Applying for accommodation at St Andrews

Hey, I’m going into y13 this September and am thinking of applying for History at St Andrews. I’m just curious - how does applying for accommodation work? On the official website it doesn’t say about specifying particular halls, or even single and shared. For anyone who has applied in the past - can you put a preference for these things, and how often do you get your first choice of accommodation?

Hi there!

The accommodation system at St Andrews basically boils down to three questions: whether you'd like a single room or a shared one (i.e having a roommate), an en-suite or standard bathroom (shared with others) and catered accommodation or self-catered. Most of the older halls like Mackintosh and St Salvators based in town are single/shared standard and catered. Newer halls like the DRAFP are mostly single en-suite and self-catered. I think Andrew Melville is the only hall you can apply to directly because it's the most affordable of the bunch. The website seems to have changed slightly but this should help break it down individually - https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/accommodation/halls/

Once you decide your preferences, you rank your options from 1 being your first choice and 4 your last. In my first year I put shared/standard/catered as my no.1 choice, followed by single/en-suite/catered as no.2. From most people I've spoken to, I think most people tend to get their first choice, if not their second. I ended up with my second.

You'll also be asked a few questions about what time you wake up/go to sleep, your interests (more for if you choose to share a room) and whether you'd like alcohol-free or single-sex accommodation, both of which are options in some halls. Hope this helps - also if you have any questions about History at St Andrews I'd be happy to answer them

Thank you so much, that has answered so many of my questions! I don’t have a strong preference for single or shared, but I would love to be in one of the more traditional buildings and I’ve heard that most first years share in these. I know it’s a long shot, but do you think if I write shared catered instead of single catered as my first choice I’ll be more likely to be in one of the older halls closer to the arts buildings? 😂 thank you!

No problem! I had the exact same game plan when I was applying, it was the whole reason I chose to share a room (I had my heart set on Sallies/Mackintosh)! I think statistically it’s quite likely you’ll end up in an older hall but I was given a shared room in DRA (which I didn’t even know was a thing) to my surprise. So just to warn you, shared rooms do exist in newer accommodation😂 If you do put shared room as a preference, you’re guaranteed to get one because most people don’t want one. Wherever you end up, the furthest you’ll be from town is a 25 minute walk – i.e DRA, ABH is slightly closer – which isn’t so bad. People tend to exaggerate the distance, St Andrews is tiny! x

No problem! I had the exact same game plan when I was applying, it was the whole reason I chose to share a room (I had my heart set on Sallies/Mackintosh)! I think statistically it’s quite likely you’ll end up in an older hall but I was given a shared room in DRA (which I didn’t even know was a thing) to my surprise. So just to warn you, shared rooms do exist in newer accommodation😂 If you do put shared room as a preference, you’re guaranteed to get one because most people don’t want one. Wherever you end up, the furthest you’ll be from town is a 25 minute walk – i.e DRA, ABH is slightly closer – which isn’t so bad. People tend to exaggerate the distance, St Andrews is tiny! x

I was given a shared room in DRA(Haig) too, but there is almost no information about it on the website. Can you share what it's like?(size etc.) Would be very helpful, thanks.