Residential Life

three students standing on a quiet cobbled street in chester

What does Residential Life do?

37 Liverpool Road students in kitchen

Residential Life is part of Student Services, which includes:

The team is here to help and improve your student experience by:

  • Helping you to settle into your accommodation and the local area.
  • Building a sense of community and belonging, through events and engagement.
  • Supporting you to find the right services, such as Wellbeing and Mental Health, Chaplaincy, or Careers and Employability.
  • Helping with the resolution of issues with flatmates.

Halls will have Residential Advisers who will live close to you. They are there to help you settle into Halls and make the most of university life.

Follow our Instagram account to be up-to-date with all the latest Student Services programmes and events.

Flat Chats

Residential Life is committed to enhancing the student experience within residential accommodation, providing guidance, practical skills and knowledge through the delivery of ‘Flat Chats’ and workshops.

Flat Chats Programme:

  • Pre-arrival meet and greet over MS Teams.
  • Welcome, introductions, safety, regulations, flatmate agreements, Student Services, and practical information.
  • Employability, Careers and Volunteering.
  • International Welcome.
  • Leaving Residence and Academic Skills ASk service.

The programme of Flat Chats will help you prepare for life in University Accommodation and beyond.​

A dedicated Residential adviser​ will offer information on other University services for non-emergency situations and can respond to routine queries via email.

Pre-arrival meet and greet – before arriving and at the beginning of the Academic Year, Residential Life will be hosting pre-arrival meet and greets. This will give you the opportunity to get to know your fellow residents, plan out different activities and agree on how you will communally live together. Keep an eye out for these invites via your email.

Holi Party

Activities and Events

Where are events hosted and advertised?

We host a variety of ResLife events across Exton Park Campus to suit different tastes.

Larger events, like Therapy Dogs and Get Cooking, take place in Grosvenor. For more relaxed gatherings, we use the Community Hub. Smaller events such as board game nights and baking sessions are held in the houses and halls, creating a cosy and welcoming atmosphere.

In addition, some events — such as trips, campus tours, or competitions may be hosted ad hoc, depending upon opportunities and student interest.

Activities and Events will be advertised via email, your MS Teams accommodation group, or you can look below to see what we have going on. Events can be booked via our Shoutout page.

Useful Residential Information

Please read the most recent version of the Resident's Handbook.

If the answer isn’t in the guide, please contact us and we’ll get back to you with an answer.

Maintenance and IT

If you spot that something isn't working as it should, whether a facility or IT, please log this via Portal - the sooner we know about it, the sooner we can fix it.

Once there:

  1. Choose either the Facilities or LIS tile, for maintenance and IT respectively.
  2. Submit a request.
  3. And then complete and submit the form.

These teams and processes operate independently from Residential Life and prioritise requests based on their level of urgency. After you submit your request, you will promptly receive an email with a ticket containing the details of your submission.

Useful Links:

Meal Schemes

The meal schemes are designed for students living in self-catered accommodation, private sector accommodation or at home. They offer substantial savings and can help students to budget and ensure regular and healthy meals.

The lunch scheme entitles students to eat at a selection of our dining facilities, there is a choice between a two-course meal or freshly made sandwiches, plus a salad and snack bar.

The full meal scheme also includes an evening meal comprising a main course and either a starter or dessert. It also features meat-free options.

Payments for the scheme are based on three instalments, one at the start of each term. 

When accepting your accommodation offer you will be able to select a meal scheme if you require one. For those students not offered university accommodation or living in the private sector please contact the accommodation office for further details.

Meal Scheme prices are available online.

For further information contact the team via email catering@chester.ac.uk.

Confirm your free contents insurance

By partnering with Howden, we’ve arranged free contents insurance for all our students staying in University owned accommodation.

It is important all students confirm their cover to ensure you understand what is and isn’t covered.

  • What is and what isn't covered
  • Key exclusions - where cover isn't provided
  • Policy excess - the amount you pay when you make a claim
  • How to make a claim
  • Personalise cover

We understand students have a limited budget so Howden have launched brand new, unique student insurance options. They have been designed to cover the risks that you may encounter whilst living in student accommodation and away from home.

Contact Residential Life

Need help, want advice or have a concern? You can contact us by calling our Student Services Helpdesk Team (Mon-Thurs 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. / Fri: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) on 01244 511550.

What to do in an Emergency

To alert the University of an emergency, please contact 24-hour Security via 01244 511541. If you are in immediate danger or feel you cannot keep yourself safe, call emergency services on 999, then Security via 01244 511541.  They will be able to support in directing emergency services to your location.

Emergency Out of Hours Information

We have an Out of Hours process which ensures support for Residential Students including -

  • 24/7 Security who are qualified to deliver first aid and will support students with appropriate signposting. They can triage an incident and refer on to emergency services or other appropriate support if required

Report a concern

  • The University of Chester is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. Our reporting tool allows students, staff, visitors and employers to confidentially report unacceptable behaviour, wherever it occurs. If you have a concern, you can report it online.

Student Assistance Programme

You can also access immediate advice and practical guidance 24-hours a day through our dedicated Student Assistance Programme.

Call the helpline for free 0800 028 3766 to talk through any problem or use the Live Chat and video call options on the Wisdom app with our code: MHA146072.