Accommodation at Girton College
Girton has a range of accommodation from the Victorian bedrooms of the original College building to the more modern en-suite rooms in Ash Court and Swirles Court, as well as a small number of properties suitable for students with partners or children.
Our accommodation (excluding the family and partner accommodation) is all single occupancy so you will not be required to share a bedroom with anyone else. The accommodation is all furnished. There are approximately 470 rooms for undergraduate students of which approximately 220 are en-suite and approximately 170 rooms for postgraduate students of which approximately 150 are en-suite. The accommodation for individuals has shared kitchen facilities.
Bedrooms are grouped either along corridors or in flats. The number varies from four to twenty depending upon the accommodation. The communal facilities will be appropriate to the number of students using them. There are rooms suitable for students with disabilities.
Undergraduates and postgraduate students are usually allocated to different accommodation or areas of the accommodation. There will be a mix of nationalities and courses in flats and corridors.
Further information about the different accommodation can be found below.
The main College building has around 250 bedrooms. Most of the rooms have shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. The accommodation is mainly for undergraduate students. Further information can be found at: Main College
Ash Court is attached to the Main College Building and has 50 en-suite rooms for undergraduate students. Further information can be found at: Ash Court
Swirles Court has 325 en-suite bedrooms and is located a short walk or cycle from the main College site. It accommodates returning undergraduates and postgraduates. Further information can be found at: Swirles Court
The Grange is a large house in the College grounds for postgraduate students with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. Further information can be found at: The Grange
Girton Gate is a large house across the road from the main College site for postgraduate students with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. Further information can be found at: Girton Gate
There is a small number of properties suitable for students with partners and / or children. Further information can be found at: Family and partner accommodation
Facilities, maintenance and cleaning
All study bedrooms have the following standard items provided:
- Bed and mattress
- Mattress Protector
- Wardrobe
- Chest of drawers
- Desk and desk chair
- Comfy chair or sofa
- Lamp
- Shelving
- Waste bin
- Network point
The bedrooms vary in size.
Bed linen is not provided but you can purchase a bedding pack from the College. Towels are not provided and need to be brought with you.
Unless you have an en-suite room, in the main College building bathrooms are located on each corridor at a ratio of (as a minimum) 1 toilet and shower / bath, per 5 residents. Some bedrooms will have a washbasin in them.
En-suite rooms have their own:
- Toilet
- Washbasin
- Shower
On the main College site (where catered facilities are available) and in the College houses, all kitchens have as standard:
- Food storage cupboards
- Sink
- Fridge
- Freezer
- Cooker with oven, or a hob and combination microwave
- Kettle
- Microwave
- Toaster
- Air Fryer
Most kitchens also have a dining table and chairs.
At Swirles Court, which is designed as self-catering accommodation kitchens are large social dining spaces and have the following:
- Lockable cupboards
- Sink
- Ovens
- Hobs
- Fridge
- Freezer
- Kettle
- Microwave
- Toaster
- Air Fryer
Please bring with you crockery, cutlery, pots and pans and utensils.
- Main site: there are four laundry rooms with machines shared on an average ratio of 1:50 residents
- Swirles: there is a large central laundry near the lodge with machines shared on an average ratio of 1:65 residents.
- College houses: most have their own washing machines, or easy access to main site laundries
Students are charged a termly amount for use of the washing and drying machines there is no limit on the number of uses. You need to bring your own washing powder / detergent.
Communal areas such as shared kitchens and bathrooms are cleaned daily Monday to Friday. En-suite bathrooms are cleaned once every two weeks. Students are responsible for cleaning their own bedrooms. Vacuum cleaners are provided on every corridor.
The College’s Maintenance Team and their contractors make sure that all the safety checks are carried out on the accommodation (including the testing of student’s electrical equipment at the start of the academic year.
They are also responsible for making sure that the accommodation is maintained in a good condition. If there are any maintenance issues in your accommodation they can be reported online at College maintenance requests
Applying for accommodation and the allocation process
Please click on the boxes below to find out more about applying for accommodation and the accommodation allocation process.
Students with disabilities / medical conditions
Students with disabilities or medical conditions that have an impact on their accommodation requirements need to make the College aware of these when they are applying for accommodation. The College has Nurses who can be contacted at nurses@girton.cam.ac.uk and a Disability Liaison Officer. We have 6 rooms in Ash Court and 11 rooms in Swirles Court that have level access bathrooms. Rooms can be adapted as required for hearing impaired students with vibrating pillows and visual alarms and bells. We can provide fridges for the storage of medicines and food and can make other reasonable adjustments to our accommodation to meet the needs of our students.
Let lengths and tenancies
For Undergraduates the tenancies are for 37 or 38 weeks (October until June), depending on term dates. There is no residence for two weeks during the Christmas vacation but rooms do not have to be cleared. Summer vacation accommodation is usually available at Swirles Court.
For Postgraduates the tenancy is 42 or 49 weeks, depending on course length. It can be extended to 52 weeks in certain circumstances such as if students are remaining in College Accommodation
The Accommodation Handbook forms part of the accommodation tenancy and is updated before the start of each academic year.
Quality Assurance
Girton is a member of the ANUK National Code of Standards for larger student developments (Educational establishments) and we allocate, maintain and manage our accommodation in line with code requirements.
