Accommodation

Reuben College currently has two accommodation sites, Farndon Court and the recently acquired Winchester Road Victorian Villas. 

Farndon Court is an apartment block with 96 bedrooms clustered in a variety of patterns, and Winchester Road is a set of 4 Victorian villas, which is offered on a mixed-sex, shared accommodation basis.

Single accommodation is offered to first year, full-time graduates who have paid the accommodation deposit. Where a room is referred to as ‘double’, this refers to the size of the room, as all rooms are for single occupancy only. With the exception of the accessible rooms, accommodation is allocated on a 'first-come, first-served' basis. If the demand for accommodation exceeds the number of rooms available, a waiting list will be kept. If the deadline for your academic conditions is after 31st July please get in touch with the Graduate and Admissions Administrator, admissions@reuben.ox.ac.uk

The Accommodation Handbook below sets out everything you need to know about living in College accommodation.

Key documents: 

If you have any further queries concerning accommodation, please contact the Accommodation office, accommodation@reuben.ox.ac.uk.

After you have received your offer from the Admissions Office, the Accommodation Office will send a link to our accommodation preference form. In this form, you will be asked to rank your accommodation preferences. 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. Please also note that a reservation fee of £200, payable within two weeks of receiving the offer, will be required to make your initial reservation for a room.

Processing responses can take a few weeks at peak times; responses will be handled in the order the forms are electronically submitted, with the exception of students who have accessibility or health needs. Accommodation is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, Accommodation is limited, and we cannot currently provide rooms for all incoming freshers. 

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

If you choose not to take up the accommodation or the graduate place you have been offered at Reuben College, the initial reservation fee payment will be refunded to you in full if you withdraw before 31 July. The fee is non-refundable if you withdraw after 31 July.

In August you will be sent an accommodation acceptance form to read and sign in conjunction with the licence to occupy and the student handbook and you will be asked to pay a deposit equal to a month’s rent (minus the £200 reservation fee you paid earlier), provided you have met all the conditions of your University offer and your financial conditions with the College.  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 for 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 receipt of your 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 a further offer can be made at a later date.

Please note: It is important that you continue to check your emails regularly during the summer in case we have to 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 where we can contact you. 

 

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.

Farndon Court and Reuben College map

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.

winchester road map

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

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

Information on pricing for Winchester Road can be found here.

 

Rent prices for the 2023/24 academic year
 

BAND DESCRIPTION NUMBER OF ROOMS 2023/24 MONTHLY RENT
A Large studio bedroom 1 £1,012.85
B Studio bedrooms or largest of the bedrooms sharing a kitchen and washroom with one other resident 12 £961.06
C Large bedroom sharing a washroom and kitchen with one other resident 8 £932.28
D Standard bedroom sharing a washroom and kitchen with one other resident 27 £903.51
E Large bedrooms sharing washrooms and a kitchen with seven other residents 12 £805.68
F Standard bedrooms sharing washrooms and a kitchen with seven other residents 21 £776.90
G Standard (single bed) bedrooms sharing washrooms and a kitchen with seven other residents 3 £753.88
H Small (single bed) bedrooms sharing washrooms and a kitchen with seven other residents 12 £632.81

 

Note: The two accessible rooms are reserved for students with special access requirements and, if so required, are priced at band E and F.

Furnishing and amenities: 

Farndon Court has a comprehensive CCTV monitoring system, a lift and access is via an electronic card swipe system. A caretaker resides on-site for urgent maintenance support. 

All bedrooms are at a minimum furnished with the following furniture:

  • Queen or Single sized bed. All beds in Farndon Court are UK queen size, except for the Band G and H rooms, which are UK single beds.  
  • Desk
  • Desk Chair
  • Chest of drawers
  • Desk lamp
  • Mattress and mattress protector
  • Waste bin
  • Pin board

Bathrooms: 

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 furnished with the following:

  • Oven and hob
  • Fridge with freezer compartment (cluster rooms will have separate fridge and freezer)
  • Kettle
  • Microwave

Communal areas are furnished with the following:

  • Sofas
  • Coffee tables
  • Dining table and chairs.

Note: The first, second and third floors have two common rooms each. (NB: The building also has a ground floor and fourth floor).

Other amenities provided in the building:

  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Pay-As-You-Go laundry
  • Bike rack
  • Communal garden

 

What's not included?

Residents are expected to provide their own bedding (including duvet and pillow), kitchen utensils and crockery/cutlery.

 

Students with Special Needs and/or Disabilities

The College welcomes students with disabilities. There are two accessible flats within Farndon Court, which are available to students with special access and/or health requirements. To discuss any requirements in relation to your accommodation, please contact accommodation@reuben.ox.ac.uk

Winchester Road Villas

The rooms on Winchester Road will be equipped with the same specification furniture as Farndon Court. There will be communal kitchens in which there will be white goods (fridge, cooker, washing machine, microwave) and the same equipment as described for Farndon Court. So you will need to bring with you exactly the same items as set out for Farndon Court in the Handbook. There will also be communal lounge/dining facilities.  

Both Accommodation Sites

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. If your course runs longer than 44 weeks, we will do our best to accommodate a longer tenancy. 

See details in our Licence to Occupy

2023/24 contract dates 

Contracts start from 25 September 2023 to and run to 1 July 2024 (for 40 weeks) or 29 July (for 44 weeks).

Arrival the week before 25 September 2023 is possible, with pro-rata rent charged for the days until 25 September, but no one will be permitted to arrive before 18 September.  

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.

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

 

The University’s Graduate Accommodation Office is responsible for the letting and management of University-owned Graduate Accommodation. They have various sites and properties throughout Oxford, 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 be be booked 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: accommodation@reuben.ox.ac.uk
Facilities Manager (Ray Hall): farndon.court@reuben.ox.ac.uk
WiFi issues: it.support@reuben.ox.ac.uk

 


Out of hours assistance

If you are locked out of the building or have an urgent building-related problem, contact Oxford Security Services: 01865 751605 or 07709984797

If you have security issues outside of normal working hours, contact Oxford University Security Services: 01865 289999