Athena Hall is the first on-campus halls of residence at UCS and opened its doors in September 2010. It is located just 300 metres from the Waterfront Building in Ipswich. Local shops and amenities are close by and the town centre is just a 5 minute walk away. Capable of housing up to 590 students, Athena Hall offers a mixture of cluster flats and studio rooms.
Applying for Athena Hall
All students are welcome to request this accommodation.
Description
Cluster Flats
Between 4-7 bedroom flats with a communal kitchen/common room. Each single occupancy bedroom is lockable and is ensuite with a lavatory, hand basin and shower cubicle. Rooms are furnished with a large bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, desk and chair, shelving units and curtains or blind. The kitchen contains a fridge/freezer, oven, microwave and sink and ample cupboard space. There is also a breakfast bar with stools, and a lounge area with sofas. Single sex flats may be available, subject to demand.
Studio Rooms
Available for 1 or 2 people, either single occupancy students aged 21+ or student couples. Furniture includes a double bed, wardrobe, desk and chair, shelving units and curtains, sofa and coffee table. The ensuite is as detailed above. The kitchenette contains a fridge with freezer compartment, microwave oven, 2 space hob, sink and breakfast bar with stools.
Costs
Cluster flats: £89.00 - £100.00 per week.
Studio Flats: £122.00 per week.
The above prices are inclusive of utility bills, contents insurance and IPTV (TV on demand via the internet).
A note of contracts and tenancy agreements
Athena Hall is managed by the management company "Fresh Student Living". Students intending to take accommodation at Athena Hall will be required to sign up to a tenancy agreement with FSL. There is no legal connection with UCS. Whilst the UCS Accommodation team will do all they can to help students find the right accommodation, it is the student's responsibility to understand and agree / sign the tenancy and to determine the suitability of the accommodation depending on their needs and their ability to pay the rent. Students should not sign a tenancy agreement with any accommodation provider until they are 100% happy with their choice.
The information provided below is purely for guidance. All tenancy details should be discussed direct with the accommodation provider.
For those students intending to apply for Athena Hall, there is a deposit / fee of £250, of which £100 pays for broadband access in the student’s bedroom (non-refundable once tenancy has begun), and £150 for the damage deposit (refundable on satisfactory check-out inspection). If you book a room and wish to cancel it, please note that Athena Hall will only refund the full deposit if the student is cancelling due to not achieving the required grades. For this reason students are advised to only book once they are 100% certain they wish to live in Athena Hall, and those students selecting UCS as their insurance option are advised not to book a room or pay a deposit unless they decide to study at UCS.
Athena Hall will require the deposit and the first term's rent paid in advance of moving in to the accommodation, this can be reduced to a minimum of 8 weeks with proof of an application to Student Finance England). Most students will pay termly but those funded by the NHS and receive their funding monthly, can arrange to pay their rent monthly.
Televisions are provided in the central common room, but not in the cluster flats or studio rooms. IPTV will allow students to receive television channels via their computer. Remember, students bringing their own TV set, or using the IPTV service or any other device to watch programmes as they are broadcast will need to supply their own TV licence. The TV Licensing Authority does check, so students should make sure they do not leave themselves open to a fine.
Additional Information
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The car park directly under Athena Hall is not for the exclusive use of student residents. It is a public car park operated by Ipswich Borough Council on a day-rate basis and cars left overnight will be subject to a fine. Other local car parking facilities are available off-campus; these are also chargeable on a day-rate basis. Because of the very limited downtown parking available, and in line with our Green Travel Policy, UCS strongly discourages resident students from bringing cars with them. However, UCS does occasionally hear about local privately operated parking that is available on a contract basis. Any students with extenuating circumstances requiring them to bring a car should contact UCS direct for further information.
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Rooms with disabled facilities are available at this accommodation. A room with adjoined carer’s room is available if there is a requirement for a carer to stay with the student. Treatment rooms can also be booked for essential on-site treatment.
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Athena Hall has a 24 hour assistance service on site. This is provided by the management team during office hours and by trained student wardens on an "on-call" basis at all other times. Additionally, a Security patrol service operates in and around the building in the evenings and overnight.
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A self-service, coin-operated laundry room is available on site, for the exclusive use of residents.
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There is a large common room for events and get togethers. Central notice boards provide details of upcoming events.