1. Do I need a student broadband deal, or can I just get a normal one?

You don’t have to use a student-specific deal, but they’re often worth looking for. Student broadband packages are designed to match the academic year rather than standard 18 or 24-month contracts. That means shorter terms, usually 9 or 12 months, which line up with your tenancy and mean you’re not paying for an empty house over the summer.

Standard contracts can work out cheaper month-to-month, but if your tenancy ends in June and you’re locked into a 24-month deal, you’ll either keep paying for broadband you’re not using or face an early exit fee. Always weigh the monthly cost against the total contract cost and how long you actually need it.

2. What broadband speed do students actually need?

It depends mainly on how many people are sharing the connection and what you’re all doing at the same time. Here’s a simple guide:
1 to 2 people: 50 to 100 Mbps is comfortable for streaming, video calls and browsing
3 to 4 people: 100 to 200 Mbps handles simultaneous use without anyone noticing
4 to 6 people: 200 to 500 Mbps gives proper headroom for heavy use, gaming and 4K streaming
6 or more people: 500 Mbps and above, or a Gig-speed package if available

The evening peak hours — when everyone is home and online at the same time — are when you’ll notice a slow connection most. Size your package for that moment, not for how you use it individually. More info on speeds here

3. What does Mbps actually mean?

Mbps stands for megabits per second and it measures how fast data travels through your broadband connection. The higher the number, the faster the connection.

To put it in real terms: streaming Netflix in HD uses around 5 Mbps, 4K streaming needs about 25 Mbps, a standard video call uses 1 to 4 Mbps and downloading a large game like Call of Duty (which can top 100 GB) takes around 2 hours on a 100 Mbps connection, or under 25 minutes on a 500 Mbps connection.

Mbps is different from MBps (megabytes per second), which you might see when a file is downloading on your computer. There are 8 bits in a byte, so a 100 Mbps broadband connection downloads files at roughly 12.5 MBps. Broadband speeds are always quoted in Mbps.

4. How long does broadband take to set up in a student house?

From the day you order to the day you’re connected, typically one to three weeks. If the property already has the right infrastructure in place (previous tenants had the same provider, for example), it can be faster. If an engineer visit is needed to install new cabling or activate a connection, you’re usually looking at a booked appointment slot which can add time.

The practical advice: order broadband in the first week you move in, not when you realise you need it. If you’re moving in September, ordering in August is even better. Starting a new term without internet is genuinely miserable, especially when lectures, seminars and deadlines all rely on being online.

Some providers offer a temporary 4G or 5G router to use while you wait for your fixed line to be activated. Worth asking about if you need to be connected quickly.

5. Who should put the broadband contract in their name?

One person has to be the named account holder, and it’s worth choosing carefully. The account holder is legally responsible for paying the bill, even if other housemates don’t pay their share. If payments are missed, it can affect the account holder’s credit score, not everyone in the house equally.

The sensible choice is someone who is staying for the full length of the contract and is reliable with money. If that’s you, make sure you have a clear agreement with housemates about payments before you sign up — ideally a standing order or a shared bills pot through an app like Monzo or Splitwise so you’re not chasing people manually each month.

If the person whose name the contract is in moves out mid-year, most providers allow the contract to be transferred to another name, though there may be a small admin fee involved.

6. Can I get broadband if I have no credit history?

This is a genuine issue for many students, especially first-years who haven’t had a phone contract, credit card or utility bill in their name before. Broadband providers typically run a credit check when you apply, and a thin or non-existent credit file can lead to a rejection or a request for a deposit.

There are a few ways around this. Some providers, including NOW Broadband, don’t require a credit check at all. Rolling monthly contracts are generally more accessible than longer fixed-term deals. Some student-specific packages are designed with this in mind and use student status verification (like a university email address) rather than a credit check.
If you’re an international student, you’re likely starting from scratch in the UK credit system entirely. The same options apply — look for providers that accept student ID or a university email address as verification, or consider a monthly rolling deal that doesn’t require a hard credit check.

7. What is a broadband contract and what happens if I break it?

A broadband contract is a legally binding agreement between you and the provider for a set period — usually 12, 18 or 24 months for standard deals, or 9 to 12 months for student plans. In exchange for a guaranteed monthly payment, the provider gives you internet access at an agreed speed.

If you cancel before the contract ends, you’ll usually owe an early exit fee. This is typically calculated as the remaining monthly payments multiplied by a discount factor — so on a £30 per month contract with 6 months remaining, the exit fee might be around £100 to £135 depending on the provider.

The exception is if the provider has raised your prices mid-contract. Under Ofcom rules, if a provider increases what you pay, you have the right to exit the contract without a penalty fee within a specific window. Always read the email notification if your provider announces a price change — your right to leave for free will have a deadline attached to it.

8. Can I get broadband without a phone line?

Yes. Cable broadband from providers like Virgin Media runs on a completely separate network to the phone line, so there’s no phone line required. Virgin’s M125, M250, M350, M500 and Gig1 packages are all cable-based and come without needing an active phone line.

Full fibre (FTTP) providers also connect directly to your property without a traditional copper phone line. With standard FTTC fibre (the most common type), a phone line connection at the property is usually still required, even if you don’t actually make phone calls.
For students, cable or full fibre broadband is often simpler because you’re not dealing with phone line rental on top of broadband costs.

9. What’s the difference between fibre and regular broadband?

The term ‘fibre’ is used quite loosely in broadband marketing, so it’s worth knowing what the different types actually mean.

ADSL is the oldest and slowest type. It runs entirely over copper phone lines and typically delivers 10 to 20 Mbps. Not suitable for a student house with multiple users.
FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) is the most common type sold as ‘fibre’. It uses a fibre cable from the exchange to a street cabinet, then copper wiring to your door. This delivers 30 to 80 Mbps on average. Fine for smaller households but it can be stretched by heavy shared use.
FTTP (Fibre to the Premises), sometimes called full fibre, runs fibre cable all the way to your property. This delivers the fastest and most consistent speeds, from 100 Mbps up to 1 Gbps and beyond. Virgin Media’s cable network delivers comparable speeds using a different technology (HFC cable).

For a student house, FTTC is the minimum you’d want. Full fibre or cable broadband is noticeably better for a busy shared house.

More information here

10. Do I pay for broadband over the summer if I go home?

This depends entirely on the contract. If you’re on a fixed 12-month student deal that runs September to August, you’re paying for all 12 months including summer. Some students find this acceptable as the monthly cost reflects the longer term.

If you’re on a standard 18 or 24-month contract and you leave in June, you either keep paying for an empty house or pay an early exit fee — neither is ideal. This is exactly why contract length matters so much for students. A 9-month or 12-month student deal that ends when your tenancy ends is almost always worth looking for specifically.

If you do stay in your student house over summer, or if someone in the house stays on, then the question becomes less relevant and a longer deal at a lower monthly price can make sense.

Check out the best student packages here

11. Can I take my broadband contract to a new house?

Most providers allow you to transfer a contract to a new address, provided they cover the area. This is sometimes called a home move or a transfer of service. If your new address is outside the provider’s coverage, many will let you cancel without an exit fee because they can’t fulfil their side of the contract.

For students moving between houses each year, this can actually work in your favour. If your provider doesn’t cover your new address, you get a clean exit and can sign up fresh at your new house, potentially taking advantage of new customer deals.
Always tell the provider in advance rather than just stopping payment — give proper notice in writing so the exit is clean and doesn’t affect your credit record or the departing account holder’s record.

12. What is a fair use policy and does it affect students?

Some broadband deals advertised as ‘unlimited’ include a fair use policy in the small print. This sets a cap on how much data or bandwidth you can use before the provider throttles your speed or charges extra. For most student households with heavy evening usage — streaming, gaming, video calls, downloads — a low fair use cap can be a real problem.
Always check whether a deal is genuinely unlimited or has a fair use clause. Look for wording like ‘truly unlimited’ or ‘no traffic management’. If a deal just says ‘unlimited’ without any qualification, read the terms carefully before assuming there are no restrictions.

Genuinely unlimited deals are widely available from major providers and are absolutely what you should be looking for in a student house where multiple people are online simultaneously every evening.

13. What happens to the broadband when someone moves out?

If the person who moved out is not the account holder, nothing changes for the contract itself. The remaining housemates just need to renegotiate how the bill is split between fewer people.

If the account holder moves out, the contract doesn’t automatically transfer. The account holder remains legally responsible for payments unless they formally transfer the account to someone else. This requires contacting the provider and going through a transfer process — it won’t happen automatically and if the account holder simply stops paying, it affects their credit record and the remaining housemates lose the service.

Sort this properly before the account holder leaves. Most providers handle transfers with a phone call or through an online account, and it’s in everyone’s interest to get it done cleanly.

14. Is it worth getting a faster broadband package just for gaming?

Online gaming actually uses very little data while you’re playing — typically 3 to 6 Mbps per session. Raw download speed matters less for gaming than for streaming. What matters more is latency (ping), which is the time it takes for data to travel between your device and the game server. A low, consistent ping gives you a smooth experience; a high or fluctuating ping causes lag and dropped connections.

Where faster broadband genuinely helps gaming is with downloads. Modern games regularly top 100 GB per release, and updates can be 10 to 20 GB. On a 100 Mbps connection that takes a while; on 500 Mbps it’s done quickly. If your house has a serious gamer who downloads frequently, an M500 or Gig1 package means game downloads don’t take over the whole evening connection.
For gaming itself, connection stability and low latency matter more than headline speed. Virgin Media’s cable network is generally good for both.

15. How do we split the broadband bill fairly between housemates?

The fairest approach is equal split — divide the monthly bill by the number of people in the house. Unlike energy where individual usage varies, everyone in the house benefits more or less equally from a broadband connection regardless of how much they personally use it.

For the actual payments, the easiest method is a standing order from each housemate to the account holder each month on the same date the direct debit goes out. This removes the need to chase anyone. An app like Splitwise tracks what’s been paid and what’s outstanding, which takes the awkwardness out of chasing if someone misses a payment.

A house bills account through a digital bank like Monzo or Starling, where everyone chips in and bills come out automatically, is an even cleaner solution if you’re managing multiple bills together. It removes the account holder from the middle entirely.

Written by our in house student broadband expert James Payne, Ex Virgin Media Head of Partnerships