Our postgraduate students, and our clinical medics and vets, are offered a maximum of three years accommodation in single study-bedrooms in one of our shared houses or blocks of flats, in or near the college grounds. Rental prices are reviewed annually.
Newnham offers its postgraduate students single study-bedrooms in a range of college-owned properties, all within a few minutes of the main College buildings and particularly convenient for the Arts Faculty/Sidgwick Site campus and the University Library.
Unfortunately Newnham does not have sufficient accommodation to be able to guarantee housing for all its postgraduate students. In an attempt to ensure that such accommodation is distributed as fairly as possible, PhD students are restricted to a total period of residence in College accommodation of three years. In order to offer some flexibility, students are able to choose which years they would like to live in for (e.g. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year; 1st, 2nd, and 4th year etc.). We do not have any Couples' or family accommodation in our Postgraduate houses. Rooms are allocated to new students depending on availability, and on a first come first served basis, based on when their college place has been fully confirmed. New students will be contacted by the Student Accommodation Officer when their confirmation comes through with the offer of a room in college or advice on finding external accommodation if all rooms have been filled.
Each postgraduate house has at least one kitchen, and some also have common areas, together with a good provision of shower-rooms, bathrooms and toilets. All postgraduate houses and flats have washing machines and drying facilities in them. The Rosalind Franklin Building has access to these in a communal laundry room. The kitchens have gas or electric cookers, refrigerators and freezers, as well as other electrical items, but residents must provide all other cooking equipment.
Duvet and pillows are provided, but you must use your own linen. You may choose to cater for yourself here, but you can also use the College’s Buttery and Iris Café. All houses have Wi-Fi and a network phone for free University and College calls.
Rents and charges
Postgraduate rooms are priced in four Bands (A, B, C and D) based on size, Band A being the largest. Band A and Band B rooms have double beds. Rooms are allocated depending on availability and new students are offered college accommodation (if any is available) on a first come first served basis when their college place has been fully confirmed.
The charges for Newnham Students, for each band in 2025-26 are as follows:
Band A - £199.40 per week
Band B - £188.60 per week
Band C - £176.80 per week
Band D - £166.00 per week
The postgraduate room licence is for 51 weeks. For 2025-26 this will be from 27 September 2025 to 19 September 2026. This is paid for in quarterly instalments one for each term and one for the summer.
The above charges include, as well as rent, background heating, Wi-Fi and personal belongings insurance (insurance details here). Rents at Newnham increase by inflation each academic year, based on the CPIH inflation measure for the previous calendar year.
While shared kitchen facilities are available to all undergraduates in college accommodation you also have the option of eating in the college Buttery and Iris Café.
Every student in College accommodation will pay a CPP (Catering Pre-Payment). This is a pre-payment plan that can be used in the Iris Café and Buttery. Each quarter, £150 will be added to the college bill of all postgraduates in college accommodation. While you are in credit, you will pay discounted prices (75%, i.e. a 25% discount) at the Buttery and the Iris Café. If you are not in credit, you would have to pay by debit/credit card and pay full price (100%), however you can top up your CPP online at any time. Any unspent credit will be returned to you.
Parking
There is no parking available for students in our Postgraduate accommodation. Students are not issued with parking permits to the College car parks. The drives of 2 Wordsworth Grove, 6 Wordsworth Grove (Carmefield), 16 Grange Road (Eva Smith), Holly Cottage, 8 Clare Road, Grange Gardens and 4 Barton Road (Whitstead) are for the use of staff car parking only.
