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

If you’re unsure what a 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 a 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 us know, we will also look at how best to allocate a room to you and what additional support we can help you with, such as the application process, finding a 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 staying within the halls of residence.

Until you are sure you have a place on a course, we would not advise completing the tenancy document and reserving a room. 

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

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

Your room will have a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, a 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 and 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 to store anything cold, and, on that point, an extra blanket may be advisable, this is Scotland!

In general you are not 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 get in touch with the accommodation team to ask about availability.

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

Edinburgh College's free student WiFi is available across all campuses, which 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 that 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 TVs, but are responsible for obtaining the necessary TV licenses.

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

No.

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