What are the advance rent payment & deposit amounts?

A £500 advance rent payment is taken once the student accepts their offer of accommodation. No deposit is taken or held by Edinburgh Napier University – the £500 payment is offset against your total rent for the total duration of your tenancy.

If you are a Widening Participation student and believe you may have difficulties in paying the £500 advance instalment, please contact wideningaccess@napier.ac.uk for more information

How can I pay my £500 advance rent payment?

Payment can only be made online by credit/debit card via the online application system. Please do not use any other system to make a credit card payment e.g. epay otherwise you will not come under the guarantee.

Although it is NOT recommended, if this is not possible a cheque/bank transfer (which can take up to five working days) would be acceptable, but we must be notified by email (accommodation@napier.ac.uk) of this change in process. We must still receive this payment into the University account before the guarantee date otherwise the student will not be guaranteed accommodation.

Allocation information

We try to ensure a friendly, multicultural atmosphere where you are matched with people of a similar age group who are participating in a variety of courses.  However, we aim to allocate all 1 trimester, pathway group booking, nursing and postgraduate students together.

We have set up Facebook groups for each site so that students can find their flatmates ahead of their arrival. Please visit the groups for Bainfield, Orwell Terrace, Slateford Road, Capitol Students (Gorgie) and Capitol Students (Westfield).

Will I stay with students studying at the same Campus?

No. Most of the student accommodation flats are within walking distance of one another, and a number of students study different subjects at different sites.  All our accommodation sites have excellent transport links to the campuses.

Can I say where I want to stay?

When you apply for student accommodation you will be asked to make preferences of accommodation site and type bearing in mind the general allocation policy below.

Please keep an open mind in regards to the site you will be allocated. Many students have their heart set on one accommodation site and can be very disappointed if this is not where they are in fact allocated. All of our sites are very similar in regards to the flats themselves and are all fairly new properties within walking distance of one another. Our guarantee is not for a specific site or set at a specific rental cost therefore it is very important to keep this in mind.

We aim to ensure a friendly, multicultural atmosphere where you are matched with people of a similar age group who are participating in a variety of courses.  However, we aim to allocate all 1 trimester, pathway group booking, nursing and postgraduate students together. On rare occasions we may have to house Undergraduates and Postgraduates together but prior notice will be given.

• Bainfield - Undergraduate students 19 years old and under, and then Pathway Students
• Slateford Road – All nursing students (except Veterinary Nursing), postgraduate (50-week tenancy) students and then Pathway Students
• Orwell Terrace – Undergraduate students predominantly 19 years old and over, one-trimester (undergraduate and postgraduate) and postgraduate (39-week tenancy) students
• Capitol Students – Undergraduate students (44-week tenancy), Pathway undergraduate and postgraduate students (51-week tenancy) & one-trimester spaces for undergraduate and postgraduate students

Please note our guarantee is an offer of accommodation only and not a guarantee of a site. Unfortunately we do not run waiting lists for accommodation options or sites and the guarantee is for an offer of accommodation only and multiple offers will not be made.

Why do you allocate in this way?

In the past, we used questionnaires to house students e.g. "Are you in bed by 11pm? What kind of music do you like?" However, we found that it was often parents who completed this form and we did not always get a true reflection of the student. This in turn set unrealistic expectations for students, and we no longer use this system.

Many private sector student accommodation providers allow students to choose their individual bedroom. In offering this service, many students find themselves in flats with other students of varying age ranges, various academic disciplines and predominately one nationality, resulting in a high number of room transfer requests, financial implications and all students within flats feeling unsettled.

We allow students to choose preferred accommodation sites and types in line with our overarching allocation policy detailed above. In doing so, we have found matching people of similar age groups who are participating in a variety of courses and a mix of nationalities has the most benefits for our general undergraduate students. We house nursing students together at one site to offer peer support due to similar lifestyle routines, security and academic benefits.

In using this allocation process and not allowing any transfers for the first month, we have very few requests to transfer and positive feedback from student survey results in relation to allocations.

All flats have shared, fully fitted and furnished kitchen and living areas with WiFi and 40" wall-mounted smart TVs. There is also a secure bike storage area on each site. All accommodation is non-smoking and non-vaping in the flats and stairwells.

For information on facilities such as laundry, heating and WiFi, as well as a guide of what you should bring with you, please visit our pages for each site:

• Bainfield
• Orwell Terrace
• Slateford Road