Our Accommodation

First year undergraduates

Rooms for new undergraduate students are allocated in each of the accommodation blocks. The majority of the rooms a located in the Fergusson building and the Williamson building. For 2026-27 we also have 50 rooms in nearby Teikyo University in Shoichi and Etsuko halls. These are situated just behind the Fergusson building and are closer to the main college facilities than Williamson.

All study bedrooms are furnished with a single bed, under bed storage, a wardrobe, desk, shelves and a sink. All rooms have wi-fi.

The majority of first-year undergraduates will be allocated to a single room with shared bathroom facilities on their corridor. The College has a small number of en-suite rooms which are reserved for those students whose medical/disability circumstances require en-suite facilities. We have two bedrooms with wet rooms for those students who require this type of accommodation. Those students who require a reasonable adjustment of an ensuite room are required to follow the Disability Disclosure process through the University’s Disability Services.

Students normally remain in their allocated room for the full academic year. The College typically offers standard lets for its accommodation, which means that students can remain in their rooms over the Christmas and Easter vacations (although there is no catering during the vacations). For those students in Teikyo, their let is term time only – this means whilst they can leave their belongings in their room over the Christmas and Easter vacation, they cannot stay in their rooms out of term time.

Each corridor has a pantry area (small kitchens with fridge, kettle and toaster) and shared toilet and shower facilities. The number of rooms on each corridor varies. Some corridors may have as few as 6 rooms, whilst others may have up to 24 rooms. Corridors are normally mixed, but the College does offer accommodation to female students requiring female-only accommodation in the Boughton Wing.

Communal areas are cleaned by the College cleaning team on a regular basis, but students are responsible for keeping their rooms clean and the communal areas tidy.

Undergraduate accommodation for returning students

St Mary’s College has limited accommodation for undergraduates beyond their first year at university. Most students choose to live in private accommodation in the city. Accommodation that is available for returning students is offered on a priority basis with priority being given to those with an additional need to live in college accommodation.

Accommodation and catering costs are set by the central University. You can find out more about residence charges for Undergraduates for 2026-27 here . Further information about undergraduate accommodation in colleges, including what is included in your residence charge, can be found on the central university website.

Postgraduates

We have a small, valuable community of postgraduates at Mary's, and we're able to host some of these as residents. Catering is provided during the undergraduate term time only, but otherwise many of the features for undergraduates are the same for postgraduates. Postgraduates also have access to a kitchen and social facilities though the Middle Common Room (MCR).

Postgraduate residence charges are set by the central university. The charges for 2026-27 can be found on the University's main website. Further information on the Postgraduate accommodation allocation process can be found here.

We are currently unable to offer accommodation to postgraduate students beyond the first year of their programme unless they have an additional need to live in college accommodation.

Catering facilities

St Mary’s is a fully catered college. This means that during term time, students are provided with three meals a day, seven days per week. Catering is included in your residence charge. It is not possible to live in St Mary’s College accommodation on a self-catered basis.

All University catering is nut free and can cater for a range of allergens and dietary requirements e.g. gluten free, halal.

Students who have a full academic day and are unable to return to College for lunch, can order a packed lunch for that day as part of their catering package.

If you would like to see examples of menus at St Mary’s, the Junior Common Room’s Mouthful of Mary's Instagram account posts the daily menu each day in term time.