UoB is telling freshers to live in Wales because there aren’t enough halls left

Bristol University is telling incoming first-year students to live in Wales, due to a lack of halls.

An email sent by the Accommodation Team advertised one of the uni’s “Commute and Save Residences”, situated in Newport, a 31-mile drive from campus.

Don't even think about getting an Uber back from Motion.

Students living in Newport will receive a free bus pass enabling them to get to and from the uni. They also have the option of driving and parking for free at Wills Hall, which according to Google Maps, is a 35-minute walk from the ASS library.

The Newport Student Village basking in the Welsh sun.

The Accommodation Team said: "It seems likely that we will not be able to offer accommodation to everyone." Aside from the Newport option, they suggested that those originating from Bristol could live at home or locally with relatives, while those unable to do this could look to rent in the private sector. Some students will also be temporarily housed at the Langford Residence, 14 miles south of Bristol.

At the start of the previous academic year, 32 students who were supposed to be staying at Badock Hall, were temporarily moved to Langford, due to a water leak. One student told The Bristol Tab that many felt "completely isolated," while another believed they had "missed out on the Freshers' experience in every way."

With this year's Freshers' Week less than two weeks away, The Bristol Tab contacted various students about their trouble finding accommodation for the upcoming academic year. The people we spoke to requested to remain anonymous.

One student complained about the uni's poor communication. He was told that he wouldn't be guaranteed university accommodation, but only after most of the city's private accommodation had already been taken up by students in other years.

Luckily, he has now found a house, a 30-minute bus-ride from campus. He told The Bristol Tab: "The experience in finding accommodation was really tough.

"I had to apply to 10 different places online to have 1 successful room enquiry. The uni didn’t help me at all and I had to rely on other students and Facebook groups."

Another student added: "No one from the university has reached out and they have handled this in quite an embarrassing manner."

A spokesperson for Bristol University said: "We are individually supporting students who were not guaranteed accommodation in various ways, including a residential house search event and advice and assistance from both the University accommodation office and colleagues in the Students’ Union.

"One short-term option offered is staying on a temporary basis in University accommodation outside of Bristol, including at the Vet School in Langford. We have also made arrangements with a third-party provider at Newport and provided this as an alternative option.

"The small number of students choosing this option will receive support from members of our Residential Life team to help ensure they feel part of the wider University community in those first important weeks.

"We are working very hard to find long-term solutions. The aim is to move those affected into University-allocated accommodation in Bristol as soon as suitable spaces become available."