Moving to University: A Complete Guide

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New home, new friends and new routines; moving to university comes with so much to look forward to. But it’s completely normal to feel a little nervous too. It can feel exciting one minute and unfamiliar the next and, trust us, you won’t be the only one feeling that way.

The good news is, you don’t have to have everything figured out before you go. From finding your feet during freshers week and settling into seminars, our guide has practical uni advice and reassurance to help you feel more prepared and help make somewhere new start to feel like home.

Before You Move: What to Expect

Moving to uni is exciting, but it can bring a few nerves along for the ride. You’re probably looking forward to more independence and all the new experiences coming your way, while also wondering what your flatmates will be like or how much you’ll miss home and your friends. There’s room for all of those feelings, even on the same day.

You don’t need to feel completely ready before you arrive. This is a big change, and feeling unsure is a super common part of starting somewhere new. Even the people who seem confident likely have similar questions to you.

We’ll be taking you through the whole thing; preparing to leave home and moving into your new place right into finding your feet and feeling settled. There’s absolutely no deadline for that last part, you’ll get there at your own pace.

Getting Ready for Moving Day

Getting ready for university involves a few practical jobs before you set off and you’re best starting with the instructions from your university and accommodation provider, as these will tell you what needs completing and when.

Sorting Your Admin

There’s plenty to keep track of with your offer, accommodation, forms etc. so make sure you know which steps you’ve completed and what still needs your attention. Doing as much as you’re able to before you leave home means fewer things to chase when you arrive so you can just start settling in. Use this checklist to cover the main tasks:

Check your accommodation agreement – confirm that it’s signed and that the property, room type and tenancy dates match your booking. Read anything you’re unsure about again and ask the accommodation team for clarification if you need it before moving day.
Confirm your payments – check the amount and due date of any payment needed before arrival, rather than assuming it falls on the day you move in. Allow for processing time and query anything that hasn’t appeared on your account.
Review your paperwork – make sure the requested identification and supporting information have been submitted, including any outstanding guarantor requirements where applicable. It’s best to follow your university and student accommodation provider’s checklist for the exact documents needed.
Complete university registration tasks – check whether your university has asked you to enrol online, confirm personal details or complete anything else before you arrive and bear in mind that accommodation check-in and university registration are entirely separate processes.
Confirm your arrival arrangements – check your move-in date, whether you need a booked arrival slot and where you should report to. Depending on how you’re travelling, make sure you understand rules around unloading and parking while planning your journey.

Before leaving home for university, make sure you can access your confirmations and contact details without having to search through weeks of emails. If anything remains unclear, contact your accommodation team before you travel. Questions about arrival times, accessibility arrangements or a delayed journey are easier to resolve when the team has some notice. If your plans change after you’ve confirmed them, send an update rather than assuming someone will be available whenever you arrive.

Connecting Before You Arrive

Check whether your accommodation or university has an official group for incoming residents. Your booking emails or accommodation team may point you towards one, giving you somewhere to see arrival updates and recognise a few names before moving day.

If you’ve already connected with your future flatmates, a short introduction and a message about when you expect to arrive can make the first encounter feel less unfamiliar. However, keep practical questions about your booking with the accommodation team, as you’re all in the same boat with not fully knowing what to expect before moving to university.

What to Expect on Moving Day

Moving day is when your accommodation stops being somewhere you’ve seen in photos and becomes somewhere you actually live. There will usually be a few steps between arriving at the building and opening your room, so follow your property’s instructions and allow time for check-in.

Checking In and Getting Your Keys

At your confirmed arrival time, head to the reception or check-in point identified in your move-in information. Start by giving the team your name and booking details so they can locate your reservation and take you through the arrival process.

Be ready to show any identification requested as the team will need to confirm who you are and that any booking requirements have been completed before handing over your keys. If something is missing or a payment hasn’t been recorded, it may need resolving before you can access your room.

Your accommodation team will be directing residents through check-in and issuing keys, so busy arrival periods can mean a queue at reception, as well as other residents and families using entrances and lifts.

Give yourself some breathing room instead of planning another appointment immediately afterwards. If someone is driving you, follow the team’s directions about where they can stop and how long they can stay.

Once you have your keys or access fob, check that you understand how to reach your room and use the building’s entry system. This is also a useful moment to ask where to find essential resident information, how to contact the team and where to report anything that needs attention. You don’t need to remember every detail from the first conversation, but it’s ok to ask where the information is available so you can access it when you’re ready.

When you reach your room, follow any instructions about checking its condition or completing an inventory. If something looks damaged, is missing or doesn’t work, let the accommodation team know promptly through the route they specify. Getting those initial checks done gives you a clear starting point for your stay.

Meeting Your Flatmates for the First Time

Your first encounter with your flatmates may happen between trips to the lift or while someone is being shown around by their family. A quick hello and introduction are enough while everyone is arriving. If you’re sharing a kitchen, check which room everyone is in and whether any practical information has already been passed on. People may arrive at different times or on different days, so a quiet flat when you first walk in doesn’t necessarily mean it will stay that way.

Your First Few Days at University

Once you’re through the door, you can start discovering what university life looks like beyond the prospectus. The first few days are a chance to understand how things work, explore your surroundings and get familiar with the places you’ll soon use regularly.

Freshers’ Week and Welcome Events

Freshers’ Week, sometimes called Welcome Week, is a great introduction to your university and what’s available and can include campus tours, course introductions, societies fairs, practical sessions and social activities. Check the official schedule to see what’s happening and whether anything needs booking.

Start by finding sessions your university expects you to attend which will likely be centred on your timetable, how your department works and anything you need to know before teaching begins. It’s a good chance to hear information directly from the people and tutors involved, rather than piecing it together from different chats.

After that, choose the activities that interest you. A daytime tour, a creative session, a society talk, or a quieter welcome event can be just as much a part of your first week as an evening out. Check for updates from your accommodation on any welcome events in your building and bear in mind activities on campus may be advertised in different places, so knowing where to look helps you avoid missing something you’d like to attend.

There’s no requirement to enjoy a particular kind of event to feel involved in university life, particularly during Freshers. It can be tempting to throw yourself into everything all at once but you don’t need to commit to a packed calendar straight away. Finding out how activities work and where to get more information is a good first step, and you should be sure to leave yourself room to pause. Moving to uni involves lots of new things in a short space of time but it’s not an attendance challenge so take your time and enjoy it.

Finding Your Way Around

Our top tip for moving to university is to simply start with the journeys you’ll make most often.

If your university has several campuses, check which one your course actually uses and try the route before your first timetabled session if you can. It’s useful to figure out which entrance you need, how building numbers work and how long the journey takes without the pressure of a lecture about to start.

Around your student accommodation, first build a basic picture of the neighbourhood, rather than try to learn the whole city in an afternoon. Find a convenient food shop, a pharmacy, and look at the nearby transport options so you have a few familiar routes that can make everyday errands feel straightforward from the start.

Get to know the building you’re living in as well; check where the laundry facilities are and find the waste and recycling points. And when you find the less exciting stuff, look for any other amenities your student accommodation offers like study spaces or common areas for you to enjoy.

You’ll gradually discover your favourite places, but for now, knowing how to get to class, picking up the essentials and knowing your way home is a good start. There’s plenty of time for finding your favourite coffee stop later while you’re at uni.

What to Pack for University

Working out what you’ll actually need can be one of the trickiest parts of moving to university, especially when everything suddenly feels like a possible essential. Our university packing guide helps you decide what deserves the space and avoid arriving with too much or too little.

Technology for University

With so much tech marketed at students, it can be difficult to separate genuinely useful purchases from things you’re unlikely to need. Before buying anything new, our guide to technology essentials for university can help you think through what suits your course and everyday student life.

Making Friends at University

Wondering who you’ll spend time with is a common part of starting uni, and there’s no set deadline for finding people you feel comfortable around. Our guide to making friends at university takes a closer look at this part of the experience, beyond those first moving-day introductions.

Settling Into University Life

Once the first few days have passed, you’ll begin getting a clearer sense of everyday university life. It’s worth remembering that settling in often happens through small, ordinary changes like knowing your route to a lecture, picking up a coffee on the way and finding your classes easily.

Becoming More Independent

Living away from home can mean taking responsibility for your meals, laundry, cleaning and everyday spending alongside university. Even if you already did plenty for yourself at home, managing everything in a different place can take some adjustment and your routine may look different from the one you imagined before arriving.

Money can feel different when you’re responsible for more of the essentials, too. You’ll start to understand what your normal week costs and how your spending fits around your accommodation payments and other commitments. That awareness develops as your routine becomes more familiar so don’t think you need to become an expert at everything immediately.

If you share a flat, independence also involves recognising that your routine sits alongside other people’s and different eating times, standards of tidiness and daily schedules can take some getting used to. Shared spaces work best when everyone understands that their habits affect the people around them.

Some weeks will feel more organised than others. Having washing to catch up on or a meal that doesn’t go to plan doesn’t cancel out the progress you’re making. You’re still allowed to check how something works with someone at home or speak to the accommodation team about a problem in your building. Part of becoming more independent and taking responsibility includes finding the right person to ask.

Getting Used to Academic Life

Depending on your course, you might move between large lectures, smaller seminars, practical sessions and independent work, with each asking something slightly different from you. University learning may feel quite different from school or college and it can take a little time to understand how those parts fit together.

Independent study is also a core of uni life with reading, research, coursework or project development. A gap between scheduled sessions doesn’t necessarily mean there’s nothing academic happening that day.

During your first weeks, get familiar with your course handbook and online learning platform. Understanding where module information, assessment details and announcements appear makes it easier to know what’s expected.

You may need time to adjust to contributing in seminars or receiving feedback that feels different from what you’re used to. Early questions and mistakes are part of that adjustment. Tutors, lecturers and academic support teams can explain expectations, so you don’t have to wait until you’re completely stuck to ask.

Over time, the academic side of university should become less unfamiliar but if information seems to conflict or something is unclear, don’t hesitate to speak to someone in your department. The best uni advice gives you a starting point, but your own course guidance will help you understand the details that matter for your degree.

Looking After Yourself

Looking after your wellbeing is really important throughout university and homesickness or loneliness is a totally valid part of the experience, even when other things are going well. Our guides to supporting your wellbeing at university and handling loneliness at university offer a closer look at these feelings and where to find support.

Balancing University and Social Life

Between coursework, plans with friends and time to yourself, finding a balance can take some adjusting as the term unfolds. For the next part of your university survival guide, read our advice on balancing university and social life to help you find your flow when you’re settling in. .

Other Useful Guides

Best Student Discounts: Find out about student discounts that could help your money go further.
Moving to Birmingham for University: What You Need to Know: Get an introduction to Birmingham and what to expect when you move there as a student.
Best Student Bank Accounts: Find a bank account that works for your student life.