The short version
The university district around Prince of Songkhla University is a younger, more student-oriented neighbourhood where academic life, campus housing and student-focused services concentrate. It is quieter and more residential than downtown, with a different rhythm and a different demographic: the streets carry more university IDs than office workers.
This is a pleasant district for anyone who works at or studies at PSU, or for someone seeking a younger neighbourhood with cheaper rents and fewer tourists. It lacks the commercial polish of Nimman in Chiang Mai or the undeniable energy of downtown Hat Yai, but it offers something those places do not: a calm, settled routine where the evening pace is lower and weekends feel like weekends.
The academic rhythm
The university shapes everything here. Campus housing, student apartments, food vendors oriented toward student budgets and late-opening convenience stores all reflect that the primary population is temporary. This creates advantages: it keeps rents moderate and the atmosphere refreshingly honest about what a student neighborhood is.
It also creates a particular social world. Thai students predominate; expat residents are present but not numerous. The streets are safer than downtown but less cosmopolitan. Someone arriving from abroad without Thai language skill will find fewer English speakers and fewer people accustomed to expat needs. The neighbourhood assumes a visitor knows how to navigate a Thai university area and the small shops around it.
Who it suits
The university district suits younger arrivals, students, and anyone working in academia. It appeals to people comfortable with a younger demographic and with Thai-first institutions. It is less suitable for someone seeking expat community, or for those who need large retail establishments and tourist-oriented services nearby.
Would I live here?
For a short stay, especially as a student, absolutely. The combination of low cost, campus proximity and a genuinely local rhythm is hard to beat. For a longer stay as an older expat seeking familiar services and expat community, probably not. The trade-off is between the real costs and neighbourly routine of a university area and the convenience and community of places explicitly oriented toward foreign residents.