Undergraduate Freshers

Induction sessions for Undergraduate Freshers will begin on the evening of Sunday 5 October. You can expect a busy schedule of induction activities, both academic and social.

The programme of College activities can be found here. Printed copied of this will be available in College. In addition the JCR arranges a programme of social activities. 

You will have subject induction meetings will be arranged between yourself and your tutor(s) in College. You will also have induction activities in your department or faculty, and sessions to introduce you to the Libraries. The schedule of these events will vary according to which subject you are studying.

You are invited to (and are expected to attend) a formal Freshers’ Dinner on the Monday of Freshers’ Week which many of your tutors will also attend. The dress code for Freshers’ Dinner is smart/suits (as will also be the case if you choose to attend other ‘Formal Halls’ during the year).

University Card forms are currently being processed by the University Card Office. When your form has been processed, you will receive an email from the central University IT team titled ‘SSO username activation email’ which will tell you your SSO (Single Sign-On) code (usually in the format spetXXXX) and enable you to set up your IT access. If you haven’t received your activation email by Thursday 25 September please contact us on college.office@spc.ox.ac.uk.

Once you have set up your University IT access, you should complete the University’s online enrolment forms in Student Self Service. You should also be able to access your @spc.ox.ac.uk email address.

It helps the College Office team to have some key information about you and when you are arriving. Once your travel plans are confirmed, please complete the short form here. The form simply asks you to confirm your intended date of arrival in Oxford and to provide information about your dietary requirements.

This section is only relevant for the small number of incoming undergraduates arriving in Oxford on or before Thursday 2 October.

We will be holding drop-in registration sessions for students arriving in Oxford ahead of the start of October. These will take place regularly (two or three times a week) from Thursday 18 September onwards and you can book a 5-minute slot to complete your registration in person and collect your University card.

Please do not book a registration slot until you have:

a.    completed the online enrolment process in Student Self Service; and

b.    (if you are a non-UK/Irish student) provided us with all the information requested in this document.

You will need to attend in person and to bring some photographic ID (passport or driving licence, for example) with you. You can book a registration session here.

If you are arriving between Friday 3 and Sunday 5 October (most of you are due to arrive on Sunday 5 October!) you do not need to book a registration slot in advance. The College Office will be open on the afternoon of Sunday 5 October and no appointment is required.

Please read the information here and contact accommodation@spc.ox.ac.uk where required.

The JCR Freshers' Guide contains a wealth of information and advice from current students. This document is also available as in a plain-text version.

The College provides accommodation to all new Undergraduate Freshers. You will be automatically allocated a room; you do not need to contact the College in order to reserve a room.

Undergraduate Freshers occupy rooms with a 28 week lease. Room charges are based on 28 weeks’ residence per year (Sunday of Week 0 to Saturday of Week 8 in Michaelmas and Hilary terms, Sunday of Week 0 to Saturday of Week 9 in Trinity term). Occupancy dates in 2025-26 are as follows:

• Michaelmas term: Sunday 5 October - Saturday 6 December 2025 (leave by 10am)
• Hilary term: Sunday 11 January - Saturday 14 March 2026 (leave by 10am)
• Trinity term: Sunday 19 April - Saturday 27 June 2026 (leave by 10am)

The rent is £223.72 per week which includes all utilities and internet connection. Also included is regular cleaning of student rooms and the frequent cleaning of communal areas. All rooms have a single bed, wardrobe, desk, chair and lamp. You will need to provide your own bed linen and towels.

You will need to sign a Tenancy Agreement before you access your room. You can read a generic copy of the Tenancy Agreement here. Please do not sign and return this version; you will be issued with an electronic personalised agreement for an electronic signature before you access your room.

More information about accommodation arrangements can be found in the Student Administrative Handbook. If you have any queries about accommodation not answered in the Handbook, please contact the Accommodation Office (accommodation@spc.ox.ac.uk).

Student meals begin at dinner on Sunday of Week 0 (e.g. 5 October 2025 in Michaelmas term) and end after breakfast on Saturday of Week 8 each term in Michaelmas and Hilary terms and Saturday of Week 9 in Trinity term.

Undergraduate Freshers will be provided with all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for the first few days of Freshers' Week (from dinner on Sunday 5 October until breakfast on Wednesday 8 October inclusive) for a single payment of £36, which will be charged to your Michaelmas term ‘battels’ (College invoice).

After this, you will be able to pay for meals via the Dining Hall’s pay-as-you-go system. You will be charged £351 on your battels each term in 2025-26 as pre-payment for meals in Hall during the term. Each student will have their own account which is accessed via the Upay website and which you top up further as necessary. Further information about the pre-payment model for meals can be found on the Meals page of the website.

If you will be arriving in Oxford prior to Sunday 5 October and you would like to eat in the Dining Hall then you will be able to purchase a meal card from the lodge for £30 + £1 refundable deposit on return of the card.

The 2025-26 Finance Guide for Undergraduates summarises the key information you need about financial matters. You can find advice about managing your finances as a student on the University website.

If you have any queries about financial matters, please contact our Student Finance Officer.

Opening a bank account

For students coming from outside the UK, the University provides useful information here (on the tab labelled 'Finances and Banks').

Bringing money into the UK

The regulations on bringing money into the UK are explained on the UK government website.

You can access the relevant reading list for your subject here.