So you're coming to the University of Huddersfield to study?

Well, you've made a good choice.

It may not be the biggest university town but you will find Huddersfield to be one of the friendliest and least daunting.

Because of its compact size you're never more than a walk or a bus ride from where you want to be.

And Huddersfield is also pretty affordable so that loan will stretch a bit further.

The University of Huddersfield has grown substantially in recent years and as a result, the town has become increasingly geared towards students. In short, it means there are more places to live and go out which can only be good news for the Huddersfield student.

Our guide is far from comprehensive but it should give you the basics about where to live, eat, shop and enjoy yourself.

About the town

Huddersfield Town celebration parade in St George's Square
Huddersfield Town celebration parade in St George's Square

Huddersfield is one Britain's largest towns with a population of around 140,000.

It's a town that grew on the textile industry and in some places, the textile industry is still a major employer.

However, the town has been undergoing some major changes since the early 1980s and it is starting to reinvent itself as something of a university town.

About the university

New Huddersfield University Shorehead building.

It began in 1825 as Huddersfield Science and Mechanics' Institute and continued as a technical college until 1970 when it became a polytechnic.

The university was granted university status in 1992.

Today it has around 20,000 students, many of whom come from China, the Middle East and other far-flung locations.

It has two main campuses: to the south of Huddersfield town centre and at Storthes Hall which is approximately four miles southeast of the town centre.

Its chancellor is HRH The Duke of Yorkshire, Prince Andrew , in case you ever meet him. It used to be local boy-done-good Sir Patrick Stewart .

Get to Huddersfield

Train leaving Huddersfield railway station

Your parents will probably be driving you and your gear to your halls.

However Huddersfield Station has great train links between Hull, York, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. A direct train to London can be caught from nearby Mirfield and Brighouse stations.

National Express and the thrifty Megabus Plus also link Huddersfield to other major cities.

Where to stay

Aspley House, Firth Street, voted best student accommodation in Huddersfield.

Huddersfield has a wide variety of self-catered, university endorsed accommodation ; some of it is relatively basic but some of it isn't far off the standard you'd expect in a hotel , although the latter isn't cheap.

For more details visit the official University of Huddersfield website .

Where to buy essentials

King Street, The Piazza Centre
King Street, The Piazza Centre

Huddersfield isn't an expensive place to live and they are plenty of shops selling food, toiletries and other essentials nearby.

For example, there's a Lidl, off Castlegate, which is a stone's throw from the main university campus and an Asda and a Sainsbury's at Shorehead, opposite the main university buildings.

The Queensgate Market , The Packhorse Centre and Piazza are also good spots for buying cheap food and essentials.

Video Loading

Where to go out

Tokyo's Louie's Liquor Store

Ok - time for the important stuff.

Huddersfield isn't going to match the big cities for variety but the nightlife Huddersfield has is very student oriented. The town centre isn't massive so it's friendlier than the big cities and all the bars, pubs and club are located within easy walking (or staggering) distance of each other.

The main student-friendly venues include Tokyo's, Queen Street; The Camel Club , off John William Street; Revolution, on Cross Church Street; Rock Cafe, Victoria Lane; as well as Warehouse, Roxy Ballroom and The Zetland on Zetland Street.

If you like things a little less full on there are some great pubs and bars including Zephyr, Byram Street; Vox, Wood Street; Arcade Beers, Station Street; Head of Steam, at Huddersfield Station; and Maverick's, King Street.

For a bit of culture try the Lawrence Batley Theatre .

Freshers' Week

Tinchy Stryder will be playing Huddersfield University freshers' week
Tinchy Stryder will be playing Huddersfield University freshers' week

To give you a taste of the best of the town's student life, Huddersfield Student Union has a week of events.

Click here for tickets and all-in passes .

Here are a few highlights of the week-long event which begins on Monday 17 September.

Hudcomedy

What better way to ease yourself into uni life than with a bit of a giggle?

This year's Hudcomedy features Liverpool Comedian of the Year winner and English Comedian of the Year nominee, Adam Rowe.

Lawrence Batley Theatre

Tuesday 18 September (7pm to 11pm)

Hudcrawl

You're only a Fresher once - enjoy it!
You're only a Fresher once - enjoy it!

A crawl around eight of Huddersfield's top bars and clubs with entry to all included – plus cheap booze. There's a free t-shirt and Domino's pizza as part of the deal too.

It sells out every year so you'll need to be quick

September 17 (7pm)

Zetland Party

Zetland is the official Huddersfield Student Union's party venue and there'll be a bucking bronco, cheap drinks and a resident DJ playing tunes until the small hours.

Wednesday 19 September (11pm to 2am)

#TBT Back to School Party

Headlining this back to school themed party will be acclaimed grime artist Tinchy Stryder.

Tokyo

Thursday 20 September (10pm until late)

Hudlive

HudLive is back and much bigger than before with six huge headliners across five venues. There are live sets from Dappy, formerly of N-Dubz, indie-rock trio Little Comets plus DJ sets from Charlie Sloth, ex-Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, The Stickmen and Don Broco.

Various venues tbc

Friday 21 September