Get Ready

Step 1: Activate Your IT Account

Once you have received your confirmation email, visit the IT account activation website.

You will need to enter your University number and your date of birth. You will find your University number in your Welcome email or in previous correspondence from the University. Having entered this information you will be given your account name and asked to set a password.

If you are commencing a postgraduate taught or research programme at the University of Surrey, in order to activate your IT account you will need to hold an unconditional offer, have signed and returned your acceptance form, and have paid the required fee amount (or provided satisfactory evidence of sponsorship). Further details of this can be found at: www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/applicants

Please note that your payment must have cleared in our account at least 24 hours before you can set-up your university email account.

Step 2: Pre-check for ResNet, the Internet in Your Room

If you are going to be a resident in University accommodation and want to access the Internet in your room, you will need to connect to our residences network – Surrey ResNet.

To be able to do this, your computer will need to pass some simple checks when you arrive. To make sure that your computer is ready for this and so save time when you get here, you can use our remote scan. Our remote scan pages will tell you what you need to pass the checks and how to get any software and patches that you might be missing.

Once your computer passes the remote scan, getting your computer through the full ResNet checks when you get here will be easy and will help you avoid any queues for IT support at the start of the year.

For more information about University IT, or help with any of the above, visit the University IT Student Support website.

Alternatively, you can get help by emailing us on usersupport@surrey.ac.uk.

What You Need to Bring

In addition to your Boarding Pass you will need to bring photographic proof of identity. Suitable forms of ID are:

• A current full UK driving licence
• A current signed passport
• A national/EU identification card

If you are a UK undergraduate student and have applied to Student Finance or an award agency for a fees loan, and have received confirmation of this, you should bring a copy of the notification to Registration.

If you are an EU undergraduate student who has applied to the EU Team at the Student Loans Company (SLC) for a fees loan you should bring to Registration all correspondence relating to your application for tuition fees support.

If you are a UK or EU undergraduate student and have not applied for student support you will be responsible for the payment of your tuition fees in full. If your tuition fees are payable by a sponsoring organisation, such as an overseas government, evidence of the award should be brought to Registration.

International Students

If you are attending our International Students' Orientation Programme, Registration will take place during Thursday 20 and Friday 21 September 2012.

International students need to bring certain documents:

• All international students are required to show their current signed passport at Registration.
• If you have one, bring your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
• If you have an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) certificate, please bring it with you.
• You should also bring with you a photocopy of the personal details page of your passport, plus a photocopy of all the stamped pages and visa pages of your passport, a photocopy of your current visa, a copy of both sides of your current BRP if you have one and a copy of your ATAS certificate if you have one. The UK Border Agency requires that we keep copies of these documents.

Under the points-based immigration system, the University of Surrey is responsible for keeping a record of your immigration status and for reporting any student who does not register their course at the University.

Paying Tuition Fees

If you are an undergraduate student who has not taken out a fees loan, you may pay your fees either in advance, or on receipt of an invoice, which will be sent to your University email account within a few weeks of the start of the programme.

If your tuition fees are payable by a sponsoring organisation, such as an overseas government, evidence of the award should be brought to Registration if you have not sent it to the University already.

If you are a self-financing postgraduate student you are required to pay at least the first instalment of your fees in advance of your Registration session. There will be facilities to make the initial payment at your Registration session, however, please note this will mean you will not be able to register and collect your campus card for two working days.

Students who are uncertain about their funding arrangements should nevertheless attend Registration and their queries will be dealt with at, or following, the session.

We guarantee all new undergraduate and new postgraduate students a place in our accommodation, if applications are received by the appropriate deadline.

Confirmation of Room Allocation

If you have already applied, you'll get confirmation of where you'll be living shortly.

We're very busy at this time of year due to allocating 4000 rooms to new students, so we will contact you by email to confirm your room allocation. Make sure that you keep an eye on your email inbox and – just in case – the 'junk' folder of your mailbox.

Paying for Your Accommodation

You'll receive an invoice in your University email inbox detailing the amount due and the date for payment.

If You Still Have Questions

Many of your questions will be answered by visiting our Accommodation web pages.

If our website can't answer your questions and you have an urgent enquiry, please contact us by email or by phone. 

T: +44 (0)1483 682466

Meet and Greet Scheme

The International Student Office, with the help of some of our current international students, will be available to meet newly arriving international students at Heathrow and Gatwick airports on specific days (see below).

For further information and to book, visit the International Student Office web pages.

Your booking form must include a flight number and time of arrival. Please inform us immediately if there are any changes to your flight or arrival details.

Dates and times of airport pick up:

International Students’ Orientation Programme

The International Student Office invites all international (non-EU) students to attend a special orientation programme before the start of the University welcome week, in order to help you settle in more easily. You will be able to register with the University, become familiar with the campus, Guildford and the surrounding area, socialise with other new international students and learn about life in the UK.

If you take part in this programme, you should book well in advance for the Meet and Greet Scheme operating from Heathrow or Gatwick on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 September. The orientation programme will start on Thursday 20 September.

University accommodation will normally be allocated from Saturday 22 September. If you book a place on the above programme your room allocation will automatically start from the day you book an airport pick-up.

For further information and to book, visit our International Student Office web pages.

Bus Travelcards

If you don’t want to walk, you can go by bus. There are regular bus services between Manor Park, Stag Hill and Guildford town centre between the hours of 06:00 and midnight. There are also plenty of other services operating from the town centre which cover the surrounding areas.

Travelling by Rail

The University is conveniently located a short walk from the main Guildford railway station. All students may apply for a 16-25 railcard to gain discounted travel on mainline services and an 18+ Student Oyster photocard for cheaper travel within London. Further details are available on the University's Travel and Transport web pages.

Cycling on Campus and Around

Cycling between campus and Guildford is easy and many students do it. The campus has plenty of cycle racks, including one in each Court of Residence – some of which are lockable with a key that you can borrow.

In town, there are cycle racks by Guildford library, outside the Odeon cinema and in various other places. Cycle maps with detailed routes and facilities will be made available for you to collect during Welcome Week.

Car Parking Restrictions

Most students can easily and cheaply commute to and from campus without the need for a car. Parking at the University is not guaranteed and the car parks are full on a daily basis so parking is difficult. In addition, car parks are used for visitor parking for events such as open days and graduation ceremonies. 

If you meet the University's eligibility criteria, you may apply for one of a small number of student parking permits. The issue of a permit does not guarantee a space - there are no permit refunds if the car park is full. If you live at Manor Park or Stag Hill, you will not be able to bring your car. Hazel Farm residents may park a vehicle at Hazel Farm, but are not able to park on the main University campuses.

For these reasons, we ask that you only apply for a parking permit if it is essential that you drive to the University and you are advised to carefully consider what travel alternatives are available to you if you do not get the permit of your choice.

Applications for student parking are traditionally invited at the beginning of September each year and the exact date will be published in advance on the University's Travel and Transport website.

Find Out More

For more information on cycling, travelling by bus, eligibility for car parking and how to apply, please visit the University's Travel and Transport web pages.

Based on the Manor Park site, this year the University of Surrey’s multi-million-pound sports facility played host to a number of international athletes and teams in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With a 50-metre swimming pool, a premier health and fitness centre, three sports arenas, four dance and exercise studios, a climbing centre, six squash courts, eight floodlit tennis courts, grass and artificial pitches, a Starbucks coffee shop and a cafe/bar, there really is something for everyone.

There are also 37 student sports clubs to join, including football, hockey, waterpolo and archery, to name just a few.

Membership

If you want to use Surrey Sports Park's world-class facilities or fancy joining one of the students sports clubs, you're going to need a Surrey Sports Park membership.

Price - £195 per year for access to:

• Health and fitness centre
• Swimming pool
• Climbing centre
• Free group fitness classes
• Tennis court bookings
• Squash court bookings
• Sports arena off-peak bookings
• Discounted sports arena peak bookings
• Discounted artificial pitch bookings
• Student sports clubs

For more information visit the Surrey Sports Park website.

Until Then…

For now why not follow Surrey Sports Park on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube or check out your Guide to Student Sport on our website.

We can’t wait to welcome you to your new sporting home.

If you think that you will need this kind of support, get in touch as soon as possible if you haven’t already done so.

For further information, see our Additional Learning Support web pages or contact us directly by phone. T: +44 (0)1483 689609

StagTV - videos to help you settle in

University of Surrey Twitter page 
Students' Union Twitter page 

Surrey freshers 2012 Facebook page 
Students' Union Facebook page 
University of Surrey Facebook page

Keep up-to-date with all of the latest Students’ Union news and events on the Students' Union website.

It’s packed with discounts, offers and competitions allowing you to shop for less at all the best local and high street shops, as well as online stores.

The NUS Extra Card only costs £12 and an extra £1.99 to get an ISIC upgrade - you can buy it online from the NUS website before you arrive.