Process for assigning College accommodation

St Catharine's aims to offer accommodation to all new full-time postgraduate students in their first year, who have requested accommodation by 15th August and who have been officially admitted by the University by 1 September. In exceptional years e.g. where intake is high, we may be unable to achieve this aim. Those applying later in the academic year, or for just one term may be offered accommodation if there are vacancies available. We advise students starting in Lent or Easter term to contact the accommodation office directly to discuss their options. Accommodation in subsequent years is offered strictly subject to availability. Students who are completing an MPhil course which is then 'upgraded' to a PhD at the end of their first year would be classed as a 2nd year. 

Eligible students will be asked to indicate whether they wish to live in College accommodation when their College membership is confirmed, with accommodation offers made once admission is confirmed by the University Postgraduate Admissions Office. Accommodation is allocated on a first come-first served basis based on when students meet the conditions of their offer. We will endeavour to offer rooms based on your preferences as selected in the request form, subject to availability and demand. 

We are only able to offer accommodation to full time students whose hours of study are more than 21 hours per week.

Process for assigning accommodation: Incoming/new postgraduates or existing undergraduate students who will become postgraduate students for the next academic year

Process for assigning accommodation: Returning/ existing postgraduates

Process for assigning accommodation: Medical students at Coleridge Road

Coleridge road is reserved for medical students only due to its proximity to Addenbrookes Hospital. Medical students can apply for rooms at Coleridge road or follow the application process for incoming/new postgraduate accommodation as above. 

Who gets a room?

• 3rd years have priority to move to Coleridge Road for their 4th year
• If any rooms are not taken by 3^rd years then they are offered to existing 4^th and 5^th year medics and allocations are decided by a random ballot

How are rooms allocated?

• If any of the existing residents are lucky to get a room through the ballot they have the choice to stay in their current room or join the room allocation ballot (they can’t revert their decision once they give away their current room priority)
• For all new people moving into the house (3^rd years + people from ballot) a second ballot will take place which will to decide who gets to choose their room first

What about MB PhDs? (combining the professional training of the Doctor of Medicine degree with the research expertise of the Doctor of Philosophy degree)

• MB PhDs are considered regular medics for their 4^th year and are eligible for a room in Coleridge Road
• After their 4^th year (when they start the PhD programme doing research) they have to join the regular PG ballot
• After their PhD, when they go back to their clinical training (5th and 6th year), they can then ballot for rooms in Coleridge Road again like regular medics