Step by Step guide for International students to find Student Accommodation
Most students seeking accommodation make a mistake by not booking their stay early. It’s a good thing you’ve landed here and are searching for this guide. Do you know what a risk it is to go abroad without any accommodation booked? It’s just a hassle, but expensive, and you might end up somewhere you’re not happy about!
So for a safe, secure, and best student home in Australia, you should get to know everything about student accommodation. With this step-by-step guide, we wish you the best in your search!
Start by getting to know the types of student accommodation
- Student housing – Off-campus accommodation
Many international students are not aware of this type of student home. It is an accommodation where it is taken care of by private companies. This means you will not be staying on the campus of your university, but yes, you will be close to the institution you will be studying for sure! The whole point of these student accommodations is for your convenience. The rooms are so modern and made with the latest amenities and technology in the house.
- Student Apartments – Off-campus housing
Did you know there are student apartments that you can rent too? Exciting, right?
These are in no comparison to other types of apartments you’ve seen so far. They are so beautifully designed and incorporated with a nice touch of color to give that feel for students like belonging at home. Just like the housing for students, the apartments are also well-installed with facilities to simplify your life as a student. The best part is you can decide the apartment to stay in privately or even as a shared student apartment.
- University halls – On-campus residence
For most freshers, they are not aware of the availability of student accommodation in Adelaide or any other place in Australia. This makes them take the halls as the first option as they are also offered by the university. This is a type of student residence in Australia that is given by the university you study in! They are located in and close to the university campus.
Comparison cost between on and off-campus accommodation:
As you have seen the difference in all three of them, you must also be wondering about the prices of these accommodations too. If you compare the two, the cost will be lower with off-campus! Because they have been designed with the purpose of making the rent cheaper for students, that’s why they are low-cost.
The attractive part about this type of accommodation is that you can even lower the prices of your rent by sharing a room or apartment with a friend. And, guess what’s more? They even pay for your utility bills. If this is not a deal breaker, not sure what is! So, your bills are paid, you have a kitchen to cook, you have the extra amenities to enjoy your time and then you have friends from all over the world.
Where to find is the big question now
Okay, so for one, the most common place is obviously online! These days you can find anything online, so this industry is also not left behind.
Platforms renting out student accommodation
Many students have favored these platforms as they are easy to use and seek student homes in Australia. One of them is searching on websites like University Living. There you will find so many and a variety of properties, there are tons and it can be a bit confusing. But what makes the search easy is that you can filter as you desire, try it out, and you will know what I’m talking about!
Join student groups
Take leverage of everything online! Did you know that you can find many student groups on social media platforms? Say, you use Facebook, you can join a group of past pupils or even a student group in Australia. It’s the best place to get real advice as these are all students seeking the same thing or past pupils just there to help out!
Consider talking to your university
It’s always good to plan ahead and know you have a safe place to land when you reach abroad. The university is a useful resource to help you find accommodation. If you want to take up a room in their halls, you can consult with them. Otherwise, if you need other accommodation, they can guide you too.
Here is what to do while seeking accommodation
It’s not all just about knowing where to find accommodation and having an idea of what’s available in the country. But, there are other important things too to look out for:
Safety is a priority- Find a place where you feel safe and settled. Make sure it’s close to where you plan to study as you do not want to waste most of your time on traveling and spend money on travel expenses. Get to know the area and the location.
Stick with the budget- Do not take something you can afford to pay as it will have a negative impact on your already planned living cost.