Accommodation

Securing accommodation can be a big concern for students and parents. Applications for places in our own campus residences are now closed but our waitlist will reopen shortly. Places are currently being allocated for Corrib Village, Goldcrest Village and Dunlin Village (our new 674 bed residence opening shortly).   

•  If you applied for campus accommodation and were selected in the lottery you will have received an email  to offer you a place.  
• If you applied for campus accommodation and you were not selected in the lottery you will automatically remain on the waiting list for the village for which you applied.  
• If you did not submit an application, you will have an opportunity to join the waiting list at a later date. The waitlist is expected to reopen in June. Keep an eye on this webpage for updates.  

We know it is very disappointing if you are not selected in the lottery but there are a few things to keep in mind: 

• Every year when the CAO offers are made, a large number of bookings are cancelled and these beds are offered out to the waitlist. While the number of cancellations varies from year to year,  but as a guide over 200 beds became available after CAO offers were released last year.
• The new residence, Dunlin Village, will bring the total number of beds available on campus to over 1,800 which is a 50% increase on the number of beds available in 2022 and these places were reserved for new, incoming students in September. These additional 674 beds on campus should also take some of the pressure off the search for private accommodation in the autumn.  
• As we get closer to September, StudentPad (an online search engine dedicated to students looking for accommodation), will be an important tool in searching for private accommodation. All properties advertised by private landlords go through a registration process and are regularly updated. We find that properties start to be advertised from about July onwards for the September intake.  

Finally, our Accommodation Advisory Service provide advice and support to all students seeking accommodation. They provide assistance to students with a CAO offer who have been unable to find accommodation, prioritising students who live furthest away from Galway. We are still four months away from the start of the academic year so the advice for now is to ensure you apply for a place on the waitlist when it reopens (if you did not apply for campus accommodation already), and to remain proactive over the summer months by checking out StudentPad and reaching out to the Accommodation Advisory Service should you need support. 

Student participation in University of Galway focus groups