Oxford colleges provide rooms for first-year undergraduates and for at least one other year of the course, according to the university. Rents are set by each college: at Oriel in 2026/27 a room costs between £1,619.44 and £2,187.98 a term depending on grade, including heating, electricity and hot water. The university’s indicative budget for accommodation, including bills, is £880 to £1,025 a month. This guide explains how college accommodation works, what Oriel and Oxford Brookes charge, how graduates are housed and what to check.
Oxford has dozens of colleges and I have verified rents for only one, Oriel, from its published 2026/27 fee document. Other colleges charge differently, so check yours. University budget figures are indicative figures for 2027/28.
Cost at a glance: what to add up
Before you compare the prices on this page, check what each figure actually covers:
- Rent period: per week, month or semester, and per person or per room.
- What is included: utilities, internet, contents insurance and any meal plan.
- One-off costs: deposit, application or booking fee, and any first-month payment.
- Getting to campus: travel passes, or the extra cost of living further out.
- Currency: prices here are in the local currency. Convert them at your bank’s current rate and add the transfer fee. Rates change daily, so we do not publish rupee figures.
Anything we could not confirm from an official source is flagged on this page as “could not verify”, so read those notes before you rely on a figure.
How Oxford college accommodation works
The university’s living costs page says all colleges provide rooms for undergraduates during term-time for the first year and for at least one other year. College rent varies with the college and room standard. Students living in private accommodation usually pay rent for a whole calendar year, and private costs depend on the number of people sharing and the quality and location of the property. The university suggests budgeting over nine months, as each year has three eight-week terms.
Example: Oriel College room charges (2026/27)
Oriel’s 2026/27 fees and charges price rooms by grade, for 62 nights of full term:
| Room grade | Day rate | Term rate |
|---|---|---|
| A* | £35.29 | £2,187.98 |
| A | £31.94 | £1,980.28 |
| B | £29.27 | £1,814.74 |
| C | £27.36 | £1,696.32 |
| D | £26.12 | £1,619.44 |
Intermediate grades (A*/A, A/B, B/C and C/D) sit between these. Term rates include a service charge for heating, electricity, hot water and insurance of personal possessions. Oriel also charges a £190 caution deposit, refunded at the end of Trinity Term, and £45 a year for a mini fridge. Students are charged the day rate for pre- and post-term stays. Meals are charged separately, for example £6.00 for lunch or informal dinner and £8.70 for formal hall dinner.
What it costs overall
For 2027/28 the university estimates accommodation including bills at £880 to £1,025 a month (£7,920 to £9,225 over nine months) and food at £325 to £560 a month. Total living costs are estimated at £1,475 to £2,175 a month. For later years it suggests allowing for increases of around 3% a year.
Oxford Brookes University halls
Oxford’s second university does not use the college system. Oxford Brookes says it guarantees accommodation to full-time first-year students who choose Brookes as their firm or insurance choice, apply by the deadline and meet the academic conditions of their offer. January starters and part-time students are not guaranteed a room. You rank three halls and allocation is by deadline round, not first come, first served.
For rent, the Westminster Studios page lists studio flats at £255.43 a week for the 2026/27 academic year. That is £9,669.85 on a 38-week contract (12 September 2026 to 4 June 2027). Bills are included. Bed linen is not.
| Intake | Apply by | Results released |
|---|---|---|
| January 2027, first round | 23 November 2026 | 25 November 2026 |
| January 2027, second round | 14 December 2026 | 16 December 2026 |
| September 2027, early unconditional firm | 10 May 2027 | 12 May 2027 |
| September 2027, conditional firm | 31 July 2027 | 12 August 2027 |
Brookes says these dates may be revised, and the same page contains a line about September 2026 that does not match its 2027 tables, so confirm with the Brookes accommodation office before relying on them.
Graduate students
Graduates get weaker assurances than undergraduates. The university’s graduate accommodation page says it cannot guarantee accommodation to graduate students, although some colleges can guarantee a place to incoming graduates and others house only a proportion. Your college is the first place to ask, and its process is explained in your offer letter. Applying after the main December or January course deadline typically means a much later college offer.
The Graduate Accommodation Office serves full-time graduates only. For 2026/27 its application opened on 13 April 2026. Single rooms are allocated from a waiting list that puts overseas graduate freshers first, then UK freshers, then returning students. If you accept an offer, the opening account is due within seven days, and the deposit equals one month’s rent. The page does not publish rents; the offer letter states them.
Private housing
Students usually move into private rented housing in the years when their college does not provide a room. I could not verify prices for individual private buildings, so compare total costs, bills and contract length. Our guide to university halls versus private student housing explains the trade-offs.
In England, GOV.UK’s Tenant Fees Act guidance (published 7 April 2026, updated 7 July 2026) caps a holding deposit at one week’s rent and a tenancy deposit at five weeks’ rent where annual rent is under £50,000. The landlord must protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme, and cannot require you to buy a guarantor service or contents insurance as a condition of the tenancy.
Council tax for students
Oxford City Council’s student council tax page says a property occupied only by full-time students is exempt. If one student lives with one other adult who is not a student, the student must apply for a disregard and the other adult’s bill can be reduced by 25%. With two or more adult non-students in the property there is no exemption. The page shows a last-modified date of 31 October 2023 and does not state the rules by year, so check the council before signing a mixed household tenancy.
Getting around
If you live outside the centre, bus fares matter. Oxford Bus Company’s Brookes fares page lists a Brookes CityZone annual ticket at £230 (a special price available until 30 June 2026) and says the 2026/27 annual price from 1 July 2026 is £40 higher. A single CityZone journey is £1.80, and 12 singles are £17.50; the page does not state a year for those. Oxford University students get a separate scheme: the university travel page offers 10% off 13- and 52-week season tickets from Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and the Oxford Tube, and mentions Railcards at one-third off. It publishes no prices.
What to check before you accept a room
- Which years your college houses you and what happens in the final year.
- Your room grade or band and whether bills are included in the rent.
- Extra charges such as caution deposits, fridge rental and vacation stays.
- For private housing, whether rent is due for a full calendar year.
- Safety basics. See our student accommodation safety guide and checklist.
For the wider costs, read our student budgeting tips. Comparing cities? See our guides to Cambridge, Reading and London, or browse all UK city guides.
What I could not verify
I have not verified rents at any Oxford college other than Oriel, Brookes rents beyond one studio hall, private purpose-built provider prices, or current Oxford University bus-pass prices. The Oxford Bus fares page gives no year for its single and 12-journey prices. The graduate accommodation page quotes older statistics (2018-19) and a 2024-25 cost table, so I have not used them.
Talk to us about your budget and city
Not sure which option suits you or your family? Send us your city, budget and room type, and we will point you to the right guide and the next steps to check. Students and parents are both welcome to ask.
Frequently asked questions
How much does student accommodation cost in Oxford?
It depends on the college. At Oriel in 2026/27 rooms cost £1,619.44 to £2,187.98 a term. The university estimates £880 to £1,025 a month for accommodation including bills. At Oxford Brookes, a Westminster Studios flat is £9,669.85 on a 38-week contract in 2026/27.
Do Oxford colleges guarantee accommodation?
According to the university, all colleges provide rooms for undergraduates in term-time during the first year and for at least one other year of the course. For graduates the university cannot guarantee accommodation, though some colleges guarantee a place.
Are bills included in Oxford college rent?
At Oriel, term rates include heating, electricity, hot water and insurance of personal possessions. Other colleges may differ, so check yours.
Do I pay rent in the holidays?
College rent is charged by term, and Oriel charges the day rate for pre- and post-term stays. Private housing usually requires rent for the whole calendar year.
Does Oxford Brookes guarantee a place in halls?
Yes, for full-time first-year students who choose Brookes as firm or insurance choice, apply by the deadline and meet their offer conditions. January starters and part-time students are not covered.
Do students pay council tax in Oxford?
Not if the property is occupied only by full-time students. Oxford City Council says there is no exemption if two or more adult non-students live there, and a student living with one non-student must apply for a disregard.
How much can a landlord charge as a deposit in Oxford?
Up to five weeks’ rent where annual rent is under £50,000, plus a holding deposit of no more than one week’s rent, according to GOV.UK guidance for England updated 7 July 2026.
Sources
- University of Oxford: undergraduate living costs
- Oriel College: undergraduate fees and charges 2026/27
- Oxford Brookes: how to apply for accommodation
- Oxford Brookes: Westminster Studios
- University of Oxford: graduate accommodation
- University of Oxford Graduate Accommodation Office: how to apply
- GOV.UK: Tenant Fees Act 2019 guidance for tenants
- Oxford City Council: council tax rules for students
- Oxford Bus Company: Oxford Brookes fares
- University of Oxford: student travel
All checked 2 November 2026.
