Student Accommodation

Guildford

University of Surrey

The University of Surrey is extremely easy to get to from your exquisite student accommodation in Guildford. The campus is just a short walk away from the compact town centre, making Guildford a very easy and pleasant town to get around as a student, whether you wish to walk everywhere, cycle around town and to and from university, or make use of the excellent local public transport links. The University has an exceptional level of teaching standards, with a programme of practical learning alongside it that aims to inspire students and provide them with the building blocks to make a successful career in their chosen field.

Studying

The library and learning centre is set in the heart of the campus and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist students in fulfilling their potential. There are countless learning spaces, social study areas and silent rooms to help with this. To help with future professional development, the university offers the SPLASH service (Student Personal Learning and Study Hub). This provides expert advice and guidance in the form of workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-on-one help with everything from revision and research, to writing CVs and preparing for all types of employment. Pathfinder is an online programme that works well alongside this to students find the right advice and pathway for the future. The in-house recruitment agency UniTemps helps students and new graduates to find employment in the local area, as well as within the university itself.

Students Union

The Students’ Union (USSU) is run by an enthusiastic team of elected student officers, as in all other Students’ Unions. There are different areas of the SU to be aware of as a new student at the University of Surrey. As you make your way into the SU from your comfortable Guildford student accommodation you’ll find that there is help for all manner of student concerns or ideas – support for help in your personal and university life. There is a huge collection of student societies and groups to become involved in (there are over 120 student societies in the Students’ Union at the University of Surrey – from board games to acting, to sports clubs and everything else in between). On top of that, there is a huge focus on the local community, building bridges with the local population and providing volunteering opportunities for students in and around the town.

University for the Creative Arts

The University for the Creative Arts Farnham Campus is just a short 20-minute drive from your luxury student accommodation. You can also take the bus from central Guildford, or the train which takes around 40-minutes, making the commute super easy and hassle free. Our luxury accommodation is less than a 30-minute drive to the UCA Epsom campus too, with a range of courses on offer from music marketing to graphics. Oscar winning filmmakers, television presenters and celebrity jewellers are just some of the high-profile graduates from this university, one of the many reasons why it’s so prestigious! Collaboration between courses is encouraged at this university, with fine artists studying with fashion designers and architects all benefiting from exposure to a range of different studies. With state-of-the-art facilities and inspirational staff, studying here is a truly wonderful experience that opens so many doors.

Studying

You can choose from a vast range of different creative courses, from animation, computing & games to fashion & textiles, the world is your oyster! At UCA, you’ll be surrounded by people with the same passion as you, with plenty of opportunity to immerse yourself in finding your own style and creativity. With over 2,000 students, UCA Farnham is home to James Hockey and Foyer Galleries. There’s several research centres based on campus too, including the Centre for Sustainable Design and the Crafts Study Centre. Did you know? Students before and after graduating here have completed work with big names like Harry Potter and Corpse Bride!

Students Union

The Students’ Union have plenty of societies to get involved with, as well as regular events, guidance and advice for students. If you’re a fresher, you can sign up for notifications and enjoy fun activities guaranteed to help you make new friends at university!

The Best Places To Eat

As you sit down in your brand-new luxury Guildford student accommodation, you’ll want to know how you are going to feed yourself over the coming few years. As well as having plenty of room to buy and store your groceries, one of the best ways to get to know your new surroundings is to head out for a bite to eat. With a range of excellent cafés, bars and restaurants right on the doorstep of your luxury student accommodation in Guildford, you are in the perfect place to explore the town with your new friends and get to know the town through your tastebuds. Here, we’ve put together a short list to let you know about some of the place on offer, but we’re sure you’ll have your own personal favourites that even we don’t know about by the time you finish your time at the University of Surrey.

The Drummond (Woodbridge Road) – One of the more popular pubs for slightly older students, The Drummond is an old-fashioned pub that serves up some tasty ale, but that also has regular pub quizzes and most importantly an amazing Sunday roast! There’s nothing quite like a roast dinner on a Sunday with all the trimmings, and this perfect pub has a large beer garden where you can sit even during the winter months with outdoor heaters and cosy wooden booths.

Coffee Culture (Angel Gate)

This cute little café is one of the better coffee shops on campus for new students to venture into and to sit with ease, getting to know the staff and the surroundings. It is incredibly friendly, not that expensive, and serves fresh food and drink throughout the day. It is the perfect place to sit with a cuppa during a break from hard study.

Krema Coffee (Tunsgate)

A relatively recent addition to the coffee shop scene in Guildford, Krema Coffee is an independent that wears its heart on its sleeve. There is a wide range of fresh food (including plenty of healthy options), and it has a small, intimate feel that helps to make it one of the best places to relax with friends and become part of the furniture.

De Nada (Market Street)

If you are looking for a taste of the Mediterranean, this wonderful Spanish tapas bar is a massive hit with students and locals alike. It has all of the authentic Spanish small plates that you would expect, with the flavour accompanied by good prices and the ever-popular Tuesday nights (where you can sit and enjoy your tapas with flamenco music playing live).

Nights Out

As you find in many smaller towns, the nightlife is buzzing in Guildford. It is a bit of a hidden gem, with plenty of fantastic pubs to go on a student pub crawl, but also some brilliant nightclubs in town too – including some of the big chain bars and clubs that you can dance the night away to some classic cheesy music or the biggest dance tunes.

Pub Crawl

What better way to get to know your new surroundings and to get to know your new friends, than to go on a student pub crawl around town. There are loads of great pubs in Guildford for you to choose from. Rogues, The Albany, The Drummond, The Star Inn, The Stoke, and The Britannia are just some of the names you should be looking out for, each with its own charm and style, whether you are looking for a quiet pint with friends or something a little bit more lively.

Bars & Clubs

For bars and clubs there is loads going on for a relatively small town in Guildford. Monday night is a big one (and it’s one of the cheapest nights out for students), with Casino providing the big hitters on the dancefloor and Fahrenheit 55 both supplying the more laid-back vibes and tunes. Popworld and Cameo are there for those looking for the big dance and cheesy hits to just go mad and have a great night dancing away, whilst The Boileroom and G-Live provide the live music venues.

Indie Nights

At both The Star Inn (Quarry Street) and Bar Thirteen (Bridge Street) there have been some incredible indie nights for students looking for the alternative scene when they head out for a big night out from their luxury student accommodation in Guildford. The Star Inn has some world-class pedigree as a venue for one of the very first Stranglers gigs back in the day, and the Indie Rocks event at Bar Thirteen plays the latest alternative hits and some classic tunes.

The Alley Bar (Milkhouse Gate)

A small, relaxing nightclub that has a much more laidback feel than some of the bigger nights in town, The Alley Bar is a popular haunt for many students looking for a bit more of a chilled-out vibe. There is an outdoor lounge on the rooftop and a big cocktail menu to make your way through. Theme nights and live music is also a staple of the club, welcoming students regularly.

Rubix (Students’ Union)

One of the most popular places for students at the University of Surrey is the Students’ Union nightclub, known as Rubix. There are three big bars to choose from, meaning there is never a crush or a big queue to wait for your drinks, DJ Leroy has been a massive hit over the years, with the Wednesday night Citrus event one of the most popular (Leroy plays student requests that have been sent to him on Twitter, making for an interesting night each week!). Every Friday night at Rubix is a completely different theme, so expect silent discos, foam parties, as well as low prices and the odd live event with famous names (Stormzy has performed here in recent years).

Stay Fit, Stay Healthy!

Sport is one of the best ways to make new friends and to keep fit and healthy when you first move into your luxury Guildford student apartment. Our student accommodation in Guildford is close to all the local public transport links, the university campus, and many sporting activities for those who want to stay fit, get fit, meet new people and make friends, or those looking for a spectator sport to get involved with in their new home. The University of Surrey has some amazing sports facilities and teams.

University Sport

Surrey Sports Park is the university-owned sports facilities that are second-to-none. The facilities are that good in standards that they are used by 16 Olympic and Paralympic teams for training purposes in the run up to the games. Alongside those teams you will also find that it is home to the Harlequins Rugby Union team training. There is an Olympic-standard swimming pool, artificial and outdoor pitches for a variety of sports, a massive gym, squash courts and a climbing wall. It is here that you should head to keep fit at an amateur level, but also if you have aims of performing to an elite level. With plenty of sports teams to join and compete, you can make friends and compete against other universities in the BUCS league.

Nature on the Doorstep

Your student accommodation in Guildford is the perfect place to explore the great outdoors. The Surrey Hills are truly beautiful and are the perfect escape from urban life when you want to blow the cobwebs away. There are plentiful hiking routes, cycling and mountain biking opportunities, zip wire, paintballing, and a variety of other outdoor pursuits to stay fit and healthy and also to have loads of fun whilst doing so. North Downs Way is one of the more famous walking routes, with secluded spots to sit and watch the world go by in peace and quiet before heading back out on a hike home.

Cricket

Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county teams in England and Wales and play games at the world-famous Oval (in nearby London). Guildford Cricket Club is the rural home of Surrey Country Cricket and is home to the Guildford Cricket Festival every year (as part of the town’s Summer Festival). If you are into cricket this is a great chance to play and watch the great summer sport.

Watersports

The River Wey is the perfect place to get into the water and compete. In fact, it was here that Liam Heath (an Olympic Gold medallist) first tried kayaking. There are loads of stretches of the river that are excellent to sail and to kayak, at whatever pace and experience you have on the water. The River Wey Kayak Club is certainly the best place to start if you are interested in signing up and giving kayaking a go.

Shopping Facilities

Now you’re getting settled at your new luxury Guildford student accommodation, it is important to get a feel for the town’s shopping facilities. We all gravitate towards the familiar when we first move to a new place, and there is nothing wrong with that. In Guildford, you’ll find that there are plenty of shops, including the big high street chains that you’ll recognise, as well as some more interesting shops and independents to explore as you get on your feet and learn about living alone in your student accommodation in Guildford.

Shopping Centres

The Friary Shopping centre is a big hit with shoppers in the town. It has a big selection of high street stores and big brand names that you’ll recognise instantly. Aside from the shopping, The Friary also has a big food hall where you can grab a bite to eat for lunch and is in the perfect location. White Lion Walk links North Street and the High Street, and there are more high street stores and some great independents in this quirky shopping centre. Tunsgate Quarter is the third big shopping centre in town, with a few great places to eat alongside the shops.

Local Markets

There is sometimes no better way to really gauge the temperature of a new town than to check out the local markets. On the first Tuesday of every month, the farmers market opens up in town. Here, you can purchase some amazing local produce from farmers in the area.

North Street

North Street and its surrounding streets is certainly home to a treasure trove of delightful shops. The weekly North Street Market is definitely worth a visit, and you’ll find vintage fashion, antique furniture, toy shops and more. Angel Gate and Jefferies Passage are historic parts of the town and can be found connecting North Street to the High Street.

High Street

The High Street has been restored in recent years and it is a sheer delight to walk along its cobbled streets. The High Street is famous for the overhanging clock above the Guildhall, and you’ll find fashion boutiques sitting next to chemists, designer shops, high street brands and the latest cosmetics.

As you can see, from your Guildford student accommodation, you’ve got some of the best shopping outside of London, right on your doorstep. In fact, with over 240 retailers, three big shopping centres, markets and independents, it’s no wonder that it was voted ‘The Best Luxury Shopping Destination outside London’ by Experian as recently as 2014.

Events And Attractions

If you are moving to our luxury student accommodation in Guildford to attend the University of Surrey, you will be living in a vibrant town that has plenty of local attraction and exciting events throughout the year. Not only that, but you’ll be within touching distance of London via public transport and all the joys that brings as one of the greatest cities in the world. Here, we talk you through a few of the events and attractions in Guildford and the surrounding areas for you to take advantage of.

The Local Arts

Guildford has a proud history of supporting the arts. That’s why you’ll find three theatres here to explore local drama, there is the G Live music venue for live music (as well as many other smaller pubs and bars with local live music on a regular basis), as well as a variety of festivals that celebrate literature, science and comedy. It really is a vibrant town if you are interested in art, culture, music and many other artistic disciplines.

The Surrounding Countryside

As well as a sporting endeavour, it is worth exploring everything that Surrey has to offer, as you’ll have some incredibly beautiful countryside right on the doorstep of your luxurious Guildford student accommodation. There are loads of cycle paths, walking routes, as well as picnic locations and country pubs to stop for a spot of lunch with your friends.

Guildford Summer Festival

Running between June and August each year, Guildford comes alive during the summer festival. The first Guildford Summer Festival took place back in 1983 and the focus was on the Guildford Pageants. Over the years different events were organised to take place around this, and from there it has grown to the big event it is today. You’ll see raft races on the river, arts and crafts, stalls, and plenty of live events to sink your teeth into.

Surrey Day

Surrey Day took place for the first time in 2019 and was inspired by everything which makes Surrey a spectacular place to live and work in. It is a county that is home to many different types of people, with students staying here after they have completed their studies in many cases. Surrey Day is designed inspire people to visit the Seven Wonders of Surrey and certain celebrities sharing where they like to visit in Surrey.

Guildford Museum

Right next to the Castle Grounds, Guildford Museum is located in historic buildings that are beautiful to look at. A range of free exhibitions, and a few changing exhibitions alongside the permanent collections. The exhibits date from prehistoric times up to the modern day (including stories that link the town to Gertrude Jekyll and Lewis Carroll amongst others), and it is just a short walk from the High Street, so really easy to find from your student accommodation in Guildford.