Undergraduate Offer Holders 2023

Accommodation and catering

All first-years live in College. You will live in a room on the main College site, located on New Inn Hall Street. The compact nature of St Peter's grounds means that each cohort of students soon makes friends with each other. Buildings that house first year students also provide every undergraduate with a place in which to escape the bustle of College life whenever they wish.

Accommodation costs

For undergraduate students living in College accommodation, rent is payable in advance at the beginning of each term.

For 2023-24, the room cost for first-year undergraduates is £207 per week, with rent payable for 27 weeks of the year.

Vacation residence (for nights not included within the lease length) is charged at a daily/pro rata rate (divide the weekly rate by 7 to estimate the daily charge).

Members of the JCR suggest bringing the following items:

Bedding (duvet, pillows, mattress protector and bed-linen)
Towels
Kettle
Mugs, glasses, plate, bowl and cutlery
Padlock (almost all rooms have a safe)
Plug socket adaptor
Clothes horse (if you would prefer not to use the dryers)

What not to bring:

Toaster
Microwave
Candles

Washing

There are washing machines and tumble driers on site.

The College operates a pre-payment system where undergraduate students are billed at the start of each term for a credit which is placed on their account. They can then spend this sum down in the Dining Hall over the course of the term. The total termly charge represents an average of around eight meals per week (depending on how many meals you choose). To find out more about pre-payment, please see here.

A variably priced menu is available for all meals except Formal Hall. In 2023-24, average meal costs will be approximately:

• Breakfast: £3.95
• Lunch: £4.95
• Dinner (informal) £5.25

During Freshers’ week you may hear people using the following words/terms:

0th Week: When you arrive at college, 0th week is your Freshers’ week. Teaching officially starts at the beginning of week 1 and goes on for 8 weeks.  You will have a 0th week at the start of every term.

Battels: these are your invoices for tuition and college fees (accommodation and food) plus costs like printing/photocopying etc. Battels are issued at the start of each term.

Master's Collections: These involve you meeting with the Master and your tutors to discuss your academic progress.

College Collections: These are college-based exams which take place at the end of 0th week of each term.

JCR: Junior Common Room; a space for undergraduates.

Matriculating/Matriculation: Your official registration at the University of Oxford. This year, Matriculation will take place on Saturday 14 October (please ensure you keep this day free(!)).

Pidge: your pigeon hole in the porter’s lodge - this is where you will receive letters/messages.

Prelims and Mods: Preliminary examinations and Moderations (for Law only). These are university examinations set at the end the first year (or after two terms in Law). You need to pass these exams in order to continue the course (a maximum of one resit is allowed).

Sub fusc: This is a traditional dress code that has to be followed on certain occasions, e.g. matriculation and exams. It consists of a black gown, mortar board (usually only worn for photos) and one of the following:
- dark suit with dark socks, or
- dark skirt with black tights, or
- dark trousers with black socks
+ white shirt/blouse, black shoes and a bow tie or a ribbon.

Reading lists for Undergraduate Freshers joining St Peter’s in October 2023 will be distributed after A-Level results have been released in mid-August.

You can read a copy of last year's JCR Guide for Freshers here. Please note that this is the version written for students arriving in October 2022; a fresh edition will be published in August 2023 for students arriving in October 2023.