies by building so it is worth checking the filters. Private student halls usually include more in the weekly rent than a university room does, with on-site teams, gyms, study lounges and social spaces common across the stock. University-run rooms, by contrast, tend to prioritise first years and tie you to that institution’s own buildings. Nottingham Trent University guarantees accommodation to its first-year undergraduates and postgraduates starting in September, so the private route is mainly where many returning students, groups of friends and students who want to choose their own area look.
If keeping costs down is the priority and you are looking for cheap student accommodation in Nottingham, the best value is usually found in two areas: the western side near the University of Nottingham, and the budget end of the city centre near the NTU City Campus. This is where many of the lowest priced Nottingham rooms are concentrated. The lowest live rent is Raleigh Park & The Village at £97.00 a week, out towards Dunkirk and the Jubilee Campus, followed by Castle Gate Haus at £110.00 and The Farthings at £119.00. In and around the centre, Madison Gardens starts at £120.00 and Orbital at £125.00, with Trinity Square at £139.00 putting you in the Lace Market for not much more. These lower priced halls still come with on-site teams and shared social space, so a lower weekly rent does not necessarily mean fewer facilities. The East Midlands is often cited as the cheapest region to live as a student in England, which is part of why the cheapest rooms here drop below £100 a week.
Where you base yourself in Nottingham comes down to how close you want to be to campus, because the best areas usually balance a short commute with good local shops, nightlife or green space. The city centre and Lace Market are the natural base for anyone at the NTU City Campus, with Lace Market Studios from £166.00, The Place from £170.00and Study Inn Talbot Street from £155.00 all putting you close to the bars, independent shops and tram stops of Hockley and the Creative Quarter. Lenton is the classic University of Nottingham student village, and Nottingham Two from £157.00 sits between the two universities with a gym and a busy social calendar. Near the Arboretum, Nottingham’s oldest public park, Clarendon Street from £147.25gives you green space minutes from the centre. For higher specification rooms, Fusion Nottingham from £200.00 and iQ Newtown House from £168.00 sit at the higher end, and the most expensive room available is at The Frontage at £230.00 a week.
Nottingham Trent University is one of the largest universities in the UK, with more than 40,000 students across five campuses, and its City Campus sits right in the centre of town, so accommodation near Nottingham Trent University is essentially city-centre living. Trinity Square, Lace Market Studios, Castle Gate Haus and iQ Exchange are all a short walk from the Shakespeare Street and Goldsmith Street buildings. NTU’s Clifton Campus is about four miles south and linked to the city by a regular bus and the tram, with Bonington Student Village from £151.00 the closest option out there. You can compare the full list on the Nottingham Trent University accommodation page.
The University of Nottingham had 34,840 students in 2024/25 according to HESA, spread across University Park, the Jubilee Campus a mile away, and Sutton Bonington further south. University Park has its own tram stops on the line into town, so you can live centrally and still get to lectures quickly. Raleigh Park & The Village, iQ Nelson Court and Nottingham Two all sit on the western side near University Park and Jubilee. Bear in mind that in November 2025 the University of Nottingham announced it would suspend 16 courses and sell its Castle Meadow Campus, citing significant financial challenges, so double-check where your own department is based before you book. You can see the full list on the University of Nottingham accommodation page, and if you are still deciding between the two, our guide weighs up Nottingham Trent vs Nottingham Uni.
Nottingham is compact and built for getting around without a car, which makes cheaper rooms further out easier to consider. The tram, run by Nottingham Express Transit (NET), covers two lines with stops at University Park, the Queen’s Medical Centre, the city centre and out to Beeston, Clifton and Hucknall. Nottingham City Transport runs much of the local bus network, which is frequent and reaches every student area, with the Orange Line serving Lenton and Beeston and the Pink Line covering Lenton, Radford and the Jubilee Campus. A Robin Hood card lets you pay as you go across both tram and bus on one card, and NET’s 25/26 Student Academic Year Tram Ticket is priced at £350, reduced to £300 with a £50 discount through the NETGO! app, which pays off quickly if you commute in daily from a cheaper area. The trade-off is simple: a room in Lenton, Beeston or Clifton can cut your rent but adds a tram or bus leg, while a central room costs more but often puts you within walking distance of the NTU City Campus.
Most private properties in Nottingham are sold on an all-inclusive basis, with bills included in the weekly rent. That typically covers electricity, gas, water, contents insurance and superfast wifi, and a growing number of buildings also include the TV Licence, which rose to £180 a year on 1 April 2026. Always confirm exactly what each building includes before you sign, since the mix varies. There are three main room types to choose from in Nottingham. An en-suite room gives you a private bedroom and bathroom while you share a kitchen with your flatmates. A student studio is a self-contained space with your own kitchen and bathroom, usually the most private and most expensive option, and studios are well represented across the city centre. A shared flat puts you in a cluster with your own bedroom and a communal kitchen and living area, usually the most sociable and the best value.
Contract lengths in Nottingham vary by property but commonly run 42 to 51 weeks, designed to cover the academic year. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, any tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is below £50,000, and a holding deposit to reserve a room is capped at one week’s rent. Several operators advertise no deposit at all, so it is worth comparing. If you need a guarantor and cannot provide a UK-based one, services such as Housing Hand are widely accepted, and Nottingham Trent University partners with Housing Hand directly for students who need it. On council tax, full-time students are exempt: under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 a household where everyone is a full-time student is disregarded entirely, with a full-time course defined as lasting at least 24 weeks a year and involving at least 21 hours of study a week. Purpose-built student halls are treated as exempt dwellings automatically.
Nottingham is compact, but there is a lot for students to do. The city was awarded permanent UNESCO City of Literature status in December 2015, and the independent scene around Hockley, the Lace Market and Sneinton Market is full of vintage shops, cafes and bars, with the City of Caves and Nottingham Castle a short walk from most central rooms. Nightlife is a major part of Nottingham’s student appeal, from gigs at Rock City to club nights across the centre, and free green space is never far, whether that is the Arboretum in town or Wollaton Park out towards Beeston. For more on where to base yourself, read our guide to the best student areas in Nottingham, and our wider news hub has guides on budgeting, open days and city life.
Live rooms in Nottingham run from £97 a week at Raleigh Park & The Village to £230 a week at The Frontage, across 22 properties. For context, the Unipol and HEPI “Student accommodation costs across 10 cities in the UK” report (October 2023) put Nottingham’s average purpose-built rent at £8,427 a year for 2023/24, so many of the rooms listed here sit below the city average.
The best value tends to be on the western side near the University of Nottingham around Dunkirk and the Jubilee Campus, and at the budget end of the city centre. The lowest live rents are Raleigh Park & The Village at £97, Castle Gate Haus at £110 and The Farthings at £119 a week.
Where a property is all-inclusive, the weekly rent usually covers electricity, gas, water, contents insurance and superfast wifi. Some buildings also include the TV Licence, which is £180 a year from 1 April 2026. The exact mix varies by property, so check before you book.
No. Full-time students are exempt from council tax, and a household where everyone is a full-time student is disregarded entirely under the Local Government Finance Act 1992. Purpose-built student halls are automatically treated as exempt dwellings.
Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent. Some Nottingham operators ask for no deposit at all.
International students who cannot provide a UK-based guarantor can usually use a paid guarantor service such as Housing Hand, which many operators accept. Requirements differ between buildings, so confirm with the property before applying.
Yes. First years can book private student accommodation in Nottingham, including students looking for a room close to Nottingham Trent University for their first year. Many first years still take a university-guaranteed room initially, but the private route is open to all years.
Contract lengths vary by property but commonly run 42 to 51 weeks to cover the academic year. Some buildings offer shorter or longer stays, so ask the operator if you need flexibility.
Aim to start looking once you have accepted your offer. First years and international students often begin around January, but rooms are listed year-round. Because student accommodation Nottingham students want tends to fill quickly, the best-located rooms near both campuses go early, so booking ahead widens your choice.
An en-suite room is a private bedroom and bathroom with a shared kitchen. A student studio is fully self-contained with your own kitchen and bathroom. A shared flat gives you a private bedroom with a communal kitchen and living area, and is usually the most sociable and best-value option.
Nottingham is a popular and well-established student city with large student populations at both universities. Most private buildings have secure door entry, CCTV and on-site teams, and the compact centre and tram network make getting home straightforward.
For Nottingham Trent University, the city centre and Lace Market put you within walking distance of the City Campus, with Clifton served by bus and tram. For the University of Nottingham, the western side near University Park and the Jubilee Campus works well, with tram stops on campus. Compare options on the Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham pages.
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