Hatfield
39 Reviews by Students #84 out of 172 University locations
Hatfield is a quaint little town that has very few things to occupy once time. However, the town is close to small towns like St Albans, Welwyn Garden city along with a few others that offer a bit more than Hatfield. It's also not that far from London being approximately 18 to 30 min by train to Central London.
By member1387303 On 7th June 2023
Study in Hatfield
The University of Hertfordshire is in Hatfield, just outside the Greater London area. There are 2 sites, College Lane and de Havilland, and they are just a few kilometres apart from each other and well connected by bus, pathways and cycle routes.
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University of Hertfordshire
The teaching at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognised with a gold award from the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). There are over 800 courses to choose from that range from psychology and mathematics, to economics and creative writing. The university offers students fantastic state-of-the-art facilities which includes a new science building and one of the most impressive law school buildings in the world.
Study in Hatfield? Review your location
Hatfield Student Life
The A1, one of the UK’s busiest motorways, runs through the town but despite this, Hatfield is surprisingly quiet and unbothered by the rush of London. It could be a good location if you know you’d be easily distracted by the big city, but don’t want to be too far away from it either.
Cost of Living
Accommodation
Student accommodation costs in Hatfield range from £100 - £230 per week; the average is £161 per week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Luton: £132/week, Colchester: £144/week, London: £287/week.
(prices are for all purpose-built student accommodation (both private and university-owned) over the last 12 months, as listed on StudentCrowd)
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Nights Out
There’s a modest nightlife with most of the clubbing being based at the Student Union itself at ‘The Forum’, which puts on a whole host of events during the week. For a chilled night out with mates there’s an Odeon cinema in the town.
Public Transport
The University has its own bus company called Uno which serves not only students but also members of the general public, although students get discounted rates. To get into central London it’s an easy 25-minute journey to London King’s Cross.
Eating Out
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Turkish Kitchen is a popular spot for students and locals too. You can expect delicious authentic Turkish cuisine coming from 30 years experience, for a very tasty price.
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Round the corner from the de Havilland campus is Bar Turan & Indian Tapas. They serve mouthwatering Indian cuisine and there’s a bonus for students as they get 20% discount on Tuesday’s (just remember to take your student ID card).
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High Street Favourites
Thankfully you won’t be far from your favourite high street restaurants. Hatfield is home to the likes of Frankie & Benny’s, Nandos, Prezzo and many more. These restaurants often offer student discounts so make sure to check before you head out.
Shopping
Hatfield itself contains all the facilities you’d expect; there are the usual high street shops and supermarkets, and also the expansive Galleria Shopping Centre with outlet shops. If you are looking for more options and a change of scenery then you can hop on a bus to nearby St Albans, Stevenage or Watford.
Days Out
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Hatfield House, and the massive grounds of Hatfield Park that belong to it, are within walking distance from the campus. As well as having big open spaces for walking, jogging, and general playing about, the house also opens its grounds for public fairs, seasonal events, show and concerts.
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Welwyn Garden City
Just five minutes up the road by bus is Welwyn Garden City, where you’ll find some great facilities. The Gosling Sports Park, with the Stadium beside it, is a great place to start. There’s a tennis court, a golf range, football pitches, a velodrome, athletics track and, finally, a dry slope for skiing and snowboarding. You could easily spend all day there!
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Mill Green Museum & Working Mill
Why not visit the Mill Green Museum & Working Mill on your day off? You get to learn the history of the mill and River Lea as well as getting some fresh air in the gardens. Did we mention? They also hold beginners bread making workshop.
Top 10 Hatfield Accommodation
Read Hatfield Reviews
Hatfield is a qua...
Hatfield is a quaint little town that has very few things to occupy once time. However, the town is close to small towns like St Albans, Welwyn Garden city along with a few others that offer a bit more than Hatfield. It's also not that far from London being approximately 18 to 30 min by train to Central London. read more
It is a quiet but...
It is a quiet but amazing town to take university. read more
Not a good place...
Not a good place for students. But the weather and nature beautiful always read more
Rich in culture....
Rich in culture. Peaceful and serene read more
Very efficient an...
Very efficient and reliable transport read more
Great and conveni...
Great and convenient. It’s a great place read more
Not a good place...
Not a good place its too far from london read more
Galleria Mall is...
Galleria Mall is at walking distance, hangout with friends do some shopping eat out and enjoy. Public transport is also available just outside the building, easy and convenient. read more
Public transport...
Public transport is often minimal as busses usually are not on time, and there isn’t a specific tracker unlike other cities such as london or Birmingham. read more
Hatfield in Hertf...
Hatfield in Hertfordshire is a town that has a mix of positive and negative aspects. While it is close to London and has good transport links, the town itself can sometimes lack in amenities and things to do. The shopping options are limited, and the nightlife can be quiet. However, the university, University of Hertfordshire, is a well-regarded institution, and its presence has led to an influx of students, providing a young and diverse population. But, some residents may feel that the student population has changed the character of the town and has contributed to a noisy and chaotic atmosphere at times. Overall, Hatfield is a town that is suitable for those who are looking for a quiet and but not so affordable place to live close to London, but it may not be the best option for those seeking a vibrant and bustling town with plenty of entertainment options. read more
Excellent service...
Excellent service provided by the team read more
Easy and good liv...
Easy and good living. Shops around for students and to make food shopping easier. read more
Super easy town t...
Super easy town to her around, local galleria read more
Transport in Hatf...
Transport in Hatfield is a myth, walking and driving are probably the best options read more
hatfield is a nic...
hatfield is a nice calm little town but it needs better restaurants read more
Hatfield is a sma...
Hatfield is a small little town. read more
Clean area, good...
Clean area, good supermarkets, good transport read more
Would recommend v...
Would recommend venturing out into the near by citys for shopping read more
Plenty of superma...
Plenty of supermarkets and one decent pub. read more
Hatfield is quite...
Hatfield is quite expensive for what it is. The university makes the town, it is the only source of nightlife other than a Wetherspoons. The university has a couple of bars and a nightclub on campus. Hatfield does have the galleria which is a large shopping centre and it has very good train links with London so you can easily go for the day. There are some nice restaurtants in Hatfield but just not a huge selection of independant ones. read more
Good transport in...
Good transport into London so you can get out but the town itself is run down and boring. read more
Town is a dump. N...
Town is a dump. No where close is interesting. Just campus for this uni read more
Train station nea...
Train station near by, galleria is convenient read more
First year at thi...
First year at this uni, during the pandemic has been somewhat kind of a nightmare. Before the pandemic hit, the on campus accommodation that I lived in had many technical issues! One of those was the vacuum that was already broken before me and my housemates had moved in. When Covid hit, I had to leave my contract early, and the university withheld my security deposit within any actual reason and enforced a damage fee on my household individually which was very heartbreaking. At one point they still wanted students to pay for a full term even if you decided to leave the university and head back home! We have been very vocal on our disappointment on how they have handled their students this year, hopefully they’ll do something about this and comeback with better grace for the following year. I have emailed just recently in regards to receiving my security deposit back as the pandemic has hit myself and family hard and employment is becoming hard to find. I’m due to just transferring! read more
The town is very...
The town is very boring and there isn’t much to do. Thank god that London is close read more
Galleria and 20 m...
Galleria and 20 mins train ride from London read more
Depressing, nothi...
Depressing, nothing to do and very overpriced. Walking alone in Hatfield makes you feel quite unsafe due to quite a lot of dodgy characters in the area and close to the university. Public transport used to be pretty decent but the bus service (UNO) has had some budget cuts recently, therefore making transport more expensive and less frequent. On the plus side, you are about 25-30 minutes away from London (so that's something I guess!) read more
Great shopping ma...
Great shopping mall and plenty of nightlife read more
The town centre h...
The town centre has improved over the last 6 months, more shops open. Nightlife is non-existent unless you want a pub, no wine bar/music venue unless you want to party at university events. Public transport is unreliable and poor in the sense that the buses work on a 30 minute basis in South Hatfield and stop as early as 9pm, as for weekends; not even the the most reliable 614 works on a Sunday. So you are left to walk from the train station or pay for incredibly expensive taxis. The Galleria is a decent place to shop for reduced price clothing and homewares but the town centre has only a New Look and a Peacocks, enough said! The Galleria also provides an adequate service for places to eat, all high street big chains i.e. Nandos, McDonalds,Prezzo,Chiquito etc If you are from African/Caribbean heritage there are few hair salons and product shops, but do not let looks deceive you, the one next to the the school wear shop is better for customer service and pricing. read more
Good variety of r...
Good variety of restaurants nearby at the galleria that are affordable on a student budget. Majority of nights out are spent at the forum but there are opportunities to get a bus to Oceania from college lane campus. Galleria also have good shops. Public transport isn't brilliant, uno buses arnt very reliable and the shuttle bus is often full. read more
Cost of living is...
Cost of living is okay - but then again I am in Uni accommodation The Galleria is good for eating out. Plenty of good restaurants. Unfortunately there are basically no good clothes shops for a good bit of retail therapy. I don't use public transport that much but apparently the Uno buses are not very reliable. read more
Hatfield is cheap...
Hatfield is cheap to live in and it is well located being only 15 minutes away from St.Albans and less than 30 minutes to Kings Cross in London. However the only aspect of nightlife is the forum and club Dehav on campus and eating out is severely limited. On the plus side Hatfield does have the Galleria and some fantastic outlet shops. The public transport is the worst that I have seen in England, however, there are plenty of bicycle paths and everything you will need is in a quick walking distance so public transport is not necessary. The only exception are the University shuttle buses which are free in between the campuses. read more