Pre-arrival information

Joining us in January? Your Arrival Guide can be read as a handy guide of what to do before you travel to London and kept as a refence point for throughout your semester with us. It provides you with tips on everything from packing, how to travel from the airport to campus and where to shop for groceries! This will be available for you to view closer to your arrival to London. 

Accommodation (housing)

Your eligibility for university accommodation varies depending on which exchange programme you are on (You can check this by looking at the Accommodation webpage for your programme). If you are entitled to university accommodation, you need to apply for it before the Residences deadline (You’ll be sent more information on this in our Countdown newsletters).

Visas and immigration

Our Advice and Counselling Service has the latest immigration information and can guide you through the process.

Module registration

One of the many strengths of our academic programme is its flexibility. Our Countdown newsletters will give you details of the modules that are available, so you can pre-register for them before you arrive. You can also find out more on our Academic Information page for your programme. Module registration opens in May/June for autumn semester students and early November for spring semester. We will contact you prior to this via email with full details.

Living costs

For information on living costs, please visit our Advice and Counselling Service’s page Planning a budget and managing your money.

Your pre-arrival checklist

• Accept your offer to study at Queen Mary (and supply any further required information if you were made a Conditional offer) 
• Apply for University accommodation as soon as possible and by the deadline indicated by Residential Services (if you are eligible and want to stay on campus)
• Read all Countdown Newsletters sent to you via email
• Join us on social media, read our student blogs, watch our videos to find out more about life at Queen Mary
• Submit your module choices online when Module Registration opens
• Sign your accommodation contract online (not applicable to EU Exchange students)
• Apply for your visa (if applicable) and ensure you have the relevant documents with you
• Plan your travel to London and to Queen Mary
• Read all correspondence (including the Countdown newsletters) from Queen Mary carefully
• Pre-enrol online
• Plan your budget
• Plan your fee payments – if applicable
• Prepare for your studies - read any emails from academic schools and complete any actions
• Read through your online Arrivals Guide
• Download the Queen Mary App - here you can access timetables (when available) and lots of useful information
• Pack your suitcase and hand luggage
• Arrive in London
• Join us at the Welcome Programme at Queen Mary!