UniMove collects boxes, bags, and furniture from postgraduate students at the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, and Aston University, stores them at a secure depot in Oxfordshire, and returns them to any address in mainland Britain or Belfast when you are ready. Whether your taught master’s ends in September and your tenancy runs out before your new job starts, or you have submitted your PhD thesis and need a few weeks to secure your next address, UniMove handles collection and delivery so you can concentrate on what comes next.
When Birmingham Postgraduates Need Storage
Postgraduate timelines at Birmingham’s universities differ from undergraduate ones in ways that make storage more complicated. Undergraduates generally clear out in June, when the rental market expects them. Postgraduates finish at different points across the year, often in late summer or autumn, and their next address is rarely as predictable as returning home for the holidays.
Taught master’s students at the University of Birmingham typically submit their dissertations in late August or early September. Results arrive in late autumn and graduation takes place in December. The gap between submitting a dissertation and the start of a graduate job can run from one to four months. Private landlords in Selly Oak and Harborne rarely grant informal extensions, and subletting at short notice is difficult. Storage bridges that gap without requiring you to move twice.
Research students completing MPhil or PhD degrees face a similar problem. After a successful viva and corrections, a postdoctoral position or industry role might not begin for several weeks. Leaving three years of accumulated possessions in a friend’s spare room for that long is an uncomfortable arrangement. Putting belongings into storage for a defined period is a more practical solution.
Birmingham City University runs some postgraduate programmes on timetables that end in July and others in November. Students on professional master’s programmes in business, law, and health often move directly into employment but spend the first few weeks in temporary accommodation while arranging a longer-term rental. Storage removes the pressure of timing a move to the exact day.
University of Birmingham Postgraduate Students
The University of Birmingham occupies a large red-brick campus at Edgbaston, about three miles south-west of the city centre. Postgraduate students here live mainly in Selly Oak (B29), Bournbrook (B29), Harborne (B17), and Stirchley (B30). A smaller number live in managed postgraduate accommodation near the campus at the Vale Village and at Tennis Courts Road.
Selly Oak and Bournbrook have the highest concentration of student houses in Birmingham. Streets including Tiverton Road, Exeter Road, and Oak Tree Lane see significant turnover between August and October as master’s and doctoral students complete their courses and move on. Landlords in these areas typically expect properties to be fully cleared by 31 August, leaving little room for flexibility.
UniMove collects from all Selly Oak and Harborne postcodes as a standard part of its service. There is no need to hire a van, find a friend with a large car, or navigate the loading restrictions around the Edgbaston campus. If you are moving out of university-managed accommodation, the student storage service for Vale Village covers that specific site in detail.
Birmingham City University and Aston University Postgraduates
Birmingham City University is based primarily around the Curzon Building in Eastside, a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street. Postgraduate students at BCU tend to live in Digbeth (B5), Newtown (B19), and city-centre apartments in the Jewellery Quarter (B1). These locations typically involve smaller flats with less personal storage space than the traditional student terraces in Selly Oak.
Aston University sits at the edge of the city centre near the Aston Triangle. Its postgraduate students, particularly those on business and engineering programmes, follow a similar pattern: city-centre accommodation, a fast turnaround between course completion and the start of employment, and a gap between moving out of student housing and arriving at a settled address.
City-centre flats frequently have narrow stairwells or loading restrictions that make moving bulky items without professional help time-consuming and stressful. UniMove is experienced in collecting from apartment buildings in central Birmingham and can carry items down multiple flights of stairs as part of the standard service.
The Gap Between Submission and a Permanent Address
The practical problem for most Birmingham postgraduates is not the cost of storage but the coordination. You submit your dissertation in August. Your tenancy ends on 31 August. Your graduate scheme starts in London or Edinburgh or Manchester in October. You do not want to move everything twice, and leaving belongings in someone else’s hallway for six weeks is not a sustainable solution.
UniMove’s process is designed around exactly this situation. You book online, confirm a collection date, and hand over your items on the day. Your belongings go to the Longcot depot in Oxfordshire. When you have a confirmed delivery address, you book the return and UniMove brings everything directly to you, whether that is a flat in Leeds, a shared house in Bristol, or your family home in the meantime.
If you move into temporary accommodation first and a permanent address later, UniMove can arrange a staged delivery: bringing some items at an earlier date and the remainder when your longer-term situation is settled. Request a quote to discuss the options for your specific timeline.
Students planning ahead for the broader student storage picture in Birmingham can also read the summer student storage in Birmingham guide, which covers how UniMove works across the city’s undergraduate population and provides useful context on pickup logistics and timings.
UniMove vs Self-Storage vs Other Options
| Factor | UniMove | Self-storage unit | Leaving with a friend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van hire needed | No | Usually yes | Usually yes |
| Door-to-door collection | Yes | No | No |
| Delivery to your new address | Yes, anywhere in GB and Belfast | No, you collect | No |
| Minimum period | 2 weeks | Usually 1 month | Informal |
| Insured | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works if new address unknown at booking | Yes | Yes, but you arrange onward transport | Puts pressure on friend |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I store my belongings with UniMove after finishing my master’s at Birmingham?
UniMove stores belongings for a minimum of two weeks with no fixed upper limit. Most postgraduate students store for between six and fourteen weeks, covering the gap between dissertation submission or end of course and the start of a new job or the availability of a permanent address. You confirm the collection and delivery dates that suit your own timetable.
Does UniMove collect from student houses in Selly Oak and Bournbrook?
Yes. UniMove collects from all Birmingham postcodes including Selly Oak (B29), Bournbrook (B29), Harborne (B17), Stirchley (B30), Edgbaston (B15), and city-centre locations including Digbeth (B5) and the Jewellery Quarter (B1). There is no restriction based on postcode within the Birmingham area and no additional surcharge for city-centre collections.
What happens if I do not have a delivery address confirmed when I book storage?
You do not need a confirmed delivery address at the point of booking. Many UniMove customers, including postgraduate students waiting on job offers or completing a flat search in a new city, confirm their delivery address and preferred date at a later stage. You book the collection, store your belongings, and contact UniMove when you are ready to arrange the return.
Can UniMove deliver my belongings to a different city when I start my graduate job?
Yes. UniMove delivers to any address in mainland Britain and Belfast. Postgraduate students regularly use the service to move their belongings from Birmingham to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, and elsewhere once a graduate role begins. The delivery city does not need to match the collection city and there is no additional surcharge for cross-city delivery.
How does pricing work for postgraduate students with more belongings than a typical undergraduate?
Pricing is based on the volume of items stored and the duration of storage, not on year of study. Postgraduate students who have accumulated more possessions over several years, or who own furniture, will pay according to what they store. You receive a full itemised quote before confirming, with no hidden charges added at collection or delivery.
Can UniMove store furniture as well as boxes and bags?
Yes. UniMove stores furniture including sofas, beds, desks, and wardrobes alongside boxes and bags. Postgraduate students who have furnished their own accommodation rather than living in part-furnished student houses frequently store a mix of furniture and personal items. Confirm the items you want to store when requesting your quote so the team can plan the collection accordingly.