The answer to this is definitely. The college is committed to providing the best experience for all its students but recognises the fact that students or have a care leaver background or who are estranged from their families may need some extra support.

If you’re unsure what care leaver means then some basic guidance would be someone who has spent time in any of the following:

• foster care
• residential care (children’s home)
• under special guardianship order
• supported accommodation

Generally if you have spent more than three months in one of the above then the term care leaver would apply to you and additional help and support may be available through the college student support and funding departments. But if you are unsure you can contact the college student services and they will be able to assist. If you let ourselves know we will also look at how best to allocate a room to you and what additional support we can help you with, whether that is with the application process, who can be your guarantor or when you are a resident staying in the halls.

You can still apply for accommodation and we will arrange for a tour and talk about the facilities with you. It is not until you have completed your tenancy documents that you are committing to stay within the halls of residence.

Until you are sure you have a place on a course we would not advice completing the tenancy document and reserving a room. If you do commit and need to withdraw please ensure you do so before the 14 August 2023 so that we can reduce the costs you are committing too.

It’s better to be prepared and see what options are available to you. So you can make an informed decision, rather than leaving everything until the last minute. But again – wait until you definitely have a place on your chosen course before committing financially to any accommodation.

We would advise much the same as above. Do as much preparation beforehand and register your interest with an application form. 

We can’t guarantee you a place, but this puts you in a much more informed position and reduces worry.

Notify the accommodation team straight away that you need to withdraw your application for accommodation. If you do this before the 14 August then you will only lose your initial advance rent payment. However if you notify the team after the 14 August you may be held liable for the full years rent payments unless another tenant can be found to take your place.

Your room will have a bed, a wardrobe, desk, chair and a set of drawers. Additionally there is an ironing room downstairs and hoovers are available for residents to use, lounges have televisions fitted and there are microwaves, etc. But please remember you will need to bring your own bedding, towels.

You will lose your advance rent payment and you and your guarantor could be held liable for the full term of your tenancy.

You will need to bring your own towels, cutlery and utensils. We also recommend getting a small under counter fridge (without freezer compartment) in case you want store anything cold and on that point an extra blanket may be advisable, this is Scotland!

In general you are not be allowed to bring anything into
the halls which represents a danger to either yourself or others or is illegal. Some specific items which may not seem obvious are deep fat fryers, cookers, heaters, freezers, Air guns, Animals, large items of furniture, large quantities of flammable liquids – including paint remover.

The best way to find out is to ask before arriving and look through your tenancy which details some specific electrical items we allow and highlights the type of things we don’t.

If we have rooms available we can book your parents into a room for an evening, there is a charge for this. Please contact the accommodation team to ask about availability.

We are approximately five minutes’ walk away from a very large Asda superstore and approximately ten minutes away from Fort Kinnaird Retail Park. Portobello and Musselburgh also have a number of local shops available to you.

Edinburgh college free student wifi is available across all campuses, you can access in the accommodation, when you are fully matriculated as a student. We also have four computer terminals located in the foyer of the accommodation which you will be able to utilise.

However we would advise whilst this works well for studying, for personal internet access most residents have found that purchasing their own “dongle / internet plan” works far better for them.

There is a very reliable service from the front of the college via the Lothian 44 bus, which also operates night buses. A rail link is available at Brunstane Train Station, which is two streets away from the campus.

Students are welcome to bring their own TV’s but are responsible for having it licensed.

Yes, although there are limits to the size of electrical equipment that you can bring into the accommodation (this is more specifically outlined in the tenancy pack), but we do allow small fridges in rooms, but they cannot have freezer compartments.

No.

You cannot sign a college agreement and then leave after a couple of weeks. Short term agreements that can run for a term can be looked at for individuals, but these generally will not be agreed too until after the start of term