Undergraduate accommodation

Ensuite

Ensuite rooms come with your own private bathroom facilities within your room. In most cases this will be a wet room, while some accommodation offers a separate shower tray with a sliding door or splash guard.

Why choose an ensuite room?

• Your own private bathroom
• No need to coordinate shower times with flatmates
• Extra privacy, which can feel reassuring when you’re first settling in.

Ensuite rooms are often popular with students who are new to shared living or who value having their own space.

Good to know

• Ensuite rooms cost a little more than shared bathroom options
• You’ll be responsible for day-to-day cleaning of your bathroom
• Toilet roll isn’t provided, so remember to factor this into your budget
• Ensuite rooms are popular - we can't guarantee availability.

Not sure which option is right for you?

Many students tell us that, in retrospect, they wouldn’t have minded sharing bathroom facilities with their flatmates. If you’re weighing up the extra cost or feeling unsure, it’s worth considering some shared bathroom options too - they’re a great way to save money and are a common choice across our accommodation.

Other considerations

When thinking about bathroom type, it might be worth asking yourself:

• do you have an ensuite currently at home?
• are you prepared to clean it?
• do you have the additional budget to cover one?

If you need an ensuite bathroom for health, welfare or mobility reasons, you should let us know as soon as possible. Given sufficient evidence, we’ll do our best to reserve one for you - find out how on our additional requirements webpage.

Shared bathrooms

Shared bathroom rooms are a great way to save money while still having access to clean, convenient bathroom facilities. Bathrooms are located close to your bedroom (usually in the corridor or hallway) and are shared with other members of your flat. You can find out how many students you’ll be sharing with on each college’s accommodation page.

Why choose a shared bathroom room?

• Lower cost compared to ensuite options
• Bathrooms cleaned every weekday by our cleaning team
• Toilet roll provided
• Individually lockable toilets and showers, used by one person at a time
• Your own washbasin in your room

Shared bathroom rooms are a popular choice and offer good value for money, especially if you’re happy sharing facilities with your flatmates.

Good to know

• Since bathrooms are shared, you’ll need to take your wash items back to your room after using them
• Bathrooms are shared with other students in your flat, so being considerate of others helps keep things running smoothly.

There are multiple toilets and showers per flat, and because students tend to keep different schedules, waiting is rarely an issue.

Many students find that sharing bathroom facilities is much easier than they expected. If you move into the private sector in your second year, you’ll usually be sharing bathrooms with your housemates too - so this can be a good way to get used to shared living early on.

Catered rooms

Whatever accommodation you’re in, you’ll have access to a shared kitchen with other members of your flat or house. If you choose catered accommodation, you’ll live with other students who are catered too.

If you’re in a catered room, you’ll be served a breakfast and evening meal every weekday (Monday to Friday, during term time) in your college canteen. Simply turn up, choose from the variety of meals available, and swipe your University card at the checkout. You can eat together in the dining hall or take your meal away - it’s completely up to you.

Why choose a catered room?

• Breakfast and evening meals cooked for you during the week
• A variety of meal options available each day
• Less cooking to think about during your first year
• A sociable way to meet other students in your college
• Better value than buying the same meals individually

Catered rooms can be a great option if you want to settle into university life without worrying too much about weekday meals.

Good to know

• Catered rooms cost around £40* per week more than self-catered rooms
• Meals are redeemable in one catering outlet
• You’ll still need to organise your own lunches and weekend meals
• Shared kitchens may be slightly smaller, as they’re used less frequently

You’ll also be saving money (around 17%) compared to buying the same number of meals individually from our catering outlets.

If you’re unsure whether catered accommodation is right for you, it’s worth considering whether you’d be happy cooking breakfast and evening meals during the week - and whether you’d prefer the convenience of meals being ready for you.

Other considerations

Nursing and midwifery students

You will not be able to apply for catered room. As you’ll be doing placements throughout your course, we wouldn’t want to charge you for meals you might miss.

Fairfax House - light breakfast

Although this is catered accommodation, you won’t have your breakfast in the Vanbrugh Dining Room - instead, you’ll have a continental style breakfast, with fewer cooked options, served in the Fairfax House dining hall. This means that these rooms are slightly cheaper, and your breakfast will be conveniently closer to home!

• Find out more about catering, menus and dietary requirements.

* Prices are averages and correct as of 2025

Self-catered rooms

If you’re in a self-catered room, you’ll prepare your own meals in your shared kitchen or choose to buy individual meals from our catering outlets. This option offers more flexibility around what and when you eat.

Self-catered rooms usually come with larger shared kitchens, as you’ll be using them more regularly.

Why choose a self-catered room?

• Freedom to cook and eat whatever you like
• A good option if you enjoy cooking or want to develop your skills
• More independence and flexibility
• Potential to save money if you plan meals carefully
• Cooking with flatmates can be a great way to socialise

Self-catered accommodation suits students who like having full control over their meals and don’t mind spending a bit more time cooking.

Good to know

• You’ll need to plan, cook and clean up after your own meals
• Buying individual meals regularly can work out more expensive, although you may be able to save with the Meals in Advance Deal
• Shared kitchens are used more often, so being considerate of others is important

Top tip: You can order online groceries to be delivered to your nearest reception. Chipping in together with your flatmates will help spread the cost of delivery and save you a walk with heavy bags.

Other considerations

Campus East - weekly college meal

All rooms on Campus East (Anne Lister, David Kato, Langwith, Goodricke and Constantine) are self-catered. However, for first year undergraduates, one weekly college meal is included in the price. One day a week (depending on your college) you can redeem one evening meal from the Piazza Building canteen, located centrally on Campus East. This is a good opportunity to get out and meet some students from your wider college community, and have a break from cooking dinner.

The Meals in Advance Deal (MAD)

MAD can be a good option for those unsure about which catering option to pick. In effect, it lets you turn your self-catered room into a catered room on a termly basis. You’ll save up to 18% compared to buying the same meals individually.

You’ll have the added flexibility of being able to redeem your meals at three different catering outlets across campus. However, you won’t be living with other catered students, so you won’t have quite the same social experience as in a catered room.

If you’d like that added flexibility, or maybe just want to not have to worry about cooking during exam season - and want to save some money, this might be the option for you.

• Find out more about Meals in Advance