Everything about St James' Point

• •Safety. Pitt Street sits in a well trafficked part of central Newcastle with CCTV coverage and regular footfall. The main honest caveat is match day crowds and the usual weekend city centre boisterousness, neither of which is dangerous but both of which are loud.
• •Green space. Leazes Park is 0.2 miles away and is the oldest public park in Newcastle, with a lake, tennis courts and running paths. Exhibition Park and the Town Moor sit just beyond it, giving you a genuinely large stretch of open ground within twenty minutes.
• •Who is around. Overwhelmingly students, given the density of university buildings in this quarter, mixed with hospital staff from the Royal Victoria Infirmary and match day crowds. It is a student district in the fullest sense.
• •What is around. Tesco Express is roughly seventy metres away. Eldon Square shopping centre, Grainger Market for cheap fresh produce and Grey Street for bars and restaurants are all within a fifteen minute walk.
• •Transport. Newcastle Central Station is around twelve minutes on foot. St James Metro station is closer still, and the Metro network reaches the coast, the airport and Gateshead directly.
• •Healthcare. The Royal Victoria Infirmary is a short walk away, which is unusually convenient and worth noting for anyone with an ongoing medical need.

Supermarkets and daily shopping

• •Tesco Express — around seventy metres, the closest by far
• •Sainsbury's Local, city centre — under ten minutes
• •Grainger Market — twelve minutes, and by some margin the cheapest fresh produce in Newcastle
• •Marks & Spencer Foodhall, Eldon Square — fifteen minutes

Cafés and student friendly eating

• •The independent cafés along Percy Street and Leazes Park Road, both within five minutes
• •Grainger Market food stalls for genuinely cheap lunches
• •The Bigg Market and Chinatown on Stowell Street for affordable evening meals
• •Newcastle University's own cafés, open to anyone with a student card

Going out

• •Grey Street and the Bigg Market for bars, both under fifteen minutes
• •The Quayside for a slightly older, quieter crowd
• •St James' Park for match days, directly across the road
• •Tyneside Cinema, an independent venue in the city centre

Study, gym and services

• •Dedicated study room and social lounge inside St James' Point
• •Newcastle University Philip Robinson Library, a nine minute walk
• •Newcastle City Library on New Bridge Street
• •Newcastle University Sport Centre and several city centre gyms within walking distance
• •Cockerton Pharmacy on Stanhope Street, around 0.6 miles, and the Royal Victoria Infirmary nearby

What the property provides

• •Bed, study desk, chair, wardrobe and storage
• •Private ensuite bathroom, or a full private bathroom and kitchenette in the studios
• •Shared kitchen with oven, hob, microwave and fridge freezer in the ensuite flats
• •Wi-Fi, water, electricity, gas, heating and contents insurance, all inside the rent
• •Access to the social lounge, study room, garden, laundry and bike storage

What you should bring or buy on arrival

• •Bedding, duvet, pillows and towels, none of which are supplied
• •Kitchenware and cutlery. If you are in an ensuite flat, label yours
• •An extension lead and a desk lamp
• •Cleaning supplies for your own room and bathroom
• •A warm coat. Newcastle in January is genuinely cold and wind exposed

Day 1

• •Collect your keys at reception and photograph every mark, scuff and appliance before unpacking.
• •Complete the inventory or condition report and submit it. This protects your deposit at the end.
• •Test the heating, hot water and Wi-Fi and log any faults straight away.
• •Find the laundry room, bin store and fire exits.
• •Do a first shop. The Tesco Express is seventy metres away but Grainger Market is far cheaper for a real weekly shop.

Day 2

• •Register at your university and collect your student card.
• •Get a Pop card for the Metro, or a student rail card if you travel further.
• •Register with a local GP practice.
• •Open a UK bank account if you are international, or set up Monzo or Revolut in the interim.
• •Meet your flatmates properly and agree a kitchen rota in the first week rather than the sixth.

• •Total cost. Ensuite rooms start at approximately £144 per week and studios at around £164, rising through the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus tiers. A 51 week contract at the entry ensuite rate works out around £7,350 for the year, which is genuinely low for purpose built accommodation.
• •What is included. High speed Wi-Fi, water, electricity, gas, heating and contents insurance all sit inside the weekly rent. There is no separate service fee.
• •Instalments. Rent is payable in instalments aligned to the academic year rather than as a single sum, with the schedule set out in your tenancy agreement.
• •Deposit. An advance rent payment secures the room and is credited against your first instalment.
• •Guarantor. A guarantor is typically required for instalment plans. Requirements vary by payment plan and academic year, so confirm the current position when you book.
• •Cooling off. A cooling off period applies after booking, during which you can cancel and recover your advance payment. The exact length is stated in your agreement, so read it before you pay.
• •No Visa No Pay. If your UK student visa is refused, submit the official refusal evidence within the stated window and your advance rent is refunded.
• •No Place No Pay. If you fail to obtain your required grades and therefore have no student status, the same evidence based process releases you from the contract.
• •Early departure. Leaving before the end of the contract generally requires finding a replacement tenant to take over the agreement.
• •Full detail. Check the Acolyte Living refund policy before transferring any money.

1. •Newcastle University Business School — directly opposite the building, the shortest possible commute.
2. •Newcastle University — main campus is a nine minute walk through the university quarter.
3. •Northumbria University — city campus is around thirteen minutes on foot.
4. •INTO Newcastle University — on the Newcastle University campus, ten minutes away.
5. •Newcastle College — Rye Hill campus, roughly twelve minutes walking.
6. •Newcastle University Medical School — adjacent to the RVI, a short walk from the door.

What you should know before your child signs

• •Contracts typically run 51 weeks. Your child pays across the summer even if they return home in June, which is standard across purpose built student accommodation.
• •Every bill is included. Wi-Fi, water, electricity, gas, heating and contents insurance sit inside the weekly rent with no separate service fee added.
• •The building is directly opposite Newcastle University Business School. If your child is on a business course, the safety and time benefit of that is considerable.
• •St James' Park football stadium is across the road. Match days bring genuine crowds and noise, which is worth knowing rather than discovering in October.
• •A guarantor is usually required for instalment plans. Requirements change by academic year, so confirm what is needed before your child commits.
• •The Royal Victoria Infirmary is a short walk away, which is reassuring for any student with an ongoing health condition.

• •Arrival. Newcastle International Airport connects to the city centre by Metro in around twenty five minutes, with St James station a short walk from the building. If you arrive by train, Newcastle Central Station is roughly twelve minutes on foot. Confirm your arrival time with the property in advance so keys are ready and out of hours check in is arranged.
• •No UK guarantor. Guarantor requirements at St James' Point vary by payment plan and academic year. If you cannot supply a UK based guarantor, the standard alternatives are paying the full year in advance or using a recognised guarantor service. Confirm the current position with the property before you sign anything.
• •Visa safety net. The No Visa No Pay policy protects you if your UK student visa is refused. Submit the official refusal document to the property within the stated window and your advance rent payment is returned. Keep every piece of Home Office correspondence, because the refund depends entirely on documented evidence.
• •Setup week. Collect your BRP, open a UK bank account or use Monzo in the meantime, buy a UK SIM, get a Pop card for the Metro, and register with a GP. Newcastle University and Northumbria both run international welcome programmes in the week before term, which are genuinely worth attending.
• •Home food. Newcastle is well served. Stowell Street is the city's Chinatown, five minutes from the building, with several full size Asian supermarkets. There are Indian, Middle Eastern and Polish grocers throughout the West End, and Grainger Market carries a broad international range at low prices.