Touchdown Staffordshire: The International Student Guide to Newcastle-under-Lyme

Luke Williams

If you’re on the hunt for a quieter university experience, then look no further than Newcastle-under-Lyme! This calm Staffordshire town sits on the edge of the Potteries and offers students a wonderfully relaxed home to enjoy life at Keele University. At Urban Student Life, we have a selection of properties available in the town from which you can make the most of this famous wooded campus. Today, we’re here to give International students the low-down on how to get to Newcastle-under-Lyme with ease. Let’s get into it!

Touchdown Staffordshire: The International Student Guide to Newcastle-under-Lyme

Tackling the Airport

You’ll likely arrive at Manchester Airport, and the university will meet you there. Keele offers a meet-and-greet airport transfer service from there, taking you straight to campus. For the January intake, the coach departs at 15:00 on 21st January 2027, so your flight needs to land before 14:00 to make sure you catch it. You can request a lift to campus up until the 10th January 2027; after that, you’ll have to make your own way there. Places are limited, and dependents are unable to travel.

Birmingham is your other overseas option. Once you’ve landed, simply head to Birmingham International before catching a train to New Street and beyond. There isn’t a shuttle service from Birmingham, so you’ll need to make sure you’ve planned your journey.

The Last Stretch

If you do arrive by train, chances are you’ll pass through Stoke. The largest city in the region is just 5 miles from campus, and a taxi can take you to Newcastle-under-Lyme in around 20 minutes. Of course, this is a more expensive method of travelling. To get to Stoke from Manchester by train, you’ll need to change at either Wilmslow or in Manchester itself. If you’re arriving from Birmingham, the journey to Stoke takes less than an hour by train.

Day-to-day Travel

Planning to venture into Stoke at the weekend? Well, you’ll need to know the buses that’ll get you there. For travel between Keele and Hanley, you’ll most likely take the number 25 bus, operated by First Potteries. It also stops at Stoke train station and Newcastle-under-Lyme, as well as outside the students’ union. To get home, you’ll find the stand outside of Stoke train station. As a student at Keele, you can take advantage of the ‘Keele Key’ ticketing scheme. For £450 per year, you can access unlimited bus travel, though you may want to wait until next year to buy one as the scheme began in September 2026.

Things to Cover on Day One

Your health should take priority over most over admin tasks. Firstly, register with Keele Practice (the campus doctor). The registration for this can be done before you leave home, so get ahead of the curve to beat the freshers’ week rush. If you have a prescription you need to transfer over, remember that while healthcare in England is free, you do need to pay for prescriptions in most cases. Your prescription will cost a set fee of £9.90 per item, but you cans secure a prepayment certificate for £32.05 for three months or £114.50 for a year. Contraception is free, though. So, if you’re taking the pill, you do not need to pay for it.

You should also look to set up a UK bank account as soon as you arrive, so that you can start to earn and save money with ease. For your first few days, it may help to have some cash or a pre-loaded debit card to see you through.

A Few Things to Bring

  • Your passport, and other forms of identification.
  • Your CAS statement, offer letter, and visa.
  • Some physical cash and a UK SIM card for your phone.
  • Any medication you take.
  • Personal items that can fit in your bag.

Making Life Easier

  • The Great Donate, Keele SU’s free reuse scheme, gives away used pots, pans, plates, cutlery and stationery from The Hub in the Students’ Union, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm.
  • Keele SU’s Safety Bus costs nothing, leaving from the car park in front of the SU every evening and early morning, with disabled access.
  • Keele’s taxi prices from campus are roughly £8 to Newcastle, £10 to Stoke station and £11 to Hanley.

Life in the UK may fell like it’s be about to begin, but it’s still a while before you’ll arrive in Newcastle-under-Lyme for 2027. That gives you time to plan your arrival and everything else that’ll make student life simple. Make sure your new home is waiting for you by securing a room in one of our fantastic student accommodation options in Newcastle-under-Lyme. We have a huge international student community, and cannot wait to welcome you to the midlands next year.