Skip to content Accessibility statement
Home>Study at York>Accommodation>Accommodation for visitors

Accommodation for visitors

Just visiting or studying for a short while? There's different options for pre-sessional students, visiting students, academics and guests.

Visiting students 

Whether you're joining us for a full academic year or just one semester, we'll try our best to offer you a home on or close to campus. Visit our Visiting students accommodation webpage to find out more.

Pre-sessional students 

If you're accepted onto an on-campus pre-sessional course, you will be offered the option of staying in accommodation owned, managed or approved by the University for the duration of the course. An accommodation offer will be sent to you by the University of York Accommodation Team, usually 5 to 6 weeks before the start of your pre-sessional course. To accept the offer you will need to respond by the date stated on the offer letter. Learn more about on-campus pre-sessional courses.

Campus guest accommodation 

For short-term guest room accommodation, contact STEM. 

Staying in York City Centre

If you're visiting York and want somewhere to stay in the city, you can book hotels, B&Bs and self-catering properties through Visit York.

Visiting academics

A ‘visiting academic’ is an academic or research student from another university who is not a member of staff (i.e. being paid a wage by the University of York) and will only be staying in York for a short period of time.

  • A minimum stay of two weeks (fourteen days). If your stay is shorter than this, you can book on-campus accommodation through York Conferences.
  • The Visiting Academic must not be a member of staff (i.e. being paid a wage by the University of York).
  • We are only able to offer single accommodation to visiting academics. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate visiting academics' partners and / or families.

As a visiting academic, you can apply for campus accommodation through this online form.

We will aim to advise you if we can offer accommodation between 4 to 6 weeks before your stated arrival date.

If we can assist, we will email you with an offer of accommodation. 

To accept the offer, you will be required to pay the full payment for the accommodation in advance. You will also be able to order a bedding pack. Payment is made through our online store. 

Once you have paid for your accommodation, you will receive a confirmation email, as well as information about where to collect your keys.

Accommodation for visiting academics is dependent upon room availability. This is because we use vacant student rooms to accommodate visiting academics. We are therefore only able to offer accommodation to visiting academics at certain times of the year. The chart below shows the periods when we are likely or unlikely to be able to offer accommodation.

  • Mid September - No availability
  • October to February - Very limited availability
  • March to May - Limited availability
  • June to early September - Greater availability

On arrival at York, you should collect your keys from the college reception in the confirmation email you receive after payment has been made.

You will be moving into student accommodation.  In your room there will be a bed, study desk, clothes storage but no bedding, towels, toiletries, hairdryer etc.  In the kitchen, there will be a cooker, fridge/freezer, kettle, kitchen units, sink, and usually a microwave.  There will be no crockery, cutlery, pots and pans, or other cooking equipment.

All other items including bedding should either be brought with you or bought from a nearby shop when you arrive.