The Birmingham Student Guide: Selly Oak
Ash Sutton
07 May 2025 • 1 min read
The views and opinions expressed in these blogs are those of the UniHomes Content Ambassadors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of UniHomes. UniHomes accepts no liability for the content of these Student Blogs.
About the author: Hi! My name is Ash, I am a Digital Media and Communications student at the University of Birmingham. I am an aspiring lifestyle, arts and culture journalist and all-around geek. In the times I’m not spending an absurd amount of money in restaurants, you can usually find me tucked in the corner of my bedroom with a coffee and my latest cross-stitch kit, rewatching a Marvel movie or listening to Broadway soundtracks until I am sick of them.
Selly Oak may not be Birmingham’s most aesthetic suburb, but it’s definitely the most popular for students. Just a 15-minute walk from the heart of University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus, Selly is a bustling town of like-minded academics. While Selly isn’t the biggest university town, there is still plenty to do and see. So, here’s my complete guide:
Nightlife
Selly Oak is jam-packed with pubs and bars; you can barely walk ten steps before you find yourself at another’s door. The best of the best has got to be The Indie Lounge. The bar is unassuming from the outside, looking dingy and covered in graffiti, but once you walk through the doors you will find the home of the UoB socials. Every night you’ll find something different—from karaoke to open mic nights to Burn Live, you are guaranteed a night of drunken fun.
The Bristol Pear is also a great pick; it's a little bit rowdier than other places but it has the best student deals of all the pubs in Selly. They offer £4 drinks every Thursday as part of their Craft and Cocktail nights, among other deals on the Mixr app. The pub also has pool tables, a dart board and showings of the football, so without a doubt the go-to for a boys’ night.
Selly Oak is only one stop from Five Ways station which will land you right at Broad Street’s door, so there is no shortage of clubs. Circo, Selly’s local, is also a hotspot for students. You definitely don’t want to miss a Too Pounded Monday, just remember to be cautious if you have a 9am on a Tuesday morning.
Shops
One of Selly Oak’s selling points is the massive retail park just over the bridge from the high street. Stocking all your favourite brands, the retail park is a one-stop-shop for food and drink, leisure and grocery shops. With the Sainsbury’s, Starbucks and Mark & Spencer’s Food Hall being the highlights, it’s a little bit on the pricier side but makes for a nice afternoon out.
For your weekly food shop, the high street houses the local ALDI. However, as Selly Oak is a town housing over 10,000 broke students, I definitely would avoid the ALDI on a Saturday morning.
Amenities
Beyond a plethora of cafés and restaurants, Selly Oak isn’t the most enriching for entertainment, that’s what you have the City Centre just down the road for. There are a couple of hidden gems including The Gym Group for the gym rats in the retail park and Bisque & Bean, a cute little café on the corner of Raddlebarn Road that hosts pottery painting sessions.
Location
There is a reason why all the students at University of Birmingham congregate in Selly Oak. Just a 15-minute walk to Old Joe, it provides an ideal, lively living experience for second- and third-year students. There are also excellent transport links (with a train station never more than 20 minutes away from you) that can get you into the City Centre or to Digbeth in a flash.
Housing
There is something for everybody when it comes to student houses in Selly Oak. Whether you prefer a 3-floor house or an IKEA-clad flat, Selly has it all. After all, it is the most popular area for students, with 7x the demand as the next-most-popular city.
Selly isn’t a problem from a financial viewpoint though, houses tending to average out at £137 PPPW including bills when renting through UniHomes.
A 5- or 6-bed house tends to be the most popular for any yearly onslaught of Selly Oak student house-hunters, closely followed by one-bed studios for those who just cannot handle flatmates. I would recommend starting to look as early as you can as the best picks get claimed super quickly—a fact you will hear from every other student walking through the Guild through November and December.
Whilst you’re out having fun in your new uni city, remember that UniHomes promotes responsible drinking, and any alcohol products featured within this article are for ages 18+.
If you're considering searching for your next student house in Selly Oak, compare the best student properties in the area here—all with bills already included.
