Merlin Heights is a 601-room student building at 75 Bath Lane, Leicester LE3 5AU, operated by Collegiate UK. It sits on the same street as the De Montfort University campus, with the walk to your lectures taking around five to eight minutes, and the building includes its own on-site Londis supermarket, which is one of the more genuinely useful PBSA features in the city. For University of Leicester students, Merlin Heights runs a free bus service to UoL, which closes most of the distance to the other campus.
That is the short version property pages give you. This guide goes further: what 601 rooms actually means for the experience inside the building, what the real reviews say across 105 verified entries on StudentCrowd, how prices compare with the rest of Leicester's PBSA market, and a direct comparison with the other major Leicester student building students often weigh up against this one.
Merlin Heights at a glance
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Collegiate Merlin Heights |
| Address | 75 Bath Lane, Leicester LE3 5AU |
| Operator | Collegiate UK |
| Capacity | 601 modern rooms |
| Room types | En-suite rooms (shared kitchen) and self-contained studios, with Gold tiers |
| Bills | Included (Wi-Fi, electricity, heating, water, contents insurance) |
| Price from | About £139 per week |
| DMU walking time | 5 to 8 minutes |
| University of Leicester | 20-minute walk or free bus from the property |
| Distinctive feature | On-site Londis supermarket |
| Review base | 105 verified student reviews on StudentCrowd |
Merlin Heights Bath Lane: the location
Bath Lane runs along the De Montfort University campus. Most DMU faculties are within a five to eight-minute walk of Merlin Heights, which makes this one of the closest serious purpose-built student addresses to DMU's teaching buildings. The riverside is right behind the property, Castle Gardens is a short walk away, and Highcross Shopping Centre and Leicester railway station sit within easy reach in the city centre direction.
For DMU students, the practical answer is straightforward: very few PBSAs in Leicester beat this on walking time. For University of Leicester students, the answer is "use the free bus," which Merlin Heights runs to UoL. The walk to UoL takes around 20 minutes, which is reasonable in good weather but a real consideration in winter. Leicester College's Freemen's Park Campus is also within walking distance, which makes the building work for college students too.
What 601 rooms actually means
This is the section property pages skip, and it matters. Merlin Heights is one of the larger student buildings in Leicester at 601 rooms, and scale changes the experience in three concrete ways.
You get genuinely useful on-site amenities that a smaller building cannot justify. The on-site Londis supermarket is the standout. Living above a corner shop sounds minor until you need pasta at 10pm on a Sunday. There is also a sky lounge with views, a games room, study spaces and a social events programme.
You get a built-in community by default. With 600+ residents, the social environment exists whether you opt in or not. Most reviewers describe this positively, but it is worth knowing if you are a quieter student who would prefer a smaller building with fewer flatmates.
You also get the realities of a busy building. Lift use at peak times, occasional noise from corridors, and the trade-offs of any large residence are part of the package. Reviews mention these honestly. The on-site team is generally praised for handling them.
Rooms and what you actually pay for
Merlin Heights offers two main room categories, each in tiers. En-suite rooms give you a private bedroom and bathroom with a shared kitchen and living area, which is the cheaper option and the more social one. Studios are self-contained with a private kitchenette and en-suite, which is the pricier and quieter option. Within each category, Gold tiers add size or finish.
For 2026/27, listings have shown rooms from around £139 per week on UniAcco, with studios and Gold tiers higher. Rent is genuinely all-inclusive: Wi-Fi, electricity, heating, water and contents insurance bundled in. The cleanest way to confirm pricing is to check the Collegiate UK website for the live rate on your exact room type and dates, then cross-check against an aggregator with cashback or vouchers applied.
Merlin Heights reviews: what 105 verified students say
This is one of the larger review pools for a Leicester PBSA, which makes the cross-platform picture genuinely reliable rather than a small-sample read.
Most consistent praise: the location for DMU, the on-site team, and the bills-inclusive simplicity. Reviewers mention the staff being friendly and quick to resolve practical issues (heating, key cards, parcels), and these small interactions show up repeatedly as the deciding factor in returning students' verdicts.
Strongly praised features: the sky lounge, the Wi-Fi reliability, the on-site Londis (mentioned often as a genuine daily-life perk), and the free bus service for University of Leicester students.
Most common criticism: noise, which is the standard trade-off of a 601-room building, particularly in en-suite cluster flats with bigger groups. Room placement within the building matters here, so it is worth asking about floor and orientation before you commit. Some reviews also flag the realities of communal kitchen sharing in larger flats.
The pattern is positive on balance. Across StudentCrowd and aggregator review pools, Merlin Heights reads as one of the more solidly run large PBSAs in Leicester, with the predictable downsides of scale rather than management issues.
The on-site Londis: actually useful
Almost every PBSA marketing page mentions location near shops. Few PBSAs have the shop inside the building. Londis at Merlin Heights stocks the daily essentials, opens late, and removes a real friction point for forgotten ingredients, late-night snacks or last-minute toiletries. Combined with the gym membership and the included bills, it is the sort of detail that quietly shifts the value calculation in this building's favour.
Pros and cons, honestly
Pros
- Genuinely close to De Montfort University, 5 to 8 minutes' walk
- 601 rooms means strong social density and on-site amenities a small building cannot match
- On-site Londis supermarket is an unusual and real day-to-day perk
- Free bus service for University of Leicester students
- 105 verified reviews give a reliable evidence base across multiple platforms
Cons
- Larger building means more noise potential, particularly in larger cluster flats
- Studios are noticeably pricier than en-suites
- A 20-minute walk to the University of Leicester unless you take the bus
- 51-week contracts may outrun a shorter academic calendar
- Aggregator and operator pricing can differ; always cross-check
Merlin Heights versus 22 Upperton Road and other Leicester options
The decision DMU students often face is Merlin Heights versus the other big DMU-side option, 22 Upperton Road. A direct comparison:
Merlin Heights is bigger, slightly farther on foot from DMU's heart (5 to 8 minutes versus 14 minutes for Upperton Road), but right on the edge of the city centre and railway station. It has the on-site Londis and a larger amenity stack. Starting prices are similar.
22 Upperton Road is studio-only, smaller, with Lidl and Starbucks literally on the doorstep and the Narborough Road food strip starting at the gate. It is operated by Sulets, DMU's own student housing partner.
Other Leicester PBSAs along Narborough Road and the city centre offer mid-range alternatives, including older buildings at lower rents. University halls are the cheapest legitimate first-year option.
The clean version: pick Merlin Heights if you want scale, social density and a wider room-type choice with a shop downstairs. Pick Upperton Road if you want a quieter studio-only building with the supermarket and food strip outside the front door. Pick a university hall if rent is the deciding factor.
In short
Merlin Heights Leicester is the most credible large-scale PBSA on Bath Lane and one of the strongest DMU-adjacent addresses in the city. The 601-room scale gives you on-site amenities a smaller building cannot match, with the predictable trade-off of more noise potential in busy flats. Reviews back up the building's reputation, the bills-inclusive simplicity makes it easy to budget for, and the on-site Londis is a quietly significant daily-life upgrade. If you study at DMU and you like the idea of a large, sociable, well-amenitised building, this is one of the right answers in Leicester.
FAQs
What is Merlin Heights in Leicester?
A 601-room student building at 75 Bath Lane, Leicester LE3 5AU, operated by Collegiate UK. It offers en-suite rooms in shared flats and self-contained studios, with all bills included and an on-site Londis supermarket.
Where is Merlin Heights Bath Lane Leicester?
At 75 Bath Lane, Leicester LE3 5AU, on the same street as the De Montfort University campus, around five to eight minutes' walk from DMU and a short walk from Leicester city centre, Highcross and the railway station.
How much is Merlin Heights Leicester?
For 2026/27, rooms have been listed from around £139 per week on aggregators, with studios and Gold tiers higher. Bills are included. Confirm the current rate on Collegiate UK's own page.
What do Merlin Heights reviews say?
Across 105 verified StudentCrowd reviews, the consistent praise is for the DMU location, the on-site team, and the bills-inclusive simplicity. The most common criticism is noise in larger cluster flats, which is the trade-off of a 601-room building.
Which universities is Merlin Heights near?
De Montfort University is 5 to 8 minutes' walk away. The University of Leicester is about 20 minutes on foot, with a free bus service from the property. Leicester College's Freemen's Park Campus is also within walking distance.
Is there a supermarket at Merlin Heights?
Yes. There is an on-site Londis supermarket within the building, which residents consistently cite as one of the genuinely useful daily-life perks.
Are bills included at Merlin Heights Leicester?
Yes. Rent is all-inclusive, covering Wi-Fi, electricity, heating, water and contents insurance.
Who operates Merlin Heights Leicester?
Collegiate UK, a premium student accommodation operator, manages the building. It is sometimes listed as Collegiate Merlin Heights for that reason.
