Information for students who plan to arrive before Welcome Week. You’ll receive your University student card during welcome week. Once you have it, you’ll be able to access University buildings and borrow books from the library. Before welcome week begins, University facilities and services won’t yet be available — but everything will be ready for you once welcome week starts. International students You should check any restrictions on your visa before traveling. There may be restrictions on how early you can arrive before your course begins. Contact the Student Immigration team University accommodation If you are going to be living in University managed accommodation you will be able to move in from 10:00 (BST time) on your lease start date. Arrival information for University accommodation Sending luggage early There are no storage facilities within any University accommodation sites, so please do not arrange for your luggage to be sent in advance of your lease start date. Arriving before your lease start date If you decide to arrive in Edinburgh before your lease start date, then you will need to book your own short-term accommodation. Please get in touch with the University Housing team to find out about short-term University accommodation options: housingenquiries@ed.ac.ukIf you would prefer to find short-term private accommodation then you can find further information on the following websites:University Hospitality CollectionVisit Scotland websiteScotland's Top Hostels website This article was published on 2026-02-09
