Explore student accommodation by
Three institutions merged in 2010 to create City of Glasgow College: Central College of Commerce, Glasgow College of Building and Printing, and Glasgow Metropolitan College.
Today, the college teaches more than 21,000 students and ranks as Scotland’s largest college by student numbers.
A £228 million redevelopment created its two major central Glasgow campuses between 2015 and 2016.
The City Campus is at:
190 Cathedral Street, Glasgow
The Riverside Campus is at:
21 Thistle Street, Glasgow
The City Campus teaches subjects including:
The Riverside Campus continues Glasgow’s long maritime education history through Nautical Studies and related training.
The college also offers HNC and HND programmes alongside routes into university degrees.
Both campuses place students close to Glasgow’s main transport links and central shopping districts.
Students comparing City of Glasgow College student accommodation should check which campus their course uses most often. Cathedral Street and Thistle Street are both central, but the best walking route can change depending on where your classes take place.
The two campuses serve different academic areas.
Students based mainly on Cathedral Street can prioritise City of Glasgow College City Campus accommodation around George Street, Merchant City and the streets north and east of the centre.
Riverside students need to pay closer attention to the journey towards Thistle Street and the River Clyde.
Anyone checking City of Glasgow College Riverside accommodation address details should keep one distinction clear: 21 Thistle Street is the Riverside Campus address. Private student residences have their own separate addresses.
For City of Glasgow College Riverside accommodation, a central Glasgow room can still work well because the college’s two campuses remain well connected to the city centre transport network.
The same applies to Riverside student accommodation City of Glasgow College options. Check the exact residence against Thistle Street rather than assuming that a property close to Cathedral Street gives the same walking time to Riverside.
49 properties·From £115/week·2 campus
University: 1.91 miles
CCTV | On-Site Security+10 more
From £189/week
Private Room
Three institutions merged in 2010 to create City of Glasgow College: Central College of Commerce, Glasgow College of Building and Printing, and Glasgow Metropolitan College.
Today, the college teaches more than 21,000 students and ranks as Scotland’s largest college by student numbers.
A £228 million redevelopment created its two major central Glasgow campuses between 2015 and 2016.
The City Campus is at:
190 Cathedral Street, Glasgow
The Riverside Campus is at:
21 Thistle Street, Glasgow
The City Campus teaches subjects including:
The Riverside Campus continues Glasgow’s long maritime education history through Nautical Studies and related training.
The college also offers HNC and HND programmes alongside routes into university degrees.
Both campuses place students close to Glasgow’s main transport links and central shopping districts.
Students comparing City of Glasgow College student accommodation should check which campus their course uses most often. Cathedral Street and Thistle Street are both central, but the best walking route can change depending on where your classes take place.
The two campuses serve different academic areas.
Students based mainly on Cathedral Street can prioritise City of Glasgow College City Campus accommodation around George Street, Merchant City and the streets north and east of the centre.
Riverside students need to pay closer attention to the journey towards Thistle Street and the River Clyde.
Anyone checking City of Glasgow College Riverside accommodation address details should keep one distinction clear: 21 Thistle Street is the Riverside Campus address. Private student residences have their own separate addresses.
For City of Glasgow College Riverside accommodation, a central Glasgow room can still work well because the college’s two campuses remain well connected to the city centre transport network.
The same applies to Riverside student accommodation City of Glasgow College options. Check the exact residence against Thistle Street rather than assuming that a property close to Cathedral Street gives the same walking time to Riverside.
Both campuses keep students close to Glasgow city life.
The Students’ Association provides support and activities, while Merchant City, Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street cover much of the social side of the student week.
The Students’ Association supports students from both campuses.
Its work includes:
This can help students build a social circle outside their course.
City of Glasgow College students can use college facilities alongside leisure centres elsewhere in Glasgow.
Living centrally makes many gyms and sports facilities relatively easy to reach.
Merchant City gives students plenty of places for an evening out.
Bars and restaurants fill many of the streets around this part of central Glasgow.
Students living at Blackfriars, Merchant City House or nearby properties can reach much of it on foot.
Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street add more pubs, clubs and live-music venues.
They also connect closely with Glasgow’s main shopping areas.
Students living near City Campus can reach both without travelling to another side of the city.
Buchanan Street and Argyle Street form two of Glasgow’s main retail areas.
Students can find high-street shops along with smaller independent businesses around the surrounding centre.
This keeps everyday shopping easy for anyone living around the college.
Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis provide a different side of the city close to the City Campus.
Students interested in architecture and history can visit both without planning a full day out.
The River Clyde forms an important part of Glasgow’s history and passes directly by the Riverside Campus.
For Nautical Studies students, that location connects naturally with the college’s maritime tradition.
Students should register with an NHS GP close to their term-time address.
It is worth doing soon after moving so you already know where to go if you need medical care.
Glasgow city centre generally provides a busy student environment throughout the day.
Students should still use normal city precautions, particularly late at night or when walking alone.
Most students can start with two central areas:
City Centre and Merchant City
Merchant City House and Buchanan View area
Both keep the college within a manageable walk while giving students quick access to shops, food and public transport.
The City Centre and Merchant City give students some of the shortest college journeys in Glasgow.
George Street Apartments lies just 0.22 miles from the City Campus.
Other nearby residences include:
St James Glasgow
Dobbie’s Point
St Mungo’s
All three lie within roughly half a mile of the college.
This part of Glasgow can suit a student with early classes, late library sessions or a timetable with awkward gaps between lessons.
A room within six or ten minutes on foot can make it practical to go home between classes instead of spending the full day on campus.
The area also keeps restaurants, cafés, shops and central Glasgow transport close.
For student accommodation near City of Glasgow College, this is the first part of the city worth checking when commute time matters most.
Move slightly farther from Cathedral Street and you reach properties around Merchant City, Buchanan View and Collegelands.
Distances remain modest.
Properties in this part of Glasgow include:
Collegelands
Blackfriars
Buchanan View
Merchant City House
They lie roughly 0.53 to 0.96 miles from the City Campus.
Merchant City has plenty happening outside college hours, with restaurants, bars, galleries and older streets adding more character than a purely residential district.
You can still walk to class without building your day around a bus or subway timetable.
For students considering accommodation near City of Glasgow College, this area gives a useful mix of central living and a slightly larger property choice.
West Village does not appear among the properties covered in this guide.
Anyone considering West Village student accommodation in the city of Glasgow should compare its current weekly rent and exact journey to the correct college campus before booking.
That matters especially for Riverside students, since the City Campus and Riverside Campus have different addresses.
Glasgow remains comparatively affordable for a major UK city.
Students can budget around £110 to £150 per week before rent for ordinary living costs.
Food, local travel, social plans, phone costs and course expenses will decide where you fall within that range.
|
Expense |
Typical weekly amount |
|
Groceries and food |
£30–£40 |
|
ZoneCard transport |
Around £12.20 |
|
Casual meal out |
£8–£15 |
|
Mobile plan |
£3–£5 |
|
Household bills |
Often included in PBSA |
|
Course expenses |
Depends on programme |
|
Living expenses before rent |
Around £110–£150 |
Around £30 to £40 per week gives students a practical grocery budget.
Cooking at home will keep you nearer the lower end.
Central Glasgow makes buying food easy, but takeaway meals and lunches near college can quietly increase the monthly total.
If you share a flat, check how much fridge and cupboard space each resident gets.
A central room loses some of its convenience if six people cannot store a week’s food properly.
A ZoneCard for subway and bus travel costs around £12.20 per week.
A single subway trip costs about £1.90.
Many students living close to the City Campus can avoid regular transport spending because the college stays within walking distance.
Buchanan Street subway station and Glasgow Queen Street station also serve the wider city-centre area.
If you attend Riverside regularly, check the Thistle Street route separately when comparing properties.
The difference between a six-minute City Campus walk and the journey to Riverside can matter over a full week.
Purpose-built student accommodation in Glasgow usually includes the main household bills in the rent.
These can cover:
Private rentals may charge them separately.
Check before comparing two rooms.
A £145 property with bills included can cost less in practice than a £135 private room after utilities and broadband are added.
A casual meal in Glasgow can cost around £8 to £15.
Merchant City, Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street give students plenty of choices for evenings out.
The city centre makes spontaneous plans easy, which also makes overspending easy.
Keeping a separate weekly amount for meals and nights out can stop social spending eating into rent money.
A UK SIM-only plan usually costs about £3 to £5 per week.
It looks small next to rent, but recurring payments add up during a full academic year.
Course expenses depend heavily on what you study.
Students taking Nautical Studies, Hospitality or Engineering can need extra money for items such as:
Check your course requirements before committing the maximum amount you can afford to accommodation.
International students studying in Glasgow need to meet the Student visa maintenance requirement for study outside London.
The figure is £1,171 per month, approximately £270 per week.
This amount supports visa financial evidence.
It does not represent what every City of Glasgow College student actually spends each week.
Typical non-rent living costs can stay closer to £110 to £150.
Students looking at student accommodation City of Glasgow College options will usually come across shared flats, en-suite rooms and studios.
The difference between them is mostly about how much space you keep private.
Prices can start around £99 for shared accommodation, move into the £140 to £180 range for en-suites, and reach roughly £180 to £210 or more for studios.
A shared flat gives you a private bedroom while several residents use the same kitchen and living space.
Some properties also use shared bathrooms.
This arrangement usually costs less.
Collegelands starts from around £99 per week, giving budget-conscious students an entry point well below many central studios.
Shared flats also make meeting people more natural during the first few months.
You will see flatmates in the kitchen and communal areas without having to organise every social interaction.
The compromise comes with less privacy outside your bedroom.
An en-suite gives you your own bedroom and bathroom.
The kitchen remains shared.
Prices in Glasgow commonly fall around £140 to £180 per week.
Blackfriars offers options from roughly £140 per week.
An en-suite can suit students who dislike sharing a bathroom but still want a social household.
It can also save a considerable amount compared with a private studio.
A studio combines your sleeping space, private bathroom and kitchen in one self-contained unit.
Studios generally start around £180 to £210 per week.
George Street Apartments has studios from approximately £208.
The higher rent buys independence.
You can cook when you want, avoid shared bathrooms and keep your own routine.
That can suit postgraduate students or anyone who values a quieter home.
Over a long contract, though, the price difference from a shared room becomes substantial.
Central Glasgow gives students an unusually strong choice of private rooms within a mile of the City Campus.
Starting prices range from £99 at Collegelands to £208 at George Street Apartments.
|
Property |
Distance |
Walk |
Transit |
Starting price |
|
0.22 miles |
6 mins |
6 mins |
£208/week |
|
|
0.28 miles |
4 mins |
— |
£195/week |
|
|
0.45 miles |
8 mins |
5 mins |
£179/week |
|
|
0.47 miles |
5 mins |
5 mins |
£179/week |
|
|
0.53 miles |
11 mins |
— |
£140/week |
|
|
0.56 miles |
10 mins |
10 mins |
£166/week |
|
|
0.58 miles |
12 mins |
12 mins |
£149/week |
|
|
0.61 miles |
13 mins |
11 mins |
£189/week |
|
|
0.61 miles |
13 mins |
11 mins |
£99/week |
|
|
0.65 miles |
10 mins |
10 mins |
£150/week |
George Street Apartments lies only 0.22 miles from the City Campus.
The walk takes around six minutes.
Rooms start from £208 per week.
The location can suit students who want to keep daily travel almost nonexistent.
A six-minute walk also makes it practical to return home during a long timetable gap.
George Street costs more than several nearby options, so students should decide how much they value the shorter distance.
St James Glasgow lies around 0.28 miles from college.
The walk takes roughly four minutes.
Rooms begin at £195 per week.
That gives St James one of the shortest college journeys in the property list.
Students with busy timetables can keep travel simple while still living in central Glasgow.
Dobbie’s Point lies about 0.45 miles away.
Students can reach college in:
Rooms start from £179 per week.
The property costs less than George Street Apartments and St James while keeping the college within an easy walk.
That gives it a useful middle position for students balancing price and distance.
St Mungo’s lies around 0.47 miles from City of Glasgow College.
The journey takes about five minutes either on foot or by public transport.
Rooms start from £179 per week.
Its price matches Dobbie’s Point, so the room itself and building facilities can help you decide which property suits you better.
Blackfriars lies roughly 0.53 miles from college.
The walk takes about 11 minutes.
Prices start from £140 per week.
That rate is considerably lower than several properties located only a few streets closer.
Blackfriars also puts students around Merchant City, which can be useful if you want restaurants and social plans close to home.
For City of Glasgow College accommodation, it combines a central address with one of the lower rents in the main list.
Canvas Glasgow lies about 0.56 miles from college.
The journey takes around ten minutes either on foot or by public transport.
Rooms start from £166 per week.
The commute remains short enough to walk every day, which can keep transport spending down.
Buchanan View lies approximately 0.58 miles from campus.
Students can walk or use public transport in around 12 minutes.
Prices begin at £149 per week.
The combination of a central location and sub-£150 starting rent makes Buchanan View worth comparing with Blackfriars and Kyle Park House.
Merchant Studios lies around 0.61 miles from college.
The walk takes roughly 13 minutes, while public transport takes about 11.
Rooms begin at £189 per week.
The property focuses more on independent living, which helps explain the higher rate compared with shared options nearby.
Collegelands also lies around 0.61 miles away.
The journey takes about:
Prices start from only £99 per week.
That gives Collegelands the lowest starting rent in the featured City Campus property list.
A student working with a tight budget can therefore stay surprisingly close to college.
Kyle Park House lies around 0.65 miles from campus.
The journey takes roughly ten minutes by walking or public transport.
Prices begin at £150 per week.
It costs only £1 more each week than Buchanan View, so the room type, facilities and exact location can decide which gives you better value.
Students do not need to move far from central Glasgow to reduce rent.
Several rooms below £170 per week remain within walking distance of the college.
|
Property |
Distance |
Walk |
Transit |
Starting price |
|
Collegelands |
0.61 miles |
13 mins |
11 mins |
£99/week |
|
Blackfriars |
0.53 miles |
11 mins |
11 mins |
£140/week |
|
Merchant City House |
0.96 miles |
12 mins |
8 mins |
£148/week |
|
Buchanan View |
0.58 miles |
12 mins |
12 mins |
£149/week |
|
Kyle Park House |
0.65 miles |
10 mins |
10 mins |
£150/week |
|
Newton House Glasgow |
1.44 miles |
24 mins |
17 mins |
£165/week |
|
Canvas Glasgow |
0.56 miles |
10 mins |
10 mins |
£166/week |
|
Foundry Courtyard |
0.68 miles |
8 mins |
8 mins |
£168/week |
|
City Wharf |
2.04 miles |
32 mins |
20 mins |
£169/week |
Collegelands starts from £99 per week.
At 0.61 miles from college, it does not force students to accept a long commute for the cheapest rent.
A 13-minute walk keeps everyday transport optional.
For a student trying to protect the weekly budget, that combination deserves a close look.
Blackfriars starts from £140 per week.
The property lies only 0.53 miles away.
An 11-minute walk keeps college close, while Merchant City provides restaurants and social options nearby.
The £41 weekly difference from Collegelands can still become significant over a long tenancy, so compare room types carefully.
Merchant City House starts from £148 per week.
It lies roughly 0.96 miles from campus.
The journey takes around:
Its Merchant City location gives students another central option below £150 per week.
Buchanan View begins at £149 per week.
The property lies 0.58 miles from college and takes roughly 12 minutes to reach.
Students can keep both housing and travel fairly predictable here because the college remains within walking distance.
Kyle Park House starts from £150 per week.
Its 0.65-mile distance translates into about a ten-minute journey.
The price remains reasonable for such a central location.
Newton House Glasgow begins at £165 per week.
It lies approximately 1.44 miles from campus.
The journey takes:
Students pay less than several closer premium properties, but the daily journey becomes longer.
That trade works better for someone who does not mind using public transport.
Canvas Glasgow starts from £166 per week.
It lies 0.56 miles from college.
A ten-minute walk puts it much closer than Newton House for only £1 more each week.
That comparison shows why distance deserves as much attention as rent.
Foundry Courtyard begins at £168 per week.
It lies around 0.68 miles away.
The college journey takes approximately eight minutes by walking or public transport.
That gives it one of the shorter travel times in the affordable group.
City Wharf starts from £169 per week.
It lies roughly 2.04 miles from college.
Students can expect:
The longer journey makes City Wharf quite different from similarly priced properties close to Cathedral Street.
For Riverside students, however, the exact route to Thistle Street deserves a separate check before ruling it in or out.
The central location of both campuses gives students several ways to get around.
Walking covers many college journeys. Cycling works through Glasgow’s bike-share network, while subway, buses and rail handle longer trips.
Students living around Merchant City or the City Centre can often reach college within 15 minutes.
George Street Apartments takes around six minutes.
St James Glasgow takes about four.
Blackfriars takes roughly 11.
Collegelands takes around 13.
For student accommodation near City of Glasgow College, walking can therefore become the normal commute rather than an occasional option.
Glasgow has the OVO Bikes share scheme.
Students can use it for shorter journeys through the centre or trips between parts of the city.
Cycle infrastructure continues to develop around Glasgow.
Cycling can also help students living just beyond a comfortable walking distance avoid paying for every bus or subway trip.
Glasgow’s subway connects the centre with the West End and other parts of the city.
Buchanan Street station lies near City Campus.
Buses cover a much larger part of Glasgow.
Collegelands takes about 11 minutes by public transport to college, while Newton House Glasgow takes around 17.
These journey times give students more flexibility when cheaper accommodation lies farther away.
Glasgow Queen Street station lies close to the City Campus.
Trains connect Glasgow with destinations throughout Scotland.
Edinburgh takes approximately 50 minutes.
That can help students travel home, visit friends or spend a day in another Scottish city.
Glasgow Central handles major rail services to other parts of the UK.
Avanti West Coast services reach London Euston in around 4 hours 30 minutes.
Students from England can therefore travel between Glasgow and home without relying on flights.
Glasgow Airport lies approximately 20 to 30 minutes from the city centre by bus or taxi.
The connection can help international students as well as anyone travelling during college breaks.