Who Can Apply

Our guarantee

The guarantee is an offer of accommodation to all first year and direct entrant undergraduate students who meet the following criteria:

• You have firmly accepted an unconditional offer to study at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU).
• You will be studying at the University for the whole academic year starting in September 2026.
• You must reside outside the City of Edinburgh (EH1 to EH17)
• You meet the appropriate clearance checks (non-EU students only).
• You submit your online application by 3pm on 18 August 2026.
• You make your £500 advance rent payment within 72 hours of receiving your offer of accommodation. Please note, we do not accept Maestro payments.
• You complete a guarantor form, payment schedule and online induction within 3 days of receiving your accommodation reservation email.

If you have a conditional offer, you won't be able to apply until this is unconditional - for most, this means waiting for exam results (e.g. Highers, A-Level and GCSE England, Wales or Northern Ireland). Don't worry though, our guarantee date is 3pm on 18 August, so there will still be time to apply after the results come out and still be guaranteed an offer of accommodation. A small number of spaces will be reserved at our Bainfield accommodation for the Higher and A-Level results release date and these will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students from the Republic of Ireland can pre-reserve student accommodation from 1 August until 3pm on 18 August by emailing accommodation@napier.ac.uk or calling 0131 455 3713, as your exam results will not be released until later. Your student accommodation will only be confirmed, however, if you meet the deadlines for submitting an application and completing the application process.

Postgraduate students

We have limited spaces for postgraduate students and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The majority of our postgraduate spaces will be mixed gender. On occasions we may house mature undergraduate students with postgraduate students, but the majority of our postgraduate accommodation will be for postgraduate students only.

Accommodation sites: Orwell Terrace will offer 39-week tenancies and Slateford Road 50-week tenancies.

First trimester students

There are very limited spaces reserved for First Trimester students, therefore you will be placed on a waiting list. Should a suitable space become available, we will contact you to make you an offer. Generally, offers for First Trimester are given out in late June. If we are unable to make you an offer, assistance will be given to help you look in the private sector.

American group booking spaces will be guaranteed to students who meet the requirements/deadlines, as spaces have been pre-reserved.

Accommodation site: Orwell Terrace ensuite accommodation will be offered to all successful First Trimester students. Unfortunately, twin rooms are not available to 1 Trimester students.

Please note that the general allocation policy does not apply for single-trimester flats. Spaces are offered out on a first-come, first-served basis in flats with a range of age brackets, and can include both PG and UG single-trimester students.

Second trimester students

There are very limited spaces reserved for second trimester students, therefore you will be placed on a waiting list. Should a suitable space become available, we will contact you to make you an offer. Generally, offers for second trimester are giving out in late October. If we are unable to make you an offer of second trimester, assistance will be given in looking in the private sector.

American group booking spaces will be guaranteed to students who met the requirements/deadlines as spaces have been pre-reserved. 

Accommodation Site: Orwell Terrace ensuite accommodation will be offered to most successful Second Trimester students. However, thereafter students will be offered individual spaces in in various sites outside of the general allocation policy with the exception of trying to ensure postgraduates are housed separately from undergraduates where possible.

Please note that the general allocation policy does not apply for single-trimester flats. Spaces are offered out on a first-come, first-served basis in flats with a range of age brackets and can include both PG and UG single-trimester students.

In the past two academic years, we were able to offer offer 70–100% of first and second trimester students accommodation, but each year can vary and there are no guarantees outside of group bookings.

EH postcode students

Please note: Offers to students on the waiting list may not be made until 18 August 2026. However, we will review this decision on a weekly basis from late June/early July.

If you are a city centre student wanting to appeal in order to come under the guarantee, please send an email titled 'EH Postcode Appeal' with a description of your extenuating circumstances and your Edinburgh Napier number to accommodation@napier.ac.uk. These will be considered around 20 July 2026. You do not need to have an unconditional offer you have firmly accepted to joining the appeal list. Please be aware there are no guarantees of a successful appeal, therefore we would strongly recommend you also submit an application to join the EH postcode waiting list.

We will review overall application numbers for guaranteed students on a weekly basis from June each year. Based on availability, we may begin releasing offers for EH postcode appeal students, followed by general EH postcode applicants, earlier than expected. Therefore, it is essential that you check your emails regularly from June to September for any updates.

In September 2023, 2024 and 2025, we were able to make 100% of EH postcode students an offer of accommodation from July until mid-September.

Nursing students

We aim to offer all nursing students 50-week tenancies at our Slateford Road accommodation depending on availability. If this is not possible you will be given a standard tenancy according to the site you have been allocated instead of a 50-week tenancy.

Veterinary nursing students generally apply for 39-week tenancies. If you are applying for a 39-week tenancy you will come under the guarantee of an offer of accommodation otherwise we have a limited number of 1 trimester spaces and they will be given out on a first come, first served basis.

Returning students

If you are a care experienced student who has stayed in student accommodation for 39/50 weeks the previous year and you have no debt on your account or disciplinary action on your student record, you will come under the guarantee for the next consecutive year. However, students cannot move out of student accommodation and then return at a later stage. All returning students must ensure there is no debt on their student accommodation accounts and have no disciplinary action from previous academic years. Returning students must apply before 1 April 2026.

If you have disclosed on your application for student accommodation you have Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD or hearing aid requirements, have stayed in student accommodation for 39/50 weeks the previous year, and have no debt on your account or disciplinary action, you will come under the guarantee for the next consecutive year. However, you must apply before 1 May 2026.

In these cases, we will try to ensure you are allocated the same bedroom as the previous year where possible. Unfortunately, we cannot offer this for other disabilities or mental health conditions, as we have limited spaces and priority will be given to students who come under the guarantee.

For all other students, you will not come under the guarantee of an offer of accommodation, therefore please contact the Student Accommodation Office to be placed on a manual waiting list. Access to online application system will not be permitted. Please note we will only consider offering any suitable spaces to returning students from our waiting list after 18 August 2026.

ALL returning students MUST submit application for the following academic year no later than 1 April otherwise we cannot offer you accommodation for the next academic year.

Disabilities and medical conditions

We have a number of accessible flats at our developments. If you have any disabilities or medical needs, please contact the office before making your application to ensure that we can meet those needs. Please do this as soon as possible, even if you do not yet have your unconditional offer, so we can pre-reserve an appropriate room and make the necessary adjustments if you do apply. Please be aware we will require evidence to confirm any formal diagnoses e.g. ASD. More information can be found on our Additional Support page. 

We encourage all students to disclose any disability or medical condition so we can meet your needs where possible and have an awareness of any challenges you may face whilst staying in student accommodation. It also allows us to pass this information onto or Disability and Inclusion team so they can make you aware of some of the support they can offer on campus, or through their Autism Transition Programme run in the summer. 

Care experienced and care leavers

The term care-experienced refers to anyone who has been, or is currently, in the care of a UK local authority. Care-experience can occur at any time of childhood from infancy to adolescent, can vary in duration of care and accommodation setting.

The term care leaver refers to individuals in the care of a UK local authority between the ages of 14 and 16 years (including on or after 16th birthday). People from care leaver backgrounds often have access to ‘continuing care’ through their local authority social work department’s Throughcare and Aftercare services which can include financial support to pay for accommodation up to the age of 26 years for care leavers supported by Scottish local authorities. Similar arrangements are commonly in place in other regions and nations of the UK.  Importantly, the term care-experienced is inclusive and as such includes individuals from care leaver backgrounds.

What can Edinburgh Napier University offer care experienced and care leavers who come under the guarantee?

• One main point of contact throughout the student accommodation process.
• Ability to pre-reserve suitable student accommodation when applications for 2026-27 go live.
• Choices regarding length of tenancy and location of stay (out with our general allocation policy) allowing no or limited re-allocation for the 4-year duration.
• Guarantee an offer of student accommodation even if they live within Edinburgh City Centre (EH1 - EH17).
• Guaranteed student accommodation for 4 consecutive years subject to adhering to the student code of conduct e.g. no debt or historical disciplinary action.
• Free welcome pack for your first year at ENU containing a bedding back, cleaning products, food vouchers etc.
• Drop-in sessions each week at Banfield or on Teams every Tuesday 2-3pm.
• Possibility of waiving the requirement for a guarantor form or the ability to add the £500 advance rent payment to monthly rental costs after consideration of individual situations by Wider Participation.

As a care experienced person, or care leaver, your main point of contact within Edinburgh Napier University Student Accommodation Team is Lee Mangan available on +44 131 455 3713, l.mangan@napier.ac.uk or accommodation@napier.ac.uk. Please contact Lee with your Edinburgh Napier number, even if you do not yet have your unconditional offer so we can pre-reserve an appropriate room, if applicable. If you need any assistance or with to amend your tenancy agreement, please contact Lee giving 3-4 weeks’ notice where possible so we can evaluate on a one-to-one basis.

Allocation of student accommodation possible options:

• Stay for 50 weeks each year at Slateford Road with the aim to be housed in the same flat each year. 
• Stay for 39 weeks each year at Bainfield or Orwell Terrace (in line with our allocation policy) with the option of re-locating to Slateford Road for the final 11/12 weeks each year.
• Stay for 39 weeks each year at Bainfield or Orwell Terrace (in line with our allocation policy) each year. 

Depending on your situation, our Widening Participation team may be able to assist you with waiving your guarantor form or adding your £500 advance rent payment to your total rental cost and monthly payment plan, subject to confirmation of a student funding award. The Widening Participation Team work with social work departments to help students to access continuing care support including financial entitlements. We are also happy to guarantee your stay in student accommodation for your total academic journey as detailed above under the 'returning students' section provided you meet the guarantee deadlines.

To find out more about the University’s support for care-experienced learners please visit our Widening Participation pages to download student information sheets or to get in touch with the care-experienced student dedicated contact by emailing wideningaccess@napier.ac.uk

"Staying in student accommodation for the entirety of my course improved my experience of being at Napier immensely. I had the comfort of knowing that I could return to the same room for the academic year which helped reduce some of my stress. Because I come from a small town, being in the same area helped me improve my confidence over the years and settle into a familiar routine. Additionally, with rising prices of housing in Edinburgh, being in Bainfield for four years made me appreciate the rent covering the essentials while having my own bathroom." - quote from a care experienced student in 2025-26.

Gender identity

We recognise the specific needs and requirements of transitioning students in the provision of accommodation. Generally we only guarantee single gender accommodation to undergraduate students. If, for this reason, you have a specific need to be in a mixed gender accommodation, please indicate this on the application. Then email accommodation@napier.ac.uk within 12 hours, quoting your Edinburgh Napier number, giving a brief explanation and we will ensure you are allocated a mixed gender accommodation. Please note this information will be kept confidential.

If during your time at University you choose to transition and this requires a review of your current accommodation, again please email accommodation@napier.ac.uk

LGBTQI+ friendly flats

We aim to ensure a friendly, diverse, inclusive, multicultural and supportive environment in all of our student accommodation. However, we understand that some students may or may not prefer to live with people who may have a shared life experience and who identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community. Our aim is to ensure students feel as comfortable and supported as possible during their stay in student accommodation.

We have introduced a limited number of mixed-gender, LGBTQI+ friendly flats for undergraduate students. As part of our generic allocation policy, we will allocate students of a similar age group who are participating in a variety of courses where possible. Students who show a preference to living in LGBTQI+ flats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis in line with our generic allocation policy. We request students in our LGBTQI+ flats to be considerate of other flatmates who may be at different stages of their personal journeys and may not have disclosed their gender or sexual identify publicly or to close family and friends.

To ensure privacy and discretion, LGBTQI+ flats will not be externally identifiable—only the students allocated to them will be aware. While we try to allocate these flats primarily to those who have expressed a preference, we cannot guarantee that every resident will have specifically chosen this option. However, we anticipate most of the students, if not all, will have chosen this as a preference.

When completing your student accommodation application form, you can choose this preference by ticking 'Yes' to 'Additional Support Requirements' and typing 'LGBTQI+ friendly preference along with any other relevant information.

Please note that the LGBTQI+ friendly flats are limited to undergraduate students only (not postgraduate, nursing, or single-trimester students), and these spaces are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

"I cannot recommend the LGBTQ flats enough. I get on with my flatmates so well and feel so comfortable living here with other people who understand what it is like. Meeting other people like me was a first for me and had an overwhelmingly positive impact." - quote from a student who stayed in a LGBTQI+ flat in 2025-26.

Non-alcohol flats

This year we are trialling the option of non-alcohol flats within our student accommodation as a preference for undergraduate students. Spaces will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis in line with our general allocation policy. We will keep a small number of these rooms reserved for exam results being released in August.

What is a non-alcohol flat?

A student accommodation flat that has been agreed to not allow alcohol to be brought into, be stored, or consumed by the students living in the flat and all visitors to the flat.

How do I apply for a non-alcohol flat?

When you apply for student accommodation, please tick the box for disability/medical condition and type "non-alcohol preference".

What happens when I am allocated a non-alcohol flat?

• If you are allocated a non-alcohol flat, this will show on your reservation email. If you are unsure if you have been allocated a non-alcohol flat, please contact our team to confirm.
• Non-alcohol flats are allocated on the student's request, and we expect you to be living with other students who have a similar outlook on alcohol as yourself.
• We cannot guarantee we will be able to allocate you a non-alcohol flat as we have limited availability. However, we will try our best to meet your preference where possible.
• Non-alcohol individual flats are allocated per full flat, so there may be other flats on your floor or within your block where alcohol will be consumed.
• If you decide at any point that you would like a transfer to another flat, there is no guarantee we will be able to offer you another non-alcohol flat due to limited availability.
• Visitors to the flat are the responsibility of the student they are visiting that has an active tenancy, and as such must abide by the non-alcohol agreement during their visit to the flat.

What happens if I do not abide by the non-alcohol flat code of conduct?

If we receive evidence of you or your visitors bringing into, storing, or consuming alcohol within your non-alcohol flat, our team will investigate further. This may result in you being re-allocated to another flat, possibly within a different site depending on availability and in line with our allocation policy to the best of our ability.

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