Accommodation Information
The College subscribes to the Code of Practice for the Management of Student Housing as issued by the Universities UK/SCOP.
Undergraduate Accommodation
Graduate Accommodation
Accommodation Charges
Licence Agreements
Room Keys
Heating
Personal Belongings Storage
Visitors & Guest Rooms
Undergraduate Accommodation
Murray Edwards College is able to offer college accommodation to almost all undergraduates, including fourth years, in the main buildings or nearby hostels, though a few students opt to live in privately rented accommodation. There are many categories of undergraduate rooms, from ensuite rooms in Buckingham House and Pearl House, through split-level and single rooms in the Old Block (the larger of which are sometimes shared by pairs of students) to rooms in various college-owned or college-leased houses. Rents vary to reflect the overall attractiveness of different rooms, and are also designed to allow a measure of individual control over accommodation costs.
First-year undergraduates are normally expected to live in College so that they have a proper opportunity to become part of the community. First years will usually be allocated ensuite rooms.
For students entering their second or later years a room draw is conducted in Lent Term to establish the order in which you then choose a room. The overall organisation of College rooms is the responsibility of the Rooms Tutor but most matters of detail are dealt with by the Accommodation Office.
For details of Undergraduate College rooms and policies, please go to the Home from Home Guide. For information about "Keeping Term", please click here.
Graduate Accommodation
The College aims to offer single accommodation to all new graduate students in their first year. Most graduates are accommodated in Canning & Eliza Fok House, which is located within the main College grounds with some further accommodation available in nearby houses. Unfortunately, the College has no suitable accommodation for couples or families.
Graduates (except those on 9- or 10-month courses) are normally expected to rent their rooms for the full period from the beginning of October until the end of their course or 15 September, whichever is the longer; no rent rebates are made in respect of periods of absence, even if they occur during University vacations.
The College allocates rooms only when written confirmation from Student Registry that applicants have met all conditions of their offer is received.
Once an offer is confirmed, applicants will be asked to complete and return a College Acceptance Form, indicating interest in College accommodation. When applicants have met all of their conditions set by the Board of Graduate Studies, the Accommodation Manager will contact them directly with more details about accommodation. Closer to arrival, it's important to keep the College informed of date and approximate time of arrival so that rooms are ready.
Be aware of the University's residency requirements, also referred to as "Keeping Term". Information is available here.
Arrival to College is welcomed any time from September 16th. Any nights before the beginning of term (1 October) will be charged at a pro-rata rate.
For external accommodation, contact the University's central Accommodation Service. CUSU (Cambridge University Students' Union) and the Graduate Union also have information on their websites about finding accommodation, tenancy agreements, finances, etc. Please note that the University requires graduates to live within ten miles of the city centre; LLM students must live within three miles.
Accommodation Charges
Updated Undergraduate rents and charges are set out here and Graduate rents and charges here. For information about the payment of bills, please click here.
Licence Agreements
All Murray Edwards College rooms are the subject of Licence Agreements which set out the rights and responsibilities of the student and the College. You will be asked to sign the appropriate Graduate Licence (sample pdf) or Undergraduate Licence (sample pdf) .
Room Keys
You will be supplied with a key to your own room by the Porters; you should lock your room even if leaving it only for a short time, as attempts at theft are unfortunately not uncommon. You must return your key to the Porter when vacating your room at the end of each Term (for undergraduates) or when leaving for an extended period of time or at the end of your course (for graduates); a charge of £18 is made for a key lost or not returned. You must not have any copies made of your key.
Keys to public rooms (music rooms, art room, darkroom, etc.) are borrowed from the Porters' Lodge and must be returned immediately after use. A charge of £7 is automatically levied for failure to return a key within 24 hours of issue, and this is converted into a 'lost key' penalty of £18 after a total of 48 hours, though half of this will be refunded if the key is later found and restored.
Heating
Rooms in most buildings have electric central heating radiators and should not need supplementary heating. A standard charge is made in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms for heating.
All graduate rooms are centrally heated; please consult the Accommodation Office about supplementary heating if necessary. A standard charge is made for hot water and heating, and bills for additional use of electricity and gas are divided among the occupants of a house.
Utilities charges are taken on account at the start of each term and will be adjusted at the end of the year. For details of utility charges, please see the Accommodation Charges section above.
Personal Belongings and Storage
Please note that the security of property in College rooms is your own responsibility and the College does not accept liability for loss or damage to such property. You may be able to insure your possessions on your parents' household policy (which may be particularly good value for cycles). Otherwise you are advised to take out your own insurance, e.g. with Endsleigh, the NUS Insurance Company, or another company.
You must remove all belongings from your rooms over the vacations, and can only leave items in locked cupboards if provided over the Christmas and Easter Vacations.
Each student can leave a maximum of 1 trunk or 2 suitcases or 2 crates/boxes in the Trunk Store. No plastic bags, soft holdalls or loose items will be accepted.
The Trunk Store is open during the Accommodation Office hours, which are 07.30 - 15.30, Monday to Friday. If you are leaving at the weekend, you must bring your belongings to the Trunk Store the Friday before. You may nominate someone to obtain items from the Trunk Store on your behalf.
If you have a refrigerator in your room, you are responsible for removing it from your room during the vacations. We have very limited space to store overseas students' refrigerators; please see the Accommodation Office.
Visitors & Guest Rooms
Students may entertain visitors in their rooms at any time, and guests may stay overnight (though not for more than one or two nights at a time). However, to prevent unwanted intruders, students are asked to meet visitors who arrive between 11.00 pm and 6.00 am and accompany them to and from their rooms. The Porters have been asked to prevent unaccompanied strangers entering or leaving during these hours.
Students can book rooms for guests, via the Events Office [email: events@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk, tel: (7)62267].
Updated WK 4/13