Nottingham.

Lenton, right next to the University of Nottingham and Queen's Medical Centre, has become so popular with students that residents talk about the studentification of the area. Nights out range from Rock City, a legendary venue that has hosted major acts since opening in 1980 with room for around 2,000 people, to the Victorian Lace Market, now full of bars, restaurants and the Nottingham Contemporary arts centre alongside the trendier Hockley streets nearby. Term time societies and sports clubs across both universities help newcomers find a group fast, in a city genuinely built around student life.

• Lenton, by the University of Nottingham, is the classic student neighbourhood.
• Rock City has hosted major acts since 1980 and holds about 2,000 people.
• The Lace Market and Hockley mix bars, restaurants and independent shops.

Nottingham is solid value for a city its size. A one bedroom flat averages around GBP 897 in the centre and about GBP 732 just outside it, and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant runs about GBP 15. A monthly public transport pass costs around GBP 80, covering Nottingham City Transport, England's largest publicly owned bus network, and the two line Nottingham Express Transit tram. Figures like these make Nottingham noticeably cheaper than most southern English cities for both rent and everyday spending.

• Budget around GBP 730 to 900 a month for a one bedroom flat.
• A monthly transport pass covering bus and tram costs around GBP 80.
• Nottingham City Transport is England's largest publicly owned bus network.

Lenton is the main student rental area, packed with shared houses right by the University of Nottingham and Queen's Medical Centre, though the concentration of student lets has changed the neighbourhood noticeably. Beeston, about 3 miles southwest and reached by tram since 2015, offers a calmer, more residential alternative with its own train station and a famously high number of pubs. Wherever you rent privately, a landlord must place your deposit in a government-approved protection scheme within 30 days and return it within 10 days once you agree the amount owed.

• Lenton is the main student area, packed with shared houses near campus.
• Beeston, reached by tram, is a calmer alternative with its own train station.
• Any deposit must go into an approved protection scheme within 30 days.

Nottingham Express Transit runs two tram lines across the city, one serving the University of Nottingham's main campus and both stopping at a dedicated stop for Nottingham Trent University, with a bridge linking the tram directly into Nottingham railway station. Nottingham City Transport, England's largest publicly owned bus network, fills in the rest of the city. From Nottingham station, the Midland Main Line reaches London St Pancras and Leicester directly, useful for both term time trips and welcoming visitors. The city centre itself is compact enough to cross comfortably on foot.

• Two Nottingham Express Transit tram lines connect the campuses to the city centre.
• Nottingham City Transport is England's largest publicly owned bus network.
• Nottingham station sits on the Midland Main Line, direct to London St Pancras.

Nottingham hosts the highest concentration of higher education in the East Midlands. The University of Nottingham, a Russell Group member, has around 36,460 UK based students plus close to 16,000 more from overseas, spread mainly across the 330 acre University Park campus and the nearby Jubilee Campus. Nottingham Trent University, the UK's sixth largest by enrolment with over 35,000 students, teaches across five sites, most students based at its City Campus north of the centre or the Clifton Campus a few miles south. Like most UK universities, the academic year runs in three terms from around September to the following summer.

• The University of Nottingham is a Russell Group member based at University Park.
• Nottingham Trent is the UK's sixth largest university, split across five campuses.
• Most Nottingham Trent students are based at the City or Clifton campus.

Since Brexit, EU citizens no longer have free movement, so most non-Irish students need permission to study. For an exchange of up to six months you can often come under the Short-term study route or simply as a Standard Visitor, depending on your nationality and course length. For a full year you will need a Student visa sponsored by your host university.

What applies depends entirely on your passport, so confirm with the university and official UK government guidance early. The Student visa needs a CAS reference from your uni, proof of funds and usually the immigration health surcharge, so budget both time and money for it.

• Exchange under 6 months, often Standard Visitor or Short-term study
• Full year, Student visa with a CAS from your uni
• Irish citizens, no visa needed under the Common Travel Area
• Budget for the immigration health surcharge on longer visas

Nottingham became a UNESCO City of Literature in 2015, a nod to writers like Lord Byron and D. H. Lawrence, and the city's lace making history once employed around 25,000 workers in the Lace Market alone. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, built against Castle Rock, is one of several pubs that claim the title of England's oldest, even if the historical evidence is disputed. Every October, the centuries old Goose Fair brings more than 400,000 visitors to the Forest Recreation Ground for one of the country's largest travelling funfairs, a genuine local institution worth planning around.

• Nottingham is a UNESCO City of Literature, home to Byron and D. H. Lawrence.
• Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be England's oldest pub, though disputed.
• Goose Fair each October draws over 400,000 visitors to the Forest Recreation Ground.

Lenton is the dense, classic student area right by the University of Nottingham and Queen's Medical Centre. The Lace Market and neighbouring Hockley offer a completely different, more grown up scene of Victorian warehouses turned into bars, galleries and independent shops. Beeston, a separate town about 3 miles southwest with its own tram and train station, suits students wanting some distance from campus life, while West Bridgford, across the River Trent, is a leafier, more affluent option near Trent Bridge and the City Ground.

• Lenton for classic, campus-close student housing.
• The Lace Market and Hockley for bars, galleries and independent shops.
• West Bridgford, across the Trent, for a leafier, more affluent base.

Sherwood Forest, legendary home of Robin Hood, sits within day trip range to the north and centres on the Major Oak, an oak tree estimated at 800 to 1,000 years old inside a national nature reserve with over 1,000 ancient trees. The Peak District, England's first national park, lies within reach for hiking around Bakewell and the show caves at Castleton, with more than 1,800 miles of footpaths and trails across the park. Nottingham's rail links also make nearby cities an easy add on to any weekend away.

• Sherwood Forest's Major Oak is 800 to 1,000 years old and easy to reach.
• The Peak District offers hiking around Bakewell and show caves at Castleton.
• Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve holds one of Europe's densest clusters of ancient oaks.

Book housing early. Lenton fills up fast because so much of it is already given over to student lets, and waiting too long limits your options badly. Whatever you rent, confirm your deposit goes into a government-approved protection scheme within 30 days, and keep every email in case of a later dispute. Take the time to explore the City of Caves, a network of man made sandstone caves beneath the city that few newcomers know about. And do not skip a Goose Fair or Rock City night if the timing works out.

• Book Lenton housing early. It fills up fast and options narrow quickly.
• Confirm your deposit goes into an approved protection scheme within 30 days.
• Explore the City of Caves, a network few newcomers realise sits underfoot.