Accommodation

When you receive your College offer letter, it will contain details about the Accommodation Office. If you are interested in staying in Reuben College accommodation for your first year, the Accommodation Office will send you an 'accommodation preference' form.  Please note that accommodation is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We cannot provide rooms for all incoming students. 

Details of the various accommodation bands are provided below (see the 'Rooms and Provisions' tab), and are subject to change each academic year. We do our best to accommodate as many graduate freshers as possible and we try to align our offers with students’ preferences. However, please be aware that if you are offered accommodation, it may not match your first preference.

Upon receipt of your submission, the Accommodation Office will contact you to confirm whether you have been successful in obtaining a College room.

If you choose not to take up the accommodation or the graduate place you have been offered at Reuben College, please let us know as soon as possible to give another applicant the opportunity of staying in a College room. 

In July/August you will be sent an 'accommodation acceptance' form to read and sign in conjunction with the Licence to Occupy, and the Accommodation and Student Handbook. You will also be asked to pay a deposit equal to a month’s rent, provided you hold an unconditional offer, having met both the academic and financial conditions of your offer. The deposit will be held by the College and returned within 4 weeks of the end of your tenancy, unless we need use the deposit to cover any damages to the property or its contents; for replacing any of the contents which may be missing; any outstanding payments due, including rent, council tax and any other service charges; and compensation for any other breach of the student’s obligations under Clause 3 of the licence agreement. 

After receiving the accommodation acceptance form, you have 10 days to confirm that you accept the offer by returning the signed form together with your deposit. If you do not reply within 10 days, it will be assumed that you do not wish to accept the accommodation offer. If you do not accept the accommodation offer there is no guarantee that another offer can be made later.  

If you have questions regarding special requirements for accommodation, please contact the Accommodation Office. 

Please note: 

• It is important that you continue to check your emails regularly during the summer in case we contact you regarding your offer and/or accommodation. If your current contact email is expiring during the summer, please ensure that you let us have an alternative email address.
• If you wish to have a tenancy agreement issued early (from May), please let the Accommodation Office know. You will be asked to pay a deposit equal to a month’s rent within 4 weeks of receiving the tenancy agreement. If you do not meet academic or financial conditions by the deadline (in most cases 31 July), we will refund the deposit in full. 

Farndon Court is located north of the centre of Oxford at 133 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HW. It is about a 15 minute walk away from both the city centre and Reuben College's main site on Parks Road.

Winchester Road is at 3-6 Winchester Road, Oxford OX2 6NA. It is about a 10 minute walk away from both the city centre and Reuben College's main site on Parks Road.

Due to Oxford's small size, very few departments are more than a short walk or a few minutes cycle ride away. Most departments are located in the centre of the city, and college and university accommodation is not on a ‘campus’ but instead interspersed with other buildings found in many city centres such as shops, residential housing and parks.

Transport 

Oxford is a small, compact city. Much of the centre of the city is pedestrianised, and most students and residents choose to travel by bicycle or on foot.

There are also buses that serve the city for those who wish to travel further afield. A bus stop is located just minutes away from either accommodation site. The following buses serve this bus stop (from the city centre):

• 6 to Wolvercote
• S2 Gold to Carterton
• S3 to Chipping Norton or Charlbury
• 300 Park & Ride to Pear Tree Park & Ride

Many students choose to bring a bicycle, and there is cycle parking available. If you are bringing a bicycle, you must also bring a good set of lights, as these are compulsory by strictly enforced law when travelling after dark, and a secure lock. There are many bicycle shops in Oxford which sell new and second-hand bicycles.

Enjoying Oxford

There are many cafes, restaurants and grocery shops nearby. There is a pub, ‘The Anchor’, and a small grocery/deli shop nearby. There are more shops, restaurants and cafes in Jericho (included in the list of ‘101 Best Places to Live in Britain’ in 2019 by The Sunday Times) and North Parade, all about 5-10 mins walk away. The city centre and Summertown (north of Farndon Court) are about 17 minutes’ walk. For those who love green spaces, Port Meadow is a stone’s throw away from Farndon Court, a beautiful area for a long countryside jog or walk.

You can find more information about living in Oxford here.

Farndon Court has 96 rooms available for single graduates. The rooms are divided into pricing bands shown below. 

Rent prices for the 2024/25 academic year
 

Accessible Rooms 

The College is able to offer two ‘accessible’ rooms that have been refurbished with the needs of students with physical disabilities in mind. Priority will be given to students who have a student support plan evidencing their need, and they will be opened up for all students seeking accommodation later in the admissions cycle if they are not required by any such students.

The College is aware that disability adjustments may be recommended for students with seen or unseen disabilities such that certain college rooms would be more appropriate than others, and will seek to accommodate recommendations received through the University’s Disability Advisory Service as appropriate. In all cases, early discussion and disclosure with the College and Disability Advisory Service is recommended, and evidence of any recommendation for particular accommodation will be reviewed by either the College’s Disability Co-ordinator and/or Disability Lead to ensure parity of treatment. 

Furnishing and amenities: 

All beds in Farndon Court are UK queen size (‘small double’, 120cmx 190 cm), except for the Band G rooms, which have UK single beds (90 cmx190cm).   

Farndon Court has a comprehensive CCTV monitoring system, a lift, and access is via an electronic card swipe system. 

All bedrooms are at a minimum furnished with the following:

• UK Queen (Bands A*-F) or UK single sized bed (Band G only) with mattress
• Desk, desk chair and lamp 
• Chest of drawers
• Waste bin and pin board

Bedrooms in the 8-bed cluster flats each have a built-in sink in the room. The 8-bed clusters have two shower rooms, containing a toilet and sink, and an additional toilet. 

2-bed clusters share a bathroom, containing an shower, toilet and sink. 

Kitchens are equipped with a cooker/oven, fridge/freezer, kettle and microwave.

Communal areas are furnished with sofas, coffee tables, dining tables and chairs. 

Each 8-bed cluster has its own communal area, and there is an additional shared space on the ground floor. 

Other amenities provided at Farndon Court include pay-as-you-go laundry, bike racks, and a communal garden.  

All bills are included in the rent of single occupancy rooms. 

Bedding (bed sheets, duvets and pillows) kitchen utensils and crockery/cutlery is NOT included. 

Parking

Reuben College has limited parking at Farndon Court. Permission to park on accessibility grounds is granted only by agreement with the College's Disability Lead. It may occasionally also be possible (subject to capacity) for PGCE students to park during a period when teaching outside of Oxford, and for part-time students to park for a maximum of 3 nights. In these cases, please check in advance with the Accommodation Office.

Cleaning

Contract cleaners will clean the communal areas such as the common room along with the kitchen and washrooms within the 8 bedroom clusters and 2-bedroom flats in Farndon Court. In Winchester Road contractors will clean the communal areas. Students are responsible for their own washing up.  

The College provides shared cleaning equipment such as vacuum cleaners, ironing boards, buckets and mops for use by the students. Students will have to provide their own cleaning supplies. 

Students are responsible for the removal of all rubbish to the outside bins. Recycling bins are available for both general recycling and food waste. 

Students with partners and families

Regrettably, Reuben College currently has very limited partner and family accommodation. Please contact the Accommodation Office for details. 

Tenancy agreements

Reuben College tenancy agreements are available for are for 40 weeks or 44 weeks. 

See details in our Licence to Occupy. 

2024/25 contract dates

Contracts start from 30 September 2024 to and run to 7 July 2025 (for 40 weeks) or 4 August (for 44 weeks).

Arrival from 23 September 2024 is possible (pro-rata charges applicable), but no one will be permitted to arrive before 23 September 2024.  

Requests for arrival prior to that date can be made by emailing accommodation@reuben.ox.ac.uk.

Payment

Rent is payable monthly in advance at the beginning of each month via the University's Online Store: 

• Farndon Court payment portal

• Winchester Road payment portal

Residency Requirements for Graduate Students

College accommodation is only offered to first year students. If your course is longer than one year, you will need to find alternative accommodation and we recommend you start looking in Hilary Term of your first year, as accommodation in Oxford is in high demand.

Please note that it is a requirement of the University for full-time graduates to live no more than 25 miles from the city centre. Most graduates who are new to the city choose to live in College or University-owned accommodation as part of a welcoming graduate community

Cavalier Court

Reuben College has secured rooms for its students at Cavalier Court which is University-owned accommodation. All rooms are en-suite and about a 10-minute walk away from the John Radcliffe Hospital and a 10-minute cycle ride from the Churchill Hospital. 

Reuben students residing in Cavalier Court will receive a tenancy agreement from the University Graduate Accommodation Office and are subject to the rules and regulations specific to that accommodation. Please note that Cavalier Court is managed by the University Graduate Accommodation Office, but bookings must be made via the Reuben College Accommodation Office. If you experience any maintenance problems, you should report these directly to the University’s Graduation Accommodation Office. More information on Cavalier Court is available here: Cavalier Court | Graduate Accommodation (ox.ac.uk), including a virtual tour. 

Other University graduate accommodation

Please note that the University’s Graduate Accommodation Office offers accommodation in other locations and properties throughout Oxford to graduate students, ranging from study bedrooms to purpose-built sites housing singles, couples and families.

The University’s Graduate Accommodation Office allocates its accommodation on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications should be made as far in advance of the start of the academic year as possible, as the accommodation they have available tends to book up very quickly.

The University Graduate Accommodation Office can be contacted as follows:

Website: gradaccommodation.admin.ox.ac.uk 
Office Address: 6 Worcester Street, Oxford OX1 2BX
Telephone: 01865 280923
Email: graduate.accommodation@admin.ox.ac.uk

Main accommodation contact (Maxine Hobill): accommodation@reuben.ox.ac.uk
Farndon Court Facilities Manager (Ray Hall): farndon.court@reuben.ox.ac.uk
WiFi issues: it.support@reuben.ox.ac.uk

Out of hours assistance

For urgent matters (including being locked out of your building) please contact the Reuben College Lodge (phone 01865 616 477 or email lodge@reuben.college.ox.ac.uk) who will put you in contact with the correct person. 

In the unlikely occurrence of being unable to contact the Reuben College Lodge, for urgent security issues contact Oxford University Security Services: 01865 289999.