8 ways to hack the halls applications

The start dates of our applications tend to be shall we say, on the busy side. This is because a lot of students will be attempting to apply for halls at the same time. 

Applications for this year open on Wednesday 12 April for Returners and Wednesday 26 April for students who have firmly accepted UAL's offer. To make sure that you have everything you need to make the day as stress-free as possible, I've put together my eight bits of advice for “hacking” the applications as told via the medium of GIFS, my favourite art form! 



1) Register for an account in advance 👨🏽‍💻

In order to apply, you’ll need an account with us and a log in to our student portal. This is really easy to do. Just go to our main page on the website and click on the big green “Register and apply” button.

There, you’ll be asked to submit your student ID number, which should be an eight-digit number. For example: “12345678”. If you’re unsure of your student ID, you’ll need to speak to the college you’ve received your offer from. 



2) Have your top five halls ready 🖐🏼

I cannot stress this enough. Please have five different halls ready to put on your form. Not everyone will get their first choice and if we don’t see any other options, we will have to choose for you. 

If you’re unsure what to put down, you can always join us for our April Open Day to get a feel of the different halls.

We always try our best to allocate students in their top five choices but this isn’t always possible. In these cases, we will allocate you in a nearby hall or one with availability. 



3) Get comfy 🛋

Much like trying for Glastonbury tickets (yes, I’m comparing our popularity to them!), applying for halls can take a bit of time. This is because we have a lot of students applying exactly at the same time.

You will get through, however, it might just take a while, so get your favourite playlist on, make yourself a cup of tea and get comfortable. This brings me on to the next bit of advice…



4) Have a drink at all times (a soft one!) ☕️

I’ve thrown this one in here because let’s face it, everything feels better with a cup of tea, a coffee, or a coke depending on your preference. 



5) Do NOT refresh 🙅🏼‍♀️

It is really tempting to refresh if you haven’t seen any activity for a while, but this really doesn’t work. In fact, it crashes the site and will make your application and several others take longer. 



6) Read through everything thoroughly 📑

We understand that choosing where to live is a huge part of your university journey and that there is a lot of information to get through.

Although I know it’s really tempting to finish your application as soon as possible to be first over the line, I strongly recommend taking your time and reading through every question and every instruction properly. That way, you won’t make any mistakes.



7) Please don’t panic 🙇🏽

As I mentioned in the last point, I know what a big day this is and how frustrating or upsetting it might be if you can’t get through straight away, but PLEASE DON’T PANIC. Our applications are open from March until the end of August, so there is plenty of time to apply. 



8) Chat to us on Twitter 💬

Make sure you say hello to us on Twitter! We’ll be there from 9am to 6pm to help answer any questions, concerns or feedback. We also have excellent puppy gifs for all occasions. 



If after reading this you still have any concerns our team would be more than happy to help! You can contact us via:

• Email: accommodation@arts.ac.uk
• Twitter: @UAL_Halls
• IM Chat: via the website
• Phone:  +44 (0)20 7514 6240

We look forward to hearing from you soon!