Living in Birmingham

All our courses are non-residential. Some students live at home while they study. However, many of you will need to find somewhere to live. There’s a wide range of accommodation in Birmingham to suit all pockets.

Here’s a list of the main residential areas in Birmingham. It may help you to choose the one that best suits what you’re looking for.

City centre

As you’d expect, living in the centre of Birmingham is more expensive than living further out. But on the plus side, the College of Law is only a 10-minute walk from the city centre, so you’ll save on travel costs. There’s a huge amount of accommodation actually in the Jewellery Quarter, most of it more up-market than your average student digs. Prices can range from £250-£550 per month (rent is not usually charged per week in the city centre), so this type of lifestyle could set you back a bit.

Bournville

The home of Cadbury’s chocolate. The houses are delightfully pretty and reasonably priced (£35-£55 per week), although generally quite small. Bournville is ideal if you like the quiet life, or if you have a family. There’s a huge park and playing field in the middle of the village. It’ll take you about 20 minutes to get into the city centre by train or bus.

Edgbaston

Not generally as popular with students, many of whom prefer to live in the more established student areas. Nevertheless, it has conveniently located shops and restaurants and is only about a 10-15 minute bus ride into the city centre, past the famous cricket ground. Rent can vary quite dramatically from £40-£65 per week, so ensure that you’re getting value for money.

Harborne

Harborne, like Moseley (see below), is a very sought after area of Birmingham, popular with newly qualified trainees. Many College students also choose to live here. Rents are affordable, ranging from £45-£65, and the houses are generally of a better standard than elsewhere.  Harborne has an excellent high street, including a huge supermarket and lots of pubs and restaurants. It’s a 15-minute bus ride from the city centre.

Handsworth

Very lively and multi-cultural with lots to offer in terms of fine restaurants and local cultural entertainment. It’s only five minutes on the bus from the College. Rent can range from as little as £35-£50 per week.

Moseley and King's Heath

Like Harborne, Moseley is a vibrant area with a high proportion of trainee solicitors. There are plenty of pubs in Moseley village. King's Heath, where you will find shops to satisfy every culinary desire, is a two or three-minute bus ride away. Moseley and King's Heath are also only one bus ride away from Sparkhill – the home of the Balti. Houses in Moseley and King's Heath tend to be bigger than elsewhere, so you definitely get value for money. Rent can range from £45-£60, and it’s easier to find houses for larger numbers of people here than in Harborne or Selly Oak. There are four bus routes in to different parts of the city centre.

Perry Barr

On the opposite side of the College to Harborne, Selly Oak and Moseley, Perry Barr is home to the University of Central England. Not far from the College, it has good bus and train routes into the city centre and buses direct to College. There are excellent shopping facilities at the One Stop Shopping Mall. Although it doesn't boast the biggest student population in Birmingham or as many clubs and pubs as other places, it is affordable. The houses are generally of a good standard and rent ranges from £40-£55 per week, depending on the size of house.

Selly Oak

Home to one of the largest student populations in the UK, including the majority of Birmingham university students. If you like living next door to a curry or pizza house and want to stumble home from the pub on a Friday night, then this is your place. It’s lively and bustling, with everything you would associate with a typical student area, including a good range of pubs and restaurants and a 24-hour Tesco. Four bus routes head in to the city centre and by train Selly Oak is only two stops away from Birmingham New Street. Journeys take 10-20 minutes, plus the 10 minute walk to College. The houses are generally of a good size with an average rent of between £42-£55 per week.
Accommodation guide

For further information on living in and finding accommodation in Birmingham, please see our Accommodation Guide (pdf).

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