Top Tips for Choosing the Best Student Accommodation in Melbourne
Australia has some of the best student cities in the world thanks to the combination of excellent universities and uh-mazing living standards. It’s no surprise that students want to study in Melbourne. In fact, each year Australian cities attract so many students from countries like China, Korea, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam that one in three university students are from overseas.
If you’ve decided to make this city your home, the next thing on your to-do list should be choosing the best student accommodation in Melbourne.
Now, we know looking for accommodation in an unknown city can be a tedious task. After all, you’re not so familiar with the area and you don’t know how much to expect to pay. We admit figuring out all the details while living on the other side of the globe isn’t easy—but don’t worry. We have the information you need to make Melbourne your new home. Keep reading!
As your luck would have it, Melbourne is rated as the most liveable city in the world. It is the cultural capital of Australia. Now take a guess which city has been voted the second-best student city? You’re right—it’s also Melbourne.
The laid-back atmosphere and the extremely friendly people of Melbourne are just a few reasons why this city is the most popular among students. You won’t have a tough time settling down here. Due to the varied ethnicities that call Melbourne home, people are very encouraging and warm towards everyone. This will also help you with networking, learning about other cultures, and meeting people from around the world.
Now take all of this and imagine incorporating it into your everyday life, along with all the great food, events, festivals, and parties Melbourne has to offer. Imagine having friends from eight different countries by the end of the year. You’ll have so many new countries to discover on your list! Melbourne will give you a great opportunity to broaden your horizons.
You know why Melbourne is such a popular city, but let’s break it down as to how to tackle your student accommodation problem. When deciding on the best student accommodation in Melbourne, there are generally two types of accommodation that international students prefer:
- University Accommodations or
- Private Student Housing
Let’s investigate each a little more!
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University Accommodations in Melbourne
Most universities have student residence halls where students can book themselves a spot. But there is a downside to this great arrangement. The number of places is limited, and you can’t choose what you get.
Now, what if you grew up with five siblings and University is your chance for you to enjoy your independence? Oh well, you can kiss that dream goodbye. These accommodations will probably have more people to share with and again, without a choice. With student housing in Australia, you get to be close to the campus so less travel and being on time for lectures is a big perk. You will be staying with only students so rooming with someone like-minded who shares the same interests as you is ideal, but not always possible. Don’t get us wrong, university accommodations are very nice despite their slight downsides.
Even if you’re unable to obtain a spot through your university—that’s not always a bad thing. There are plenty of options to choose from for student accommodation as Melbourne is a large city!
Private Student Housing in Melbourne
The second kind of Melbourne student accommodation will come to your rescue. These are PBSA’s, better known as Purpose Built Student Accommodations. These are the same as university accommodations, meaning you will only find students occupying the property, but there are a few added advantages.
One of the biggest perks? You can choose if you’d like to share your apartment with anyone or if you are looking to live by yourself.
Ensuite apartments can be shared. These rooms are basically your own space with your own study area, own bed and a personal bathroom with the common lounge and kitchen shared between the flatmates. So, you will not have to claim your territory every day for the bathroom and in turn be late for lectures. If you are coming to Melbourne with your mates then this will be a great option for you, or if you would like to make a lot of friends or are not really looking to live alone, then this will be perfect for you too.
More than ninety percent of Australian students choose this style of student accommodation for various reasons such as having more time to study or enjoying their newly found freedom. Within this style of living, students can choose from the one-bedroom apartment or studio options.
The one-bedroom apartment (like every apartment) in the student accommodations are fully furnished, so you will have your own bathroom and a fully fitted kitchen.
Along with all these features, PBSAs also offer world-class facilities ensuring students are extremely comfortable in their student homes. You will find facilities such as social rooms, TV rooms, game rooms and so much more. This helps keep additional and overhead costs to the bare minimum each month. You also get blanket Wi-Fi across the building, so there’s no hassle of getting a phone connection and then trying to stream your favourite new show on Netflix. This way you will never be late with any of your coursework either!
Another added benefit of living in a purpose-built-student-accommodation is security. You get security 24/7 and also a maintenance staff that is available on-site at all times, so you won’t have to call someone from a random company and have to pay the hefty damage charges. Better yet, you won’t even need to be there when maintenance comes. You can conveniently inform the reception desk about the repair work required in your room and by the time you get back, it will be done.
All the best student accommodations in Melbourne are located close to transport facilities and have great amenities so everything you need really will be right next to you.
- Deakin University
- La Trobe University
- RMIT University
- Monash University
- Swinburne University of Technology
- University of Melbourne
- Victoria University
- Australian Catholic University (ACU)
- Melbourne University of Technology
- Charles Sturt University
Now let’s look at each area to help you find the best student accommodation in Melbourne.
Melbourne CBD
La Trobe University, RMIT, Swinburne University of Technology, and Victoria University campuses are all located in Melbourne’s CBD area. If you are headed to any one of these, check out the following accommodation options:
- Student Living-339 Swanston
- Scape Franklin
- Student Living - 570 Lygon
- 2 UniLodge @ RMIT Bundoora-Walert House
- Scape Queensberry
Each of these properties is less than 15 minutes from the university campuses making it a very comfortable stay for you as your travel time will be short. You’ll never have to worry about being late to campus and you’ll have more time in your day to explore your new surroundings.
Bundoora
There are campuses of La Trobe University and RMIT are in Bundoora and if you are headed there then here are accommodation choices you should check out:
There are plenty of other suburbs where you will find the university campuses to be spread out. They all have student accommodations and there are plenty of choices to choose from. In case you are headed to Melbourne you can visit www.unilodgers.com, just type your university in the Search Box and get started. You can compare all the available student accommodations and choose the one that suits you best. We also have a live chat team to help you out should you have any queries.
One thing you want to make sure of is to not pick the best student accommodation in Melbourne based on facilities or price alone. Make sure other important factors such as the proximity from your university and what amenities are available are made a priority. All these suburbs being largely inhabited by students offer very vibrant nightlife and you will find great restaurants and eating options filled with pubs and bars in close vicinity.
Book Your Student Accommodation in Melbourne Today
If you’re heading to this great city for uni and need to find where you’ll call home, Unilodgers has got you covered. Head to our Melbourne listing page to check out all the best student accommodations in Melbourne. Which one will you choose?
Unilodgers is the world’s leading platform to book student accommodations and serves over 2 million students from over 195 countries every year. We provide students with exclusive offers on student housing options and make it easy to book the accommodation that’s the best fit for you.
Also read: Student Party Places in Melbourne
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