Preparing for arrival

Once you have had an offer of a place at university and you have applied for your funding, the next thing to think about is where you would like to live. If you decide that you want to live away from home, we have accommodation on campus for students. Living on our Edinburgh campus is a great way to meet others from all over the world and make lifelong friends. However, some students do prefer to stay at home and commute onto campus for their classes. Whilst you are transitioning into the new teaching environment, it can be helpful to keep your home environment the same and stay at home for the year.

As you spend a lot of time in your accommodation, it is important that you make the right choice for you. You should consider how you will feel about sharing facilities such as a kitchen and social spaces with your flatmates. Everybody has their own way of living, socialising and tolerance for cleanliness (or lack of) and noise levels.

You can find further information on how to apply for accommodation on the Accommodation webpages.

There is a lot more information on the Watt Living page which has information on what to pack if you are staying in halls; where to collect parcels and how to use the laundry amongst other things you might find helpful.

If you are a student registered to the Disability Service, we also offer a small number of rooms in halls for students who are moving into further years of study. You can check with your Disability Advisor to see if you will be eligible for this. 

When you disclose your disability on your university application, our team will contact you to arrange a meeting with a Disability Advisor. This meeting is usually to discuss adjustments, support and DSA funding if you are eligible (see below). In most cases you will be asked to return evidence of your autism.

More information on specific support available to autistic students can be found on our Autism Support page.

Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is additional funding which may be available to meet any additional study-related costs that a student may incur, as a result of their disability. Students with a range of disabilities can apply, including those with autism. DSA is non-means tested, and is an award paid for by your Funding Agency (for example SAAS or SFE).

DSA funding can only be used to cover the cost of things that you need directly related to your disability and how it affects your academic studies. It cannot be used to pay for things that all students need, like rent or tuition fees.

If you are SAAS funded, your Disability Advisor will be able to assess you for DSA funding and guide you through the process for applying for this. DSA funding can provide autistic students with assistive software to help you with things such as notetaking in lectures. It can also fund one-to-one autism support workers for students.

If you have any questions about DSA funding, you should direct them to your Advisor in the first instance. There is a dedicated Disabled Students’ Allowance webpage where you can find further information.

New students are usually asked to enrol online from early August time- or depending on when you accept your unconditional offer. Enrolment is the process of formally joining the University and becoming a Heriot-Watt student. You agree to abide by the rules of the University and to pay any fees, and we ask you to confirm that we have your correct details. Students usually complete the enrolment process by collecting their student card on campus when they arrive. This might be during the Transition Event if you are attending or during your induction.

Induction takes place during Welcome Week, which will be the week before teaching starts.  Induction is an organised programme of welcome and introductory activities you will participate in as a new student joining a particular programme of study. Once you enrol, you will have access to the induction site for your subject on Canvas, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).  You need to make sure you participate in all of your induction programme.

Induction is your opportunity to;

• Meet your lecturers.
• Find out about the programme.
• Find out about the resources and support available to you for study.
• Ask any questions. 
• Meet the students you will be studying with.

After you enrol, you log in and go to your subject induction site on Canvas where you will find details of your induction programme including times, venues and activities.  Your induction site will also give you access to a range of resources and information about the University and your programme.

You can find information on your teaching timetable on the Heriot-Watt website.Timetables are subject to change, especially after Welcome Week. During this week where you will attend your induction, you will be put into tutorial groups. This means that you will only have to attend classes as stipulated on your timetable after this week. 

Please make sure that you keep checking your timetable for any changes before you start and as you work your way through semester.

We will also cover information about your teaching timetable during the Transition Event.

Starting university is a significant milestone, which can present unique challenges to students with disabilities. We have created a webpage that helps parents and carers understand how they can support their students while respecting their independence. It outlines the importance of early contact with the Disability Service, encourages student self-advocacy, and explains the limitations on information sharing due to data protection laws.