Glasgow students denied university accommodation

New students at the University of Glasgow will not be guaranteed accommodation this year.

Students who live within commuting distance were automatically denied accommodation after receiving their results on Tuesday.

Prospective students from further afield were also told they are no longer guaranteed a place to stay.

The university blamed increased demand and a "significant contraction" in Glasgow's private rental market.

The Students' Representative Council (SRC) claimed the university had accepted too many new students.

The university said it had increased the number of rooms under its management by 25%.

However it could no longer guarantee newcomers a place to stay and strongly advised students against registering at the university unless they had secured a place to stay.

English students will not find out whether they have a room in university accommodation until up to 10 working days after they receive their A-Level results on 18 August.

Despite increasing bed spaces, the university said the number of available private flats had decreased so much that there was still a gap between supply and demand.

It blamed the shortage of private accommodation on changes to private rental tenancy law, as well as private landlords impacted by Covid restrictions removing properties from the market.

The university's student population has also grown each year.

Elissa Varley, 18, from Burton-on-Trent, has a conditional offer to study politics at Glasgow University.

She told BBC Scotland: "I was really, really looking forward to going but now it's looking like I might not be able to go at all.

"Either I withdraw my application, which would also withdraw my insurance option, or I take a risk and try to find somewhere private to stay in two weeks and possibly be left with no accommodation.

"I don't even know my results yet and whether I've got in and then I have two weeks to find private accommodation.

"I can't commute five-and-a-half hours.

"I wish they would have told us sooner so I would've been better prepared to look at different accommodation or I could've contacted a different university through clearing."

Elissa's father Duncan said: "If she gets in, that gives her two weeks to find a room in a market which Glasgow University admitted does not have much accommodation.

"There could be hundreds of other people looking for accommodation at the same time.

"It's hard to imagine that they couldn't foresee this."

David Todd is based in Manchester and is set to start a PhD at the University of Glasgow.

He told BBC Scotland: "I have been relying on postgraduate accommodation through the university to house me as I can't really afford to live anywhere too expensive and I don't know anyone in Glasgow.

"I've been waiting an entire year to finally start and now it's looking like I'll have to defer for a year or drop out completely.

"I just don't understand why it's taken this long for them to inform everyone about the accommodation."

One English mother of a prospective student at the university's business school said: "If he meets his offer grades, he may have to decline the offer as he could end up with nowhere to live.

"I think he will probably decline the offer as waiting up to 10 days to find out if he has accommodation is ridiculous.

"It is a real choice between waiting a year or going somewhere less good through clearing.

"He would not have applied to Glasgow, yet alone accepted an offer, if we'd known accommodation was not guaranteed."

A statement from the university's SRC said: "The SRC is aware of the issues leading up to this point and we would like to express our disappointment at the university's approach.

"After the accommodation crisis across Glasgow last year, the SRC lobbied the university to commit to a moratorium on student numbers, despite this it now seems that over-recruitment has contributed to the creation of a similar situation."

SRC president Rinna Vare said the student council was "very concerned" about how the shortage would affect the experience of freshers.

She added: "While we are aware this is a wider issue in the city, we try and push the university to communicate as early as possible on these issues.

"Our advice centre can support students with any concerns and help them consider their options."

A University of Glasgow spokesperson said: "Regrettably, due to a significant contraction in the private rental market, demand for rooms continues to be substantially ahead of expectation and we are no longer in a position to provide guaranteed university accommodation.

"Despite having increased the number of rooms under university management by 25 per cent for the new academic year, we are having to prioritise accommodation for students who are unable to travel from home.

"We understand the concern students have about finding accommodation for the new semester."

The spokesperson added while unable to offer accommodation for students living within "reasonable commuting distance" the university would continue to check regularly on the availability of private provider accommodation and share any updates.

They also urged those looking for information and advice on finding private rented accommodation to contact the SRC's advice centre.