Living in Nottingham as a student means learning a new city, a new campus and a new routine at the same time. This guide explains what day-to-day student life here is like: the first few weeks, where students live, how you get around, what to budget for and where students go outside lectures.
In short: expect a busy start organised largely by the two students’ unions, a city centre you can walk around, trams and buses with student tickets for longer journeys, and costs that are easier to control when your accommodation includes bills. The campus you study on shapes your routine more than anything else, so choose where you live with that journey in mind.
If you are still looking for somewhere to live, Study Inn has two buildings in Nottingham: Talbot Street beside Nottingham Trent University’s City Campus, and Triumph House on the edge of the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus. Both are all-inclusive, with no damage deposit and no UK guarantor required.
The two universities and their campuses
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has its City Campus in the heart of the city centre. Its other Nottingham sites are Clifton Campus, about four miles from Nottingham station, and Brackenhurst Campus, a 500-acre site of fields, woodland and water near Southwell.
The University of Nottingham’s main campus is University Park, which the university describes as the hub of student life. Jubilee Campus is linked to it by a free hopper bus, the Medical School is based in the Queen’s Medical Centre, and the Vet School and School of Biosciences are at Sutton Bonington Campus in the countryside. The university’s newest site, Castle Meadow Campus, is in the city centre.
Find out which campus your course is taught on before you choose accommodation, because it decides your daily journey. Our guide to the differences between the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent compares the two in more detail.
Your first few weeks
Much of the social programme in the first weeks is run by the students’ unions. At the University of Nottingham, Freshers is organised by the Students’ Union, UoNSU, which is based in the Portland Building. Its programme covers Freshers Fairs, club nights, societies and free Try-It sessions, and UoNSU lists over 450 societies and more than 70 sports clubs. At Nottingham Trent, the official Freshers events are run by Nottingham Trent Students’ Union under the Trent Freshers name.
Joining a society or sports club early is the most direct way to meet people beyond your flat and your course. The two universities also compete in the Notts Varsity Series, with major fixtures in ice hockey and football.
A few practical jobs make the first weeks easier. Register with a GP near where you live: the NHS says everyone in England can register with a GP surgery for free, and most surgeries let you register online. Try your route to campus at the time you will actually travel, and set up the bus or tram tickets you will use every day. Our guide to the first semester at university in Nottingham covers the rest of that first term.
Where students live
Where you live decides your daily routine. The city centre puts NTU’s City Campus, the shops, restaurants and bars within walking distance, and the tram to the University of Nottingham stops there. The areas around the University of Nottingham, such as Lenton, put you closer to University Park and Jubilee Campus and further from the centre.
The options are university halls, private purpose-built student accommodation and shared houses. They differ most on what is included in the cost, how much space you get and who you live with. Our guides to the best areas to live in Nottingham as a student and living in Lenton go into more detail.
Getting around Nottingham
In the city centre, you can walk to most places. For longer journeys, the NET tram stops at Nottingham Station, Old Market Square and Nottingham Trent University, which is outside NTU’s City Campus. Trams towards Toton Lane run on to the Queen’s Medical Centre and University of Nottingham stops, and trams towards Clifton South serve Rivergreen, about a ten-minute walk from NTU’s Clifton Campus. NET sells student tickets, including student season tickets in its app or online, and you must buy a ticket before you travel.
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) runs the Uni 4 bus between NTU’s City Campus, the station and Clifton Campus in term time, and sells an Academic Year pass with unlimited travel from September to July. NTU students can also get discounted fares through the NCTX Buses app.
If you study at the University of Nottingham, the university’s hopper buses are free for students with a university card. The 903 links University Park and Jubilee Campus, and the 906 is a term-time evening service from both campuses to Lenton and Beeston. For advice on getting home late at night, see our guide to student safety in Nottingham.
Cost of living: what to budget for
Your accommodation cost is the biggest expense, so check exactly what it includes. If electricity, water, heating and Wi-Fi are billed separately, add them to your budget. After that, the main costs are food shopping, travel, your phone, course materials and socialising. Check whether contents insurance and a TV licence are included too: Study Inn’s FAQ, for example, asks residents to arrange both themselves.
A weekly amount for food and going out is easier to track than a termly one. If you travel to campus every day, compare the cost of a pass with paying per journey for your actual routine. Our guides to whether Nottingham is expensive for students and the cost of student accommodation in Nottingham cover costs in more detail.
Where students go
For nights out, Rock City has run gigs and club nights since 1980 and still holds club nights every Thursday and Friday. Our guide to student nights out in Nottingham covers more of the options, from pubs to clubs and alcohol-free nights.
For quieter days, Nottingham Contemporary is an art gallery that is free to enter, and Broadway is an independent cinema with a café bar and a membership for 18 to 25 year olds that includes a free first film. Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan mansion set in 500 acres of parkland, where herds of red and fallow deer roam freely.
When you need somewhere to work away from your room, our guide to study spots and cafés in Nottingham lists libraries, cafés and quieter spaces. For shopping, attractions and food, see our student’s guide to the city of Nottingham.
Living at Study Inn in Nottingham
Study Inn has two buildings in Nottingham, one beside each university. Talbot Street is in the city centre beside Nottingham Trent University’s City Campus, and about 11 minutes by bus or 13 minutes by bike from the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus. Triumph House is on Triumph Road on the edge of the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus.
Both are all-inclusive, with electricity, water, heating and superfast Wi-Fi covered in one accommodation cost, no damage deposit and no UK guarantor required. You can choose an en-suite room in a serviced apartment, with access to a Luxe Lounge and fully equipped kitchen that the housekeeping team cleans daily, or a studio with its own kitchen. Kitchen and bedding essentials are provided when you arrive, so there is less to pack.
Both buildings have a gym, a wellness spa, study rooms open 24/7, an entertainment area, bike storage, regular social events and 24/7 staff on site, and Talbot Street adds a big screen cinema and a yoga studio. Security includes CCTV, a 24/7 onsite security team and key-card building entry. Study Inn was named Best Student Accommodation Operator at the RESI Awards 2026. You can check availability on the Talbot Street and Triumph House pages, or book a viewing to see the rooms for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nottingham a good city for students?
Nottingham has two universities, a city centre you can walk around, and trams and buses linking the main campuses. The University of Nottingham Students’ Union alone lists over 450 societies and more than 70 sports clubs. How well it suits you depends mostly on your course and campus.
How do students get around Nottingham?
In the city centre, you can walk to most places. For longer journeys, the NET tram stops outside NTU’s City Campus and runs to the University of Nottingham stop, Nottingham City Transport runs the Uni 4 bus to NTU’s Clifton Campus in term time, and University of Nottingham students can use the university’s hopper buses free with their university card.
What should I do in my first week in Nottingham?
Go to your students’ union’s Freshers events and fairs, join a society or sports club, register with a GP near where you live, and try your route to campus at the time you will actually travel. Set up any bus or tram tickets you will use every day.
What do students need to budget for in Nottingham?
Start with your accommodation cost and check what it includes, especially bills and Wi-Fi. Then budget for food shopping, travel, your phone, course materials and socialising, plus contents insurance and a TV licence if they are not included.
Where is Study Inn’s accommodation in Nottingham?
Study Inn has two Nottingham buildings. Talbot Street is in the city centre beside Nottingham Trent University’s City Campus, and Triumph House is on the edge of the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus. Both are all-inclusive, with no damage deposit and no UK guarantor required.
