Accommodation for students with additional medical and support needs
If you have a disability, a long-term medical condition, a mental health condition, or you are neurodivergent, we can offer tailored support and make a range of adjustments to help ensure your accommodation meets your needs.
These adjustments will vary depending on the accommodation, and you can find detailed information about each hall’s accessibility features on its profile page (under ‘Accommodation for students with additional support needs’). You can also check detailed accessibility guides through AccessAble.
Most of our halls can be adapted in a number of ways — for example, we can provide a medical fridge in most rooms. However, where more complex adaptations are required, such as the installation of hoists, the number of suitable halls may be reduced.
Our ResLife team are also here to support your wellbeing and help you settle in, offering pre-arrival support, social activities and practical advice throughout your time in halls.
We support students with physical disabilities, long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, and students who are neurodivergent. If you have any condition (or are awaiting diagnosis for one) that may impact your accommodation requirements or your safety while living in halls, please let us know.
Examples of conditions and adaptions that may require adjustments:
- Mobility impairments (e.g., wheelchair users or those with reduced mobility)
- Visual impairments
- Hearing impairments
- Epilepsy or seizure-related conditions
- Diabetes or conditions requiring medication to be stored in a fridge
- Severe mental health conditions
- Autism and/or ADHD
We can provide a range of adjustments to help you live comfortably and safely in your accommodation. This may include help with securing an adapted room, physical adjustments, priority rooming, or advising on the most suitable hall locations depending on your needs.
We can also liaise with other University teams or external professionals to ensure that any required equipment or support is in place before you arrive. Our aim is to help you feel as supported and independent as possible throughout your time in halls.
Adjustments to accommodation may include:
- Equipment (e.g. medical fridge, deaf guard, vibrating pillow)
- Quieter or lifestyle-moderated flat
- Wheelchair accessible rooms
- Ground floor or lift accessible rooms
- Living close to campus
- En suite bathroom
- Room adaptations (e.g. grab rails, hoist, wash/dry toilet)
- Catered halls options
- Set times for fire alarm testing
- Guide or assistance animals (subject to approval)
- Longer bed
- Blue Badge parking
- Indicate you have a medical condition, or are awaiting an assessment for a medical condition, when completing your accommodation application. We request that you provide us with this information as early as possible. If we are not informed of your needs before allocation, it can be difficult to change your accommodation at a later date.
- Upon submitting your application, you will be emailed a Medical Needs Questionnaire to complete.
- Provide medical evidence of your condition. This can be a letter from your GP, consultant or other healthcare professional. If you cannot supply this, or you require adjustments for non-medical reasons, please contact us directly to discuss your options. We will then contact you if we need to discuss your needs further.
- We will review your information and contact you if clarification is needed.
- We will allocate a suitable room where possible, based on your needs.
If you require accommodation for the duration of your studies, please contact the Accommodation Office by the beginning of February during each year of your programme of studies.
Please note that 'returner' accommodation (accommodation for people who have already lived in our halls) cannot always be guaranteed for students who do not meet our Accommodation Guarantee, but we aim to help those students who may not be able to find suitable accommodation in the private sector due to their medical needs.
Our commitment
It’s important you discuss your needs with us as early as possible so we can ensure you are placed in suitable accommodation and carry out any additional adaptations if required. While we cannot guarantee every preference, we will do our best to meet your needs where there is a clear medical requirement.
The information you give to us will be treated confidentially and will only be used to ensure you receive the support you need. For further information on how your personal data is used during your time as a registered student, how long it is retained, and to find out how to exercise your rights, read our Student Privacy Notice.
Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS)
We recommend registering with the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS), which provides specialist advice and support for students with disabilities, long-term health conditions and neurodivergent needs. Visit the DASS website to find out more.
Contact us
If you require any help during the application process or have any questions about how we can support you, please contact the Accommodation Office team.
- Email: medicalaccommodation@manchester.ac.uk
- Phone: 0161 275 2888