Undergraduate accommodation

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The College is proud to be able to provide single room accommodation for all its undergraduates and for post-graduate students in their first year of graduate study who apply for housing by the deadline of 31 July. All are single rooms for single occupancy and cannot be shared. Rooms are allocated by the Accommodation Office to all students in their first year. In subsequent years students can try for a room through a ballot system which is operated by the JCR and MCR Committees during Hilary Term. For full information on the ballot procedures and the rules relating to entering the ballots, please refer to JCR or MCR Committees. The majority of rooms have access to shared bathrooms but a number of rooms are en-suite. These are generally not available to First Year students unless they have a proven need on grounds of disability for a private bathroom. In these cases, the student must contact the College’s Disability Co-ordinator (disability-coordinator@sjc.ox.ac.uk) on receiving their offer and well in advance of arrival. Please do not wait until you arrive to tell us of a specific need, as by that time it will be too late to allocate an appropriate room. In general, rooms will be allocated to all First Year students in a randomized way. If you wish to make a request for a specific type of room, please contact the Accommodation Office well in advance of the start of Michaelmas Term. They will do their best to allocate a suitable room, depending on availability and need.
Beehive North Quad The Beehive

Costs
Student accommodation at St John's is among the most affordable in the University. For 2024-25 rents range from £1131.81 to £1394.03 per term, depending on the grade of the room. An additional fixed charge of £264.70 per term is payable for general provision of services. 

The University provides a list of rents  and other charges in each College for the current academic year, should you wish to compare rents in other colleges.

Rooms
First year students are allocated a room in College and rooms are generally located in sections and blocks called ‘Staircases’. These are usually in the Thomas White Quad, known as 'Tommy White'. Pictures of these rooms are in the Gallery below.

Thomas White quad

Tommy White Quad is built around a grass lawn and also houses the College Bar.

All rooms in College have their own fridge and most have a hand basin. They share a bathroom with other rooms on their staircase. All rooms allocated to first year students have access to a shared kitchen.

Second and third year students choose their room from a variety of sizes and prices available. The order in which people choose is decided by a ballot to ensure it is fair. Some of the best rooms are in Garden Quad. These are usually chosen by third year students. They are large and have a basin, fitted wardrobes and a shared bathroom nearby.

Opened in 2010, Kendrew Quad is one of the newest parts of College and the rooms here are highly sought after by undergraduates in their final year. Kendrew Quad contains 70 student bedrooms, 30 of which are for undergraduates. All are ensuite and have access to very good kitchens. 

Some second and third year students choose to live in houses off the main college site, in a street immediately behind Tommy White Quad. These houses are owned by the College. Students often share a house with a group of 5-8 friends. The houses are nice Victorian buildings with good bathroom facilities and a kitchen that’s often used as a social area.

The Junior Common Room has produced this helpful guide to accommodation at St John's and there is more information on the JCR website.

Undergraduate accommodation

student in room

Internet access
All rooms are equipped with wi-fi or ethernet connections.

Laundry
Washing machines and driers are widely available across College. The machines in laundry rooms in staircases N3 (North Quad), Middleton Hall, Garden Quad are operated by a prepaid Smart Cards (uniquely coded to each College) which are available to purchase in the North Quad laundry room and can be topped up online in units of £5 or £10. The machines in Kendrew Quad are operated by contactless credit/debit payment. Sheets and duvet covers are supplied and laundered by the College every two weeks.

Guest rooms
There are two twin-bedded ensuite rooms for the use of guests of current students. Please note that it is not possible to accommodate children under 16 in these rooms. Neither room is adapted for wheelchair users and may not be suitable for those with mobility issues. To enquire about availability and to book, students must complete a Lodge Guest Room Booking form, which can be found on the College intranet Useful Information for Students | SJC Intranet (ox.ac.uk). Please use your SJC email address when completing the form.

Additional needs
The College can provide accommodation for students with disabilities or other needs. See Health and Welfare for more information. 

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