Your College bill explained

The following advice is for undergraduate students – separate advice is available for postgraduate students.

All students will receive a College bill at the beginning of each term. This must be paid within 14 days or within 7 days of receiving a maintenance loan – whichever is later.

College bills are sent separately to bills for tuition fees. These cover any living or associated costs that you may incur at St Catharine’s, such as rent charges, an Annual Electric Test (which makes sure your appliances are safe and is charged only in Michaelmas), and any disciplinary fines imposed by the Dean or key fines for lost keys from the Porters.

Undergraduate bills will also include a Junior Combination Room (JCR) subscription charge, which is collected by the JCR Committee to fund its activities such as social events, and a JCR Donation, which is gifted to charitable causes chosen by the JCR Committee.

Undergraduate students living in Cambridge who are not staying in College Accommodation are charged a £51.50 Facilities Charge which is designed to ensure that every member of College makes a small and equitable contribution to the delivery of the wide range of facilities provided by the College. If you live more than a mile from College, you can apply for a reduced charge of £25.75.

Extra nights in College accommodation beyond the period specified in your occupancy agreement are possible when agreed in advance by contacting accommodation@caths.cam.ac.uk. These will be charged at a nightly rate calculated based on your existing occupancy agreement. 

The College may withhold any references for students who do not settle any debts. However, when genuine cases of financial difficulty arise, the College has a range of hardship support available for students.