Student feedback
Each year we ask our students for their feedback on staying in University accommodation and make changes if necessary to ensure they have the best possible experience.
Here you can see what we have introduced each year in response to student feedback.
2023-24
Our students wanted improvements in the common room at James Baillie.
We Have:
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Refurnished the common room and added an arcade game for your enjoyment!
Non-catered students at Devonshire Hall indicated they were unaware of the catered offerings and lacked sufficient information, as highlighted in the Devonshire catering survey.
We Have:
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Provided detailed Devonshire Hall catering information on the accommodation portal through Live Chat articles, including the weekly menu.
We Will:
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Publish videos on our in-house and campus catering services on the Residence Life website.
Students requested more pre-arrival information, such as the do’s and don’ts, how-to’s, and the interiors of each bedroom or flat.
We Have:
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Published helpful articles on the Residence Life website and through the accommodation portal’s Live Chat service to better prepare students for their arrival to the residence.
Students expressed the need for enhanced facilities and amenities across various locations.
We Have:
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We have followed through the extensive refurbishment works of three blocks in Devonshire Hall in 2023, with two more blocks in 2024
2022-23
Our students told us that they had limited awareness of who their Residence Life Wardens, Assistants and Social Committee members were and what their roles involved.
We have:
- Created the Residence Life website to give students one easy place to go for information on what support the Residence Life team offers and who their Residence Life Wardens and Assistants are.
- We also included information on the website about what the Residence Life Social Committees role is and how students can apply to join.
- Introduced the Halls Handbook which gives students all the key information and contacts they need for living in halls. We ensured this is provided to every student on check in so that it’s easy to find out how different members of the team support students and how to contact them.
- Improved the accommodation induction to make it more streamlined and easier for students to read and understand. We also included more video content within the induction to make it more engaging.
Our students told us that there is a lack of quality social space at Ellerslie Global Residence and Central Village
We have:
- Refurbished the common spaces at Ellerslie to provide students with an improved and more usable social space as well as an upgraded study room.
- Refurbished the common room at Central Village to give students a modern and comfortable space to be used socially and for study.
Our students told us that they didn’t always feel a strong sense of belonging and inclusivity in our residences and that our events needed to be more varied
We have:
- Increased the range, accessibility and diversity of our Residence Life events to help give everyone the chance to feel included and to ensure there’s a large variety of events to choose from.
- Began publishing guides to life in Leeds on our website for students from diverse backgrounds to help them feel at home and settled in Leeds.
Our students told us that the catering hours are too short for breakfast at Devonshire Hall
We have:
- Extended the breakfast period by an hour.
2021-22
Our students told us that there was limited common room spaces at James Baillie and North Hill Court
We have:
- Partnered with Unite Students and Groundwork Yorkshire to develop the land behind North Hill Court and James Baillie into North Hill Well Wood, a communal green amenity space for the enjoyment of students, local residents and local schools.
Our students asked us to improve the quality of the kitchen and bedding packs we offer.
We have:
- Partnered with UniKitOut to provide students access to a wider selection of high-quality bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom starter kits that students can purchase online for delivery to their accommodation.
Our students told us that they want us to provide a faster and more reliable internet connection.
We have:
- Increased the bandwidth on the wireless network threefold.
- Started to upgrade the network infrastructure in University connected residences to provide a ‘domestic style solution’ that allows users to connect any wireless device, whilst being University managed.
We will:
- Complete the network upgrade in 2022/23
Our students told us that they wanted us to improve engagement with resident committees and committee events.
We have:
- Introduced and new Residence Life Social Committee programme (previously known as Hall Exec programme) that offers a more structured support and training programme to its members, and greater visibility and awareness of committee activities to the wider resident communities.
Our students asked us to offer more modern facilities and amenities
We have:
- Completed kitchen refurbishments in Sentinel Towers and in four blocks in Lupton Residences
We will:
- Complete the kitchen upgrades in Lupton.
2020-21
Our students asked us to further improve the washing and drying facilities
We have:
- Replaced the laundry machines at Central Village and Charles Morris Halls
- Installed washing machines and dryers in each flat at Montague Burton
- Circuit has upgraded its website and social media platforms with how-to guides to get the most out of the Circuit App.
Our students told us they wanted us to provide more pre-arrival information online
We have:
- Produced 360 videos of our residences for the accommodation website and the University Facilities Directorate YouTube channel.
- Provided access to the Residence Life events calendar and booking page for incoming residents via the new accommodation portal.
We will:
- Develop a new accommodation pre-arrival e-induction programme.
Our students told us that they want us to provide a faster and more reliable internet connection
We have:
- Increased the bandwidth on the wireless network threefold.
We will:
- Upgrade all network infrastructure in University connected residences from March 2022, providing every bedroom with its own wireless point to allow the residents to connect their wireless devices.
Our students said they wanted us to offer a more engaging and widely accessible events for residents
We have:
- Re-introduced in-person events in residences
- Organised a wider variety of event types. Some recent examples are: boardgame and hot chocolate station hangout, a llama visit, themed crafternoons, cinema trips, and an open mic halls takeover.
- Published a monthly Residence Life newsletter featuring current and upcoming events, as well as other Residence Life news.
Our students told us they wanted more communal spaces and facilities
We have:
- Built common room facilities at Montague Burton and St Marks
- Introduced a study area at Charles Morris
2019-20
Our students asked us to continue to improve the information provided before you arrive and on our accommodation website
We have:
- Produced 360° videos to showcase all of our Accommodation portfolio, these are available to view on the Facilities Directorate YouTube channel.
- Produced Google map tours of a number of the residences.
We will:
- Provide access to the 360° videos on the accommodation website.
- Provide access to the Google map tours on the accommodation website.
Our students asked us to further improve the reliability, quality and availability of clothes washing facilities at our sites
We have:
- Replaced the laundry machines at Central Village and Charles Morris Hall
- Installed washing machines and dryers across the entire site at Montague Burton Residence.
- Provided free laundry credits for students, at all University of Leeds owned, managed and long leased sites, where a managed laundry facility exists.
We will:
- Continue to replace laundry machines in Shared Houses across the portfolio
Our students told us they wanted an increase in recycling facilities for Shared Houses on campus
We have:
- Implemented recycling facilities at these properties and ensured collection from these on a weekly basis
Our students told us they wanted an increase in the amount of hall events throughout the year, in particular during the intake period, ensuring that the events are accessible to all.
We have:
- Published events on the accommodation portal where students can now browse and book attendance
- Introduced various new virtual events
We will:
- Create a more engaging and interactive e-intro programme on the student portal
Our students said they wanted us to improve the quality of information given on menus at Devonshire Hall
We have:
- Published weekly menus which now include nutritional information on healthy menu item
Our students asked us to continue to improve the internet provision we provide
We have:
- Continued to review the wireless provision at sites with reported coverage issues, installing additional hardware to improve coverage
- Increased the bandwidth on the wireless network threefold to meet future demand and communicated with our residents to make them aware of the improvements made.
We will:
- Continue to review our existing infrastructure, planning cyclical upgrades of hardware to ensure the Internet provision meets the ongoing needs of our customer base.
Our students said they wanted us to increase the availability of communal facilities across campus.
We have:
- Built common room facilities at Montague Burton and St Mark’s
- Introduced a study area at Charles Morris
We will:
- Continue to investigate the creation of study areas at various residences
2018-19
Our students said they wanted us to continue to improve the information provided before you arrive and on the accommodation website
We have:
- Produced 360° videos to showcase all of our Accommodation portfolio, these are available to view on the Facilities Directorate ‘you tube’ channel.
- Produced Google map tours of a number of the residences.
We will:
- Provide access to the 360° videos on the accommodation website.
- Provide access to the Google map tours on the accommodation website.
Our students said they wanted us to continue to improve the internet provision
We have:
- Continued to review the wireless provision at sites with reported coverage issues, installing additional hardware to improve coverage.
- Increased the bandwidth on the wireless network threefold to meet future demand and communicated with our residents to make them aware of the improvements made.
We will:
- Continue to review our existing infrastructure, planning cyclical upgrades of hardware to ensure the Internet provision meets the ongoing needs of our customer base.
Our students said they wanted us to further improve the reliability and availability of clothes washing facilities
We have:
- Installed washing machines and dryers across the entire site at Montague Burton Residence.
- Replaced all our previous washers and dryers at Charles Morris Hall with new and improved machines.
- Provided free laundry credits for students, at all University of Leeds owned, managed and long-leased sites, where a managed laundry facility exists.
Our students said they wanted us to increase the availability of communal facilities across the residences.
We have:
- Continued to refurbish and improve a number of common room facilities across the residential portfolio such as at Sentinel Towers and Central Village.
We will:
- Build a common room facility at Montague Burton residences.
- Continue to investigate the possibility of creating study areas at various residences across our portfolio.
Our students said they wanted us to offer recycling facilities for shared housing on campus
We have:
- Ensured that recycling facilities are now located in these properties, with recycled waste now being removed on a weekly basis.
Our students told us they wanted an increase in the amount of hall events throughout the year, in particular during the intake period, ensuring that the events are varied and accessible to all.
We have:
- Recruited a new Events Co-ordinator as part of the Residence Life team to work alongside our colleagues in LUU, to arrange and manage the various events.
Our students told us they wanted us to increase the Edge membership to include weekends
We have:
- Made modifications to your Edge membership to allow for unlimited weekend access while still giving access to the gym facilities on weekday mornings
