Student accommodation

College rooms

The College has 392 rooms available to students to rent; 269 in buildings making up the central college site surrounding the cricket field, and a further 123 in houses owned or managed by the College on residential streets in the local area. Most rooms are for single occupancy, though we have a few flats/studios available for couples.

Our Accommodation Guide 2024-2025 provides more information about our buildings and rooms.

Contact

To contact the Accommodation Manager please email rooms@hughes.cam.ac.uk.

Location maps

A Google Map showing the general location of Hughes Hall is available here. There is a map of the approximate locations of buildings and houses around the central site available here.

Room contents

All College rooms are provided with the following (unless indicated):

• Bed, mattress and mattress cover
• Desk, desk chair and desk lamp
• Bedside cabinet and armchair (majority of rooms)
• Wardrobe
• Chest of drawers (majority of rooms)
• Curtains or blinds/nets
• Bookcase
• Waste bin

Students are asked not to bring futons, sofas, or any other large items of furniture. Students are expected to supply their own bed linen, pillows, duvet, towels, coat hangers, cooking pans, crockery and cutlery. However, a bedding pack can be purchased and ordered in advance here.

If you note any faults (burns, scratches, etc.) when you take over the room, please report them to the Housekeeping team. They keep a comprehensive list on file for each room for reference, which may be viewed on request.

Accreditation

Hughes Hall accommodation meets the guidelines and codes laid down by ANUK. This is a voluntary accreditation scheme is an arrangement under which suppliers of rented housing voluntarily agree to meet a set of benchmark standards. The scheme is verified every 3 years by independent assessment. More information can be found at www.anuk.org.uk.

Policies and charges

College accommodation is priced by bands based on the floor area of the study-bedroom, whether or not the room has en-suite bathroom facilities, and the location. Details about bandings and charges for College rooms are available on the Student Centre Fees and Charges page.

Allocation of rooms

In broad terms, the allocation policy is intended to ensure that:

• all full-time matriculated Hughes Hall students taking degrees with durations of two years or more are offered accommodation throughout their course
• the number of full-time first year students in on-site accommodation is maximised.

For further information and clarification on the rooms available and how they are allocated, please see the  Accommodation Allocation Policy 24-25 and the additional accommodation guidelines.

Room Licences

Every student living in College accommodation will be provided with a Room Licence in addition to defining the period of agreed residency and cost of the accommodation, this gives the basic rules for such accommodation. Students are charged for their rent termly in advance. Any charges for damages noted during your occupancy will be added to the next bill, though for exceptional damage you will be required to settle bills immediately.

For late payment of bills, i.e. after 14 days, a charge of 2% per month interest is made, with a further 2% per month until the account is settled. If you have difficulty in meeting the normal deadline you should consult your Tutor. Note that, while every effort will be made to leave students in their rooms during each ‘normal period of residence’, it may be necessary to move students to alternative accommodation for maintenance or tutorial reasons, or for the benefit of the College community.

Rent includes Wifi and utilities (gas, electricity, water), and cleaning of shared and en-suite bathrooms. Rents also include personal possessions/liability insurance.

Rent is payable by students during their period of occupation as follows:

1. Payment at the normal rate is to be made for the Period of Licence. This is the term of your contract.
2. Any period of occupation outside the period of licence will be charged at the normal rate for that accommodation band.
3. Residence in College accommodation is limited to the period of licence, unless extended by agreement, and the College is entitled to use or let the accommodation to others at any time outside the period of licence.
4. Students who occupy accommodation outside the period of licence without permission will be liable to the College for its reasonable losses (for example if it is unable to honour a conference booking) in addition to the rent due for this period.
5. Rent is invoiced termly and is payable within 14 days on receipt.
6. If you are in danger of not being able to pay your College bill, you should consult your Tutor as soon as possible

Leaving early

Most room licences run for the whole academic year to the end of June, or your course end date if earlier, and can be ended early only under certain circumstances. Students who may need to leave their accommodation early should refer to the 2023 Early Termination Policy before consulting their Tutor.

Departure from accommodation

On departure, rooms should be left in a clean and tidy state. All personal possessions (including bedding and items from the kitchen and bathrooms) should be removed and disposed of correctly. Should items be left behind in accommodation, or the rooms left in a dirty state, the College reserves the right to levy a charge against the Caution Money paid by each student. A list of these charges is available on the Fees and Charges page (under Caution Money heading).

Residence requirements

During Full Term, all full-time students are required by the University to ‘keep residence’ by living in Cambridge. There are also University regulations on the number of ‘terms of residence’ and (for research students) ‘terms of research’ – see the University’s website for guidance. Undergraduates and Graduate Course in Medicine students who do not wish to live in College accommodation must seek tutorial permission to live elsewhere. Applicants in this position should contact the Admissions Office for advice, current students should see their individual Tutor. Students who need to spend time away from Cambridge for the purposes of their course or for other reasons must apply for leave to work away or intermission. (Undergraduate students especially should discuss these with their Tutor in good time.)

Quiet hours

The college regards the hours between 11pm and 7am as ‘quiet hours’. We ask those living in College accommodation keep noise to a minimum between those times. At other times, please take care not to disturb your neighbours and housemates with excessive noise.

Insurance

Hughes Hall works with Endsleigh, a leading student insurance provider, to provide contents insurance for College accommodation (onsite and offsite) for items in your room. This insurance for personal possessions is included for students in single rooms; students in couples or family accommodation can purchase additional insurance to cover partner’s or family member’s possessions under the scheme. It is important that all students confirm your cover to activate the insurance and to ensure you know what is and isn’t covered. This means you have to register your details with Endsleigh. There are also details of their app on the Endsleigh website which enables you to access additional benefits.

Please visit confirm your cover to see:

• What is and what isn’t covered
• Key exclusions – where cover isn’t provided
• Policy excess – the amount you pay when you make a claim
• How to make a claim
• How to personalise your cover.

Endsleigh student insurance is designed to cover the risks you may encounter whilst living in Hughes Hall student accommodation and away from home. View the current insurance certificate here.