Student Houses in Bailrigg, Lancaster

The university campus itself is a small town. It has supermarkets, a pharmacy, bars, cafes, a sports centre and a library, so day to day you need not leave it. First year students are almost all housed in the colleges on campus, which is why Bailrigg barely features in the private student market for that year group.

For students past first year, the appeal of staying close is obvious: no commute, no bus fare and no standing in the rain waiting for a service that is already full. The drawback is that private housing immediately around the campus is limited in number, so options are fewer than in the established student districts.

Because the campus is set apart from the city, living here means being a little removed from Lancaster itself. The buses into town are frequent and the journey is around twenty minutes, but it is a journey rather than a walk.

Students who want to be near campus but cannot find something in Bailrigg itself usually look at Galgate, a mile to the south, or Scotforth, on the main road north. Both give a short commute with more housing to choose from.

If you are considering this area, it is worth being clear about whether you want university managed accommodation, which is applied for through Lancaster University directly, or a private let nearby, which is what we list.

The practical advantage of staying close is more than the commute. You can go back between lectures, you are not tied to the last bus, and the library is there on a Sunday. For anyone with a heavy timetable or a dissertation year, that adds up.

The thing to weigh against it is that living beside campus can make the year feel small. Some students love the convenience and others find they barely see Lancaster itself. It is worth thinking about which of those you are before you decide.