Accommodation

One of the major attractions of Lucy Cavendish College is the provision of accommodation for all undergraduates who need it at the start of the academic year.

Each study/bedroom is furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, shelves, wardrobe and chest of drawers. Each kitchen has a cooker, fridge/freezer, sink, cupboard, kettle, microwave and toaster as standard.

We aim to accommodate all new undergraduates on the main College site, subject to availability.

Accommodation for new undergraduates

On-site rooms: Oldham Hall, De Brye, Bertram, Warburton, Strathaird, Whinside, Fossedene, Gables, Albion Yard.

Accommodation for returning undergraduates

Near-site rooms: Histon Road, Wolfson Court, Mount Pleasant Halls.

You will find more information in the 'on-site rooms' and 'near-site rooms' drop-downs below.

The College aims to accommodate all graduates who seek single accommodation for the first three academic years (October - September) of their course, subject to availability. Graduates are allowed to live in College accommodation for a maximum of 9 terms over the course of no more than three academic years. Graduates are accommodated in a variety of houses situated within walking and cycling distance of College, most of which are within 1 mile of the main College campus.

Apartments

Please note that the one bedroom apartments are intended for couples and the two bedroom apartments are intended for families - students fitting this criteria will take priority.

Accommodation for new graduates

Near-site rooms: Mount Pleasant Halls, Histon Road, Madingley Road, Chesterton Road, Castle Street (Collegiate).

Accommodation for returning graduates

Near-site rooms: Mount Pleasant Halls, Histon Road, Madingley Road, Chesterton Road.

You will find more information in the 'on-site rooms' and 'near-site rooms' drop-downs below.

College Campus Accommodation

Most first year undergraduates live on the College campus itself. Here are some of the options:

De Brye, Bertram and Warburton Hall offer modern rooms with en-suite showers and shared kitchen facilities - usually with one kitchen between four to six students.
Oldham Hall has two-bedroom ‘sets’, where two rooms share a bathroom and kitchenette as well as a couple of en-suite single rooms.
Strathaird is a converted Victorian villa. Large rooms are spread across the building, with bathrooms and kitchen facilities shared between four to nine students.
Whinside House is an early 20th century, gabled, brick building converted into 15 student bedrooms with access to shared kitchen and bathrooms.
The Gables has rooms of varying size set over two floors, kitchen and utility room on the ground floor and a large living room with comfy sofas with views over the mature garden.
Fossedene is a period red-brick building with spacious rooms, shared kitchen with utility area and living room.
Albion Yard is a three-storied accommodation in a very convenient location for the main College site. There are five bedrooms sharing two bath/shower rooms and a shared kitchen and living area.

On-site room plans (where available) can be found using the link below

On-site room plans

Mount Pleasant Halls

Mount Pleasant Halls is a new student accommodation complex, conveniently located just around the corner from the main College campus. Rooms are a generous size and all benefit from an en-suite shower room with excellent access to shared kitchens, on-site porters’ lodge, launderette, IT hub room and cycle parking. It consists of five buildings, centered around two courtyards. Lucy Cavendish rents block E from St Edmund’s College. There are 63 ensuite rooms and 9 studio flats. The studios are available to returning undergraduate students that need couples accommodation.

Ground Floor – Studio flat E-0101, cycle storage, laundry, common room

Fifth Floor – Studio Flats E-5101-E5104, E-5201-E-5204

Each floor is accessible by lift.

Histon Road

Many of our students live in a bright and modern apartment block on Histon Road. This student centre is a purpose built student accommodation block with laundry room and common room. It has bike sheds and gardens, local shops opposite and is a fifteen minute walk from the College and the city centre. All rooms are en-suite, with large kitchens shared between three to ten students, and a large common room. There are four one-bedroom and four two-bedroom apartments suitable for couples and families, each with a bathroom, kitchen facilities and a living/dining area.

Blocks A and C are available to returning undergraduate students as well as the couples and family accommodation in block D.

Block A contains 19 en-suite bedrooms

Ground Floor – A0-1 - A0-3 laundry and kitchen

First Floor – A1-1 - A1-6 and kitchen

Second Floor – A2-1 - A2-7 and kitchen

Third Floor – A3-1 - A3-3 and kitchen

Block C contains 25 ensuite bedrooms

Ground Floor – C0-1 - C0-7, kitchen, common room & toilets

First Floor - C1-1 – C1-10 and kitchen

Second Floor - C2-1 – C2-8 and kitchen

Block D contains 8 flats and 5 single rooms. The flats are available to returning undergraduate students in need of couples or family accommodation. The occupancy term for all flats is 12 months. The single rooms in this block are reserved for graduate students. Each flat has its own kitchen and bathroom.

Ground Floor – Flat 1 (2 bed), Flat 2 (1 bed), Flat 3 (1 bed), Flat 4 (2 bed)

First Floor – Flat 5 (2 bed), Flat 6 (1 bed), Flat 7 (1 bed), Flat 8 (2 bed)

Wolfson Court, Clarkson Road

Wolfson Court is a student accommodation block, set over three floors where rooms face inwards towards the courtyard. The rooms on the first and second floor have recently been refurbished. The site benefits from a porters’ lodge open during each weekday. Lucy Cavendish rents one block (47 rooms) from St John’s College. The rest of the complex will be inhabited by students from other colleges.

Ground Floor – 15 rooms including 1 ensuite. 2 kitchens, 3 bathrooms & 3 toilets

First Floor – 16 rooms including 2 ensuites, 2 kitchens, 3 bathrooms and 3 toilets & common room

Second Floor - 16 rooms including 2 ensuites, 2 kitchens, 3 bathrooms and 3 toilets & common room

Castle Street (Collegiate)

Castle Street (Collegiate) accommodation comprises ensuite studios each with double bed and a small kitchenette. The accommodation is well located just a 5 minute walk from the main college site and a 12 minute walk from the centre of town. In addition to the very comfortable studio accommodation you can also enjoy the large communal conservatory for meeting friends, equipped with a pool table and table tennis

Madingley Road and Chesterton Road

The College also offers accommodation in off-site houses located between 5 and 20 minutes’ walk from the College:

Madingley Road is a four bedroom house with shared kitchen, bathroom, shower room and utility area. It has a lovely garden at the back of the house and is ideally situated for the West Cambridge site and within easy reach of the main College site. There are no ensuite rooms in this building.

Ground Floor – Kitchen, lounge, shower/utility room

First Floor – Rooms 1 -4, shower room with sink and toilet.
Chesterton Road is a vibrant area of the city with many amenities close by including a supermarket, bank, hairdressers, farm shop, pubs, bicycle shop and cafés. This is a 9 bedroom house with one fellow’s flat.

Ground Floor: Self-contained flat, large lounge/diner, kitchen and laundry room.
Room 1            Small room

Room 2            Small room

Room 3            Small room

Room 4            small, narrow room.

Bathroom and separate toilet

1st Floor:

Rooms 5          large rooms with shower and washbasin

Rooms 6          large rooms with shower and washbasin

2nd Floor:

Rooms 7          with shower and washbasin

Rooms 8          with shower and washbasin

Room 9            Small room

Shower room and toilet

Near-site room plans (where available) can be found using the link below

Near-site room plans

Undergraduates

Accommodation is available for nine months only October-June.

Clinical medical students and students on the Cambridge Graduate Medical Course

Accommodation for clinical medical students and students on the Cambridge Graduate Medical course is for the full calendar year, in accordance with the requirements of the course, if required (though not necessarily in the room you occupied during term).

Graduate Students - including LLM, PGCE, Clinical Veterinary Students

Please read the following carefully in order to ascertain which arrangements apply to your course:

Graduate students on one year courses

All graduate students on one year courses will be given an accommodation licence in line with the specific length of their course. Licences can be 9, 10, 11 or 12 months in duration. Your course is finished at the point when you have handed in your last piece of work, e.g. an MPhil dissertation, or when you have sat your last exam, or if you have sat any compulsory viva.

Please ensure that you check the end date on your occupancy licence to make sure that it is correct for your course dates, before signing and returning.

Graduate Students on all other full-time courses

The College gives priority in accommodation matters to all incoming first-year students new to Cambridge, including first year PhD students and those on one-year courses, especially to those who are coming from overseas. From the second year, accommodation is offered according to availability. The College is able to offer graduate students a maximum of three academic years (October - September) in College accommodation. Graduate students who expect to be studying for more than three years will need to find accommodation outside College for at least one year, and may wish to arrange this during a year other than their last.

Part-time Students

Part-time students are not required by the University to reside within the ‘precincts of the University’ and the College cannot routinely offer students in this position accommodation. However, every effort will be made to help part-time students who seek temporary short-term accommodation. Those who wish to stay in College for short periods of time during vacations should check availability with the Domestic Bursary as early as possible.

All part-time students are encouraged to participate as much as possible in College life, and to make use of the College facilities, which can be accessed at any time with their University ID card.

Accommodation steps:

The Admissions Office will send you a link to an accommodation form where we will ask you some accommodation preferences. You will receive this by the end of March. The deadline for completing the form will be the end of May.
You will receive confirmation from the Domestic Bursary that your accommodation form is being processed by mid-June.
Rooms will be provisionally allocated in the 3rd and 4th week of August, after A’Level results have been published. We will request your room and key deposit at this time.
You will receive an occupancy licence for your room by the end of August. The deadline to return this will be 1 week after you receive it.

Important:

Please pay your deposit and accept your licence by the deadline.
Regularly check both your personal and Cambridge University emails for important information from College
Please pay your rent in accordance with the deadline set by the Bursary.

When will I find out about my room?

We aim to notify you of the building you have been allocated by the last week of August. You may not find out the specific room you have been allocated until later on as some adjustments to allocations are often required. If you have returned your accommodation offer form by our deadline a room will be reserved for you. The deposit must be received and your licence returned before the room allocation is confirmed.

The deposit will be returned to you at the end of your final tenancy in College less any necessary deductions for outstanding rent, damage or extra cleaning charges, as applicable.

The College reserves the right to make changes in the allocation of rooms if circumstances dictate. For example, a student that has been allocated an accessible room who does not have accessibility requirements may need to change rooms should a student with specific needs require their specially modified room. The College reserves the right to terminate the occupancy at any time in cases of behaviour prejudicial to the welfare of the community.

Moving in

You will be given a date to move in so please look out for this in the information sent to you from the Admissions and Tutorial Offices.

If you need to arrive in Cambridge earlier than the date you have been given by us, you may need to seek alternative accommodation until your moving in date. Please bear this in mind when booking travel.

The College cannot offer you early check-in unless you must attend a compulsory pre-course or induction – exceptions may be considered in extreme circumstances but early room availability cannot be guaranteed. Students who must attend a compulsory pre-course or induction can move in one day before the course begins.

All rooms are offered on a continuous rental basis and there is no requirement for you to move out of your room over the Christmas and Easter holiday periods. There will be no rental refunds issued for any time spent away from your room for any reason, within your occupancy period.

Moving Out

Please make sure that your room is left clean, tidy and all rubbish and belongings are removed. Keys must be returned to the Porters’ Lodge by 10am on the day of departure. Once all room inspections have been carried out the deposit will be returned to you minus any necessary deductions, this process can take up to 4 weeks from the room inspection. If you are planning to stay in College accommodation the following academic year, we will keep your deposit until the end of your final occupancy period.

Room Ballot

Returning students may choose a room by Ballot at the end of the Lent Term/start of Easter Term. A guide to how the Room Ballot works can be found below.

Room Ballot Guide

A £500 room and key deposit will also be required before you can move in to your room or £950 for a flat. Information on how to pay your deposit will be sent to you in early September. Deposits are paid back at the end of your final tenancy within 4 weeks of the room inspection taking place after your final departure. Please note that the room & key deposit will only be returned by the Bursary after the return of all keys issued and payment of all licence fees, damages and other charges reasonably levied by the College.

Rent Payment Dates for 2021/2022 will be:

1st Payment due by: As advised in correspondence from the Bursary

2nd Payment due by: 31st December 2021

3rd Payment due by: 31st March 2022

4th Payment due by: 30th June 2022

Information on how to pay your rent will be included with each bill.

Rent Band table

Room comparison table

Accommodation may not be granted to returning students who are in debt to the College. Failure to pay rent may result in the tenant being asked to vacate their room on being given a fortnight’s notice. When the debt is cleared, the tenant may re-apply for a room but no guarantee is given that a room will be available.

Council Tax

Living in College or with other students
Full-time students living in College, or in accommodation with other students, are exempt from Council Tax. The Tutorial Office will provide you with a letter from the College, which you should use to prove you are exempt.

Living out of College with non-students
Where students share accommodation with non-students, students are not liable for Council Tax but their non-student housemates are. There are strict rules about being liable for Council Tax. If you are in any doubt, or receive a bill, you should check the position with your local Council Tax Office without delay.

Towards the end of each term, we contact you and ask you to let us know the date on which you intend to vacate your College accommodation and the date on which you will return for the start of the new term. We will ask you to complete an online form.

We require this information for Health & Safety and security reasons. We may also use this information to help us plan necessary maintenance.

If you are leaving your room, please remember to turn your lights off and your heating down and please keep us informed of any subsequent changes.

The attention of students in College accommodation is drawn to the rules and regulations within the Occupancy Licence. The Occupancy Licence sets out what the College as landlord and the student as tenant can reasonably expect of each other. By accepting an offer of accommodation, you agree to be bound by the rules in the Occupancy Licence.

Dates of occupancy (2021/2022)

Whole academic year: 01/10/2021 - 24/06/2022

No College rooms will be available for occupation before 01/10/2020 or after 24/06/2021 unless specially arranged and only if your course officially starts early. Proof of this will be required.

Conditions of occupancy during the vacations

Undergraduates and Graduates on 9 month courses

Undergraduates and graduates on 9 month courses keep their rooms over the Christmas and Easter vacations but must vacate and clear their rooms by 10am on 24/06/2022.

Undergraduates graduating at the end of the Easter Term

Undergraduates graduating at the end of the Easter Term may request accommodation until 10am on the day after General Admission or request a room just for this night. Every effort will be made to accommodate them but not necessarily in the room occupied during the academic year. They should return the appropriate form to the Domestic Bursary as requested. Rent will be payable at the normal rate for each additional night in accommodation.

Graduates

Graduates keep their rooms over the Christmas and Easter vacations. The length of your occupancy licence will be determined by your course length and will end on one of the following dates:

24/06/2022

24/07/2022

28/08/2022

25/09/2022

During the Long Vacation, graduates requiring an accommodation extension may need to move to rooms off-site but the College will not be able to confirm their location until "Going Down" forms have been returned at the beginning of June. Please note that if students move into a house over the weekend, and the previous occupants are still in residence, or have just left, cleaning of the communal areas will not take place until the following week; this should not present a problem if the previous occupants have cleaned kitchens and bathrooms to the required standard. Any general end-of-term maintenance will take place as soon as possible, although it may not all have been completed by the time students move in.

If you have chosen not to live in College accommodation, you will be responsible for finding your own accommodation in Cambridge, and useful information can be found on the University of Cambridge Accommodation Service website:

www.accommodation.cam.ac.uk

As a student living out of College you are encouraged to use the Paul Paget Room (Common Room), Oldham Hall as a place to socialise. The Nautilus Café is is situated in the conservatory area as well as food and drink vending machines. You are also encouraged to use the dining hall for lunch and supper as often as you choose.

You will be given priority in respect of Library lockers and should speak to Library staff about this. You are also welcome to use the washing facilities in Bertram House and Oldham Hall and the gym.

Wherever you choose to live, you must keep your Tutor, the Tutorial Office, and the Porters’ Lodge informed of your current address and update your CamSIS Self Service page. Your tutor must know at all times where you can be located.

Please note that currently, due to COVID-19, guests are not permitted in College.

Residents are permitted to have one guest to stay in their room for a limited period when they are themselves in residence. Please see guest rules below:

Guests are not permitted to stay on a regular basis.
Guests should not stay for more than three nights at a time.
Guests should not stay on more than four separate occasions in any 3 month period.
College members must be in residence with their guest.

Exceptionally, if a resident wishes a guest to stay longer, up to five nights in total, application for permission must be made in advance through the Domestic Bursar to the Senior Tutor.

The Student Union has four guest beds available for rent. The charge is £4 per bed per night or £10 for three nights, payable in advance. If you are late returning your bed, you will be charged for any additional nights. Beds are available on a first come, first served basis and cannot be booked in advance. Further details on guest bed rental can be found in the Porters Lodge.

The College has a guest room available to rent out during term-time. Please note that we require a full 7 days' notice from the start of your booking (UK time) if you need to cancel. The full charge will be made for any bookings not cancelled within this time.

Please contact the Domestic Bursary for further information.

Please read the Terms & Conditions