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Ulster University has been named the 2020 winner of the Best Moving In Experience Award in the National Student Housing Awards.

The Awards are based solely on direct feedback from tens of thousands of students from 225 educational establishments across the UK and Ireland.

Professor Paul Bartholomew, Interim Vice Chancellor, said:

“I was delighted to learn that Ulster’s ResLife team has won the Best Moving In Experience Award 2020. This award is testament to the passion and commitment of the whole team in ensuring that our students have a positive and memorable moving-in experience at Ulster University."

“It is all the more rewarding that the recognition is from the student community itself. It is a fantastic achievement. Congratulations to everyone in the ResLife team.”

As part of the Campus Life team, ResLife delivers a 24-hour, 7 day a week service managing over 2300 students in residence across the University’s four campuses. The Campus Life Strategy 2018 – 2021 aims to create ‘Thriving Campus Communities’ and is focused on delivering the best possible student experience at Ulster University.

Amanda Castray, Director of Campus Life, explains:

“Living in student accommodation has many benefits and we put a lot of focus on ensuring that all our students have a positive moving-in experience. Welcoming our students into accommodation includes a busy social calendar so they make friends and feel at home more quickly."

“In the last year, we have introduced ResLife Coordinators who are available throughout the night and at weekends to deliver support and a range of activities and events to help develop a sense of community within our accommodation. I am delighted that the team’s efforts have been recognised at the annual National Student Housing Awards.”

Gareth Kennedy, Head of Residential Services, adds:

“This is the first time that Ulster University’s accommodation has been included in the National Student Housing Survey and to be named winner of the Best Moving In experience award and Finalist in the Best Application Experience is a huge boost for the team at this time.  Staff have been working hard during the current COVID-19 lockdown to support the students remaining in our accommodation on each campus and respond to queries from students off-campus."

“Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, there is no award ceremony being held but we hope to acknowledge this success with the wider team at a future date.”

The annual National Student Housing Awards are based exclusively on direct feedback from students. With no written nominations and no ‘expert’ judges, the National Student Housing Awards are uniquely credible and highly prized. Data for the awards are collected through the National Student Housing Survey (UK) and the National Student Housing Survey (Ireland), which is managed by Red Brick Research.