The Sheffield Student Guide: Highfield

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About the author: Our SEO Content Exec Morgan Toft has lived all over the place – originally from Hull, she went to uni at York’s own University of York and had a quick stint in Middlesbrough before settling down in Sheffield for her master’s degree at the University of Sheffield. With no intentions of leaving Sheffield any time soon, she’s spent a lot of time around Ecclesall Road, Highfield, the city centre, and beyond.

Just south of the city centre, Highfield (home to the UniHomes office in New Era Square) is an area of Sheffield that’s often overlooked when it comes to student accommodation. But this suburb has so much to offer – from Sheffield United's Bramall Lane stadium to London Road and its plethora of restaurants, cafés, and takeaways, there’s no way you’ll ever run out of things to do and places to explore when you live in student housing in Highfield.

The location

Probably one of the most accessible parts of Sheffield, Highfield is handily located on the southern edge of the city centre – meaning that the train station (and, by extension, the nearest tram stop) is only a fifteen-minute walk away. It also means that SHU students can get to Sheffield Hallam University's city centre campus in just over 10 minutes by foot, making getting to and from those early-morning lectures easier than ever.

University of Sheffield students have a bit of a longer commute to get to campus, but even this isn’t a hard slog. With the Diamond just a 20-25 minute walk away from Highfield, your journey to uni will be short enough to not totally tire you out but still long enough for you to get your steps in.

And for when you can’t be bothered to walk, you can hop on the 51 bus from Shoreham Street to easily get to the UoS Students’ Union and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital (perfect for medicine and nursing students on placement), as well as further on to Broomhill. For days when you fancy heading over to Crookesmoor, the no. 97 from London Road is the bus for you.

But the best bit about Highfield’s location? The lack of hills. Sheffield residents know that this is a rare occurrence in Sheff, so if you end up living in student accommodation near Bramall Lane then you can look forward to your calf muscles getting a much-needed break.

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The shops

You’re in luck when it comes to grocery shopping here – Highfield has loads of options, from quick corner shops like the mini Morissons and the Spar (which, by the way, is TikTok famous), to bigger retailers like Aldi and Sheffield’s own Ozmen Extra. There are plenty of Asian supermarkets around New Era Square too, so if you’re ever cooking up a Chinese fakeaway at home or just love drowning your food in sriracha, you know you can rely on these shops for what you need.

Sheffield's Highfield is also a surprisingly good place for retail therapy. Need to grab a gift for the Sheffield United fan in your life? Give the SUFC store at Bramall Lane a visit, or visit Red Brick Market and check out the vintage football jersey stall.

To be fair, wandering around Red Brick Market as a whole is one of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon – this massive hall houses over 100 independent retailers, and is, in my opinion, a seriously underrated gem in Sheffield. I mean, where else can you get Yorkshire-inspired candles, vintage leather jackets, Taylor Swift-themed home decor, mystery Pokémon cards, and novelty earrings all under one roof?

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The food

Living in student accommodation in Highfield, Sheffield means you’re seriously spoiled for choice when it comes to food. For starters, there are plenty of fast-food options (like Munchies, Phat Buns, and Imran’s) for when you just can’t be bothered to cook after uni. For those with a sweet tooth, Rassam’s will sort you out with their never-ending choice of desserts and ice cream.

Want a restaurant where you can go for a proper sit-down meal? New Era Square is definitely the place to be; you’ll find casual spots like Lykke here, alongside loads of Asian restaurants like A Journey to Chengdu (for Szechuan Chinese food), Yum Yum Bites (a cosy Taiwanese joint), and Shuyo (who do excellent Korean dishes – the beef japchae is my personal fave).

If you’re after something lighter for lunch, the Spar at the Bramall Lane has a Subway conveniently tucked away towards the back. Or commit to shopping small by heading somewhere independent, like Norooz or Kurdistan (who both make the most amazing shawarma at cheap prices perfect for those on a student budget) or Kilnfolk Coffee (a very cosy coffee shop that serves some seriously good toasties and matcha, and even offers 10% off for students).

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The nightlife

Don’t be fooled by the lack of pubs in this area, because Highfield is a great place to start your night out if you’re into a bit of competition and fun. Book an evening at Golf Fang (who do student discounts, btw) for a few rounds of neon crazy golf and equally-neon cocktails, before walking over to the city centre for all the bars and clubs that Sheffield student Lucie talks about in her blog post here.

Treehouse Board Game Café also serves cocktails and even offers spiked milkshakes – which definitely makes losing at Scrabble a lot more bearable, if you ask me. Make sure you ask about Treehouse’s student discount while you’re here, and don’t be afraid to ask for help picking out a board game when you and your housemates just can’t decide on the right one to play. The staff at Treehouse are lovely, and their recommendations never miss.

Not quite done with your night out but want to stay local? New Era Square’s Lykke, Panenka, and Selena are all fab spots to grab a quick pint or a fun cocktail, and are super aesthetic places to take a few photos with your friends too (much like these Instagrammable places in Sheffield that Content Ambassador Lucie writes about here).

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Other things to do in Highfield

Aside from drinking, there are loads of fun things to do in and around Highfield in Sheffield. Go watch a match at Bramall Lane and pray that Sheffield United are playing a bit better than usual that day, or treat your parents to a daytime session at Treehouse or Golf Fang when they visit (provided they pay, of course – your student budget can only stretch so far).

Trinket collectors and vintage lovers should check out The Steamworks, a converted warehouse that regularly features events like yard sales, Sheffield Indie Market, and (my absolute fave) Sheffield Midcentury Market. Even if you don’t come away from these events with a new print for your Highfield student house, it’s still super fun to mooch around The Steamworks and have a nosy with friends.

If you like being outdoors, Norfolk Heritage Park is only a 10 minute walk away from Highfield. While it might not be mentioned in Lucie’s blog post on the best parks in Sheffield, its amazing views of Sheff and abundance of dog walkers make it a firm favourite of mine. Fitness lovers will also appreciate the 24/7 PureGym that lies on the outskirts of Highfield, but be warned: this gym is really popular amongst students so can get quite busy during peak hours.

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Student housing in Highfield

Highfield is known for having a mix of student accommodation options; you’ll find PBSA buildings and private halls mainly clustered around Bramall Lane and New Era Square, but venture further out towards Shoreham Street and you’ll see terraces and terraces of student houses.

With the majority of the Highfield student accommodation on the UniHomes website consisting of 4 bedrooms, it’s safe to say that Highfield is ideal for anyone who fancies living with 2 or 3 housemates. Rent tends to be cheaper here, too, as the average price of a student house in Highfield falls at around £122 per person per week (according to UniHomes, February 2026), which is below the overall £138pppw average rent for Sheffield as a whole.

Even if you need something that’s even more student budget-friendly, the Highfield properties on the UniHomes website range from £81-£185pppw so you’ll be able to find somewhere that suits your needs

Find student accommodation in Highfield, Sheffield

Finding student accommodation on the doorstep of Bramall Lane has never been easier thanks to UniHomes. We work with letting agents across Sheffield to bring you a wide selection of student housing in Highfield, all on one convenient website – and all with bills included. The only thing you need to do is use the filters at the top of each page to sort by price and number of bedrooms, and you’ll find Highfield student accommodation that’s perfect for you in no time.

Click here to find student accommodation in Highfield.

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+.