Accommodation
Dunedin has plenty of living options designed to accommodate its large and lively student crowd.
Supervised accommodation
Supervised accommodation is a great option, especially for first year students. You are guaranteed to meet heaps of new people, you’ll probably get two or three square meals a day and you won’t have to worry about extra expenses like power and phone rental.
- City College
City College
City College located in North Dunedin, in the heart of the student area. You will live in apartment-style accommodation with ‘flatmates’ and dine in a communal eating area. City College has excellent recreation facilities and study facilities.
Visit the City College website or phone: +64 3 479 5590 for further information.
Costs: approx $290 per week.
- Salmond College
Salmond College
Salmond College is an easy 15 minute walk from the Polytechnic’s Forth Street campus. It has great facilities for study and recreation and a communal eating area for meals. Free study tutorials are also available.
Visit the Salmond College website or phone: +64 3 473 0750 for further information.
Costs: approx $288 per week.
Please note that places at these colleges are limited – you must try and lodge your application before the end of September each year.
Gardens College
With only 25 rooms, the Gardens College provides a cosy and friendly environment for you to live in. The Gardens College will feel like a second home to you - and you can be rest assured in the knowledge that each week you will be provided with breakfast and five evening meals. The Gardens College is only 15 minutes away from campus, and a one minute walk to local amenities and bus stops.
For more information, phone + 64 3 471 1721 or visit their website.
Costs: $285 per week (approximately)
Student Tenancy Accommodation Rating Scheme
Ensure you live in a warm and cosy flat!
STARS (Student Tenancy Accommodation Rating Scheme) is an exciting accommodation initiative endorsed by Otago Polytechnic, the University of Otago and the Dunedin City Council.
Landlords are asked to rate their properties according to the STAR rating scheme. So now you will be able to see at a glance if the flat you are interested in is rated as a ‘quality’ residence!
We recommend that when you are searching for a flat, you visit www.housingstars.co.nz and find out if the place you are thinking of renting has a ‘star rating’. This way you will be ensured to be cosy and warm while you study!
If your prospective flat hasn’t currently got a STARS rating, please encourage the landlord to go to www.housingstars.co.nz to sign up.
Download a brochure about STARS.
- Student Flat
Flatting privately
There are plenty of properties to rent in Dunedin – they range from top-line trendy apartments to traditional old villas to studio rooms. Shop around, and you are likely to get better value for money and a higher standard of living.
Unfurnished flats generally cost between $85 and $115 per week in rent and another $80 - $100 in expenses like power, phone and food. You may need to sign a lease and pay a bond to the landlord when you move in. Be sure to check the newspapers, internet and campus notice-boards for ‘flatmate wanted’ ads.
Furnished flats typically cost slightly more – about $85 to $140 per week for rent, and are less common. Your expenses will most likely be the same as in an unfurnished property.
Studio rooms cost from $120 - $220 per week. Often this includes power, heating, local telephone calls and cleaning of the common areas. Higher priced studios can include ensuite facilities.
Century 21
Otago Polytechnic in association with Century 21 provides accommodation listings for students who want to live independently. Phone Bonnie at Century 21 on: +64 3 473 1721, fax +64 3 473 1741 or visit their website.