As a student coming to London from a lower income family, I was so worried about the cost of living in London, particularly with absurd rent prices across the board. I panicked, and wondered if studying at King’s was even possible anymore as I didn’t want to be making a daily trek from the M25 everyday!
Then, I stumbled across the King’s Affordable Accommodation Scheme (otherwise known as KAAS) and suddenly the idea of studying at King’s became ever more in reach! Here is a quick little explanation detailing the scheme, whether you’ll be eligible for it and how to apply!
What is KAAS and what’s in it for me?
KAAS provides both incoming and current King’s students with subsidised accommodation prices, as well as NO rent deposit to secure your room!
With bills included in this price, you really cannot pass up on this opportunity. This means that the £450 you would’ve spent on deposit can now be used for other essentials!
As well as this, you could be paying £169 a week for a room that could potentially be £350 a week for non-qualifiers. That is a steal if I’ve ever seen one!
There are multiple accommodations that offer rooms at KAAS prices which are:
- Angel Lane (ensuites)
- Battersea (ensuites)
- Great Dover Street Apartments (ensuites)
- Hayloft Point (ensuites)
- iQ Vega
- Stamford Street Apartments (ensuites)
- Wolfson House
Am I eligible for KAAS? How do I find out?
Now here’s the slightly scarier bit. To be eligible for KAAS, there a number of criteria that must be met, which are:
- Being a full-time undergraduate first year, or returning in the 25/26 academic year;
- Confirmation that your household income is below £42,875 per annum;
- A statement explaining the reasons as to why you feel you should be eligible for the subsidiary rates.
You can find out about household income on GOV.UK if you are a bit confused about if you meet the threshold. You may also be asked to provide documentation for KAAS (SFE letter for home students), just to prove your application. No need to worry! Just a necessary bit of admin for some.
Since there may be a lot of students applying for KAAS, there is a priority list for allocation in case of oversubscription. It comes as follows:
- Care experienced applicants or students estranged from family verified by King’s Widening Participation.
- Applicants below the household income threshold, in receipt of King’s bursary and based outside London.
- Applicants below the household income threshold, in receipt of King’s bursary and based in London.
I know this can be daunting, especially with the prospect of you not getting accommodation as a first year. But no need to worry! King’s has a guarantee for accommodation for first year students.
How do I apply for KAAS? Is it simple?
It’s very simple! If you are coming to King’s this September, you will be given the option at the end of the accommodation registration form to apply for KAAS. You will be asked to list your first choice accommodation, and to click submit, by which point you will be given an email saying they have received your application.
Then, in the next coming weeks, if you are successful, then King’s Residences will allow you to book a room at an accommodation! It’s really that simple!
For returning students, just return back to the accommodation portal at around May, and you will be given an option to apply for it again. You just gotta be quick, as there isn’t an accommodation guarantee for returning students. Rooms get snapped up fast around here!
A top tip – make sure you have all of your documents ready for when you need them. What I did when applying for second year was draft a copy of my reasoning for KAAS so that I could quickly copy and paste it into the application. Simple! Also keep a copy of your SFE letter of entitlement if you are a home student (or equivalent for international students) so that it can be added to your application as proof.
And there you have it! I promise that the application isn’t as difficult and daunting as it is made out to be. Just make sure that you have your documents in check, and it’ll all be fine. Take a deep breath, and get excited for your year at King’s!
