Accommodation at Oriel

Find your place

at a glance

Undergraduates

At Oriel, undergraduates are guaranteed college accommodation for the entire duration of your course.

Postgraduates

Oriel also guarantees college accommodation to all first-year postgraduates who are new to Oxford.

Rectory Road

Many of Oriel’s postgraduates live in our accommodation on Rectory Road, which is a 10 minute walk from College, or 5 minutes by bike.

Our Rooms

Because of the age of the College’s buildings, each room has its own character and quirks – there is no real ‘standard’ room at Oriel.

Accommodation Cost

Our accommodation ranges from around £1,500 to £2,000 per term.

Accessibility

Oriel has a number of rooms that have been adapted to make them more accessible for those with physical disabilities.

Our Accommodation

Here are Oriel, we guarantee college accommodation for undergraduate students for the entire duration of your course (whether it is for three or four years), and for all first-year postgraduate students who are new to Oxford. This is unusal among Oxford colleges, and something that sets Oriel apart.

Much of our accommodation has been recently refurbished to a high standard, and due to the age of Oriel’s historic buildings each room has its own character and quirks. The College also guarantees accommodation for first year postgraduate students who are new to Oxford, usually at our annexe on Rectory Road, a 10 to 15 minute walk from College (or 5 minutes by bike).

We have a number of rooms that have been adapted to make them more accessible for those with physical disabilities. Oriel College is signed up to the Student Accommodation Code of Practice.

Accommodation Costs

Accommodation at Oriel is split into categories or ‘grades’ and priced accordingly. Because of the age of the College buildings and the number of different residential areas within College, no two rooms are the same and applicants should be aware that the pictures in the gallery above are just examples of room types and may not look the same as the room you are allocated. Each room is graded on four characteristics: size, location, facilities and condition, and the price is set accordingly. Full prices can be seen in our Fees and Charges for Undergraduates document.

Please note that accommodation charges for postgraduate students are not calculated on a termly basis. For a run-down of postgraduate accommodation costs, please see the Fees and Charges for Postgraduate Students document.

Fees and Charges for Undergraduates 2024–25

Fees and Charges for Postgraduates 2024–25

Fees and Charges for Visiting Students 2024–25

undergraduate accommodation grades and costs 2022/23

A* rooms (example in the gallery below) generally have ensuite facilities and may be in areas of the College that have recently been redecorated or refurbished. A* grade rooms are likely to be larger than some of the lower grade rooms in College.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,900.30 (£30.65 per day)

A*/A grade rooms also generally have en suite facilities and are similar to A* rooms. A grade rooms are likely to be larger than some of the lower grade rooms in College.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,805.44 (£29.12 per day)

A grade rooms (example in the gallery below) generally have ensuite facilities and will have been quite recently refurbished or redecorated. A grade rooms are likely to be larger than some of the lower grade rooms in College.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,720.50 (£27.75 per day)

Some A/B grade rooms are ensuite, but some have shared facilities (showers, WCs etc.).

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,677.72 (£27.06 per day)

B grade rooms (example in the gallery below) generally have shared facilities (shower, WCs etc.) and may not have been refurbished or redecorated as recently as A grade rooms.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,576.66 (£25.43 per day)

B/C grade rooms have shared facilities (shower, WCs etc.) and will not have been refurbished as recently as higher grade rooms.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,520.24 (£24.52 per day)

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,473.74 (£23.77 per day)

All C/D grade rooms have shared facilities (shower, WCs etc) and will not have been refurbished as recently as higher grade rooms. C/D grade rooms (example in the gallery below) often tend to be smaller than higher grade rooms, but there is still plenty of space for a bed, desk, comfy chair and storage. Due to the College’s rolling refurbishment programme, there is a limited supply of C/D grade rooms, so please take this into account when budgeting.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,434.06 (£23.13 per day)

All D grade rooms have shared facilities (shower, WCs etc.) and the decorations and furniture might be older than in the higher grade rooms. D grade rooms often tend to be smaller than higher grade rooms, but there is still plenty of space for a bed, desk, comfy chair and storage. Due to the College’s rolling refurbishment programme, there is a limited supply of C/D grade rooms, so please take this into account when budgeting.

Undergraduate Termly Charge: £1,406.78 (£22.69 per day)

what our rooms look like

An A* grade room in Third Quad on the main site

An A grade room on the Island Site

Another A grade room on the Island Site

A B grade room on the Island Site

An A*/A grade room at Rectory Road (graduate accommodation)

A C/D grade room on the main site

The Common Room at James Mellon Hall, at Rectory Road

The Rectory Road Site

The College offers accommodation to all first year postgraduate students who are new to Oxford. This accommodation is usually located at the College’s annexe, sometimes known as ‘JMH’ or Rectory Road. The Rectory Road site is situated on Oxford’s popular and vibrant Cowley Road and is a 10-15 minute walk from the main College site, or a 5 minute bike ride. The College also has a small number of flats available for graduate student couples, also situated on Rectory Road.

‘Goldie’ and ‘James Mellon Hall’ at the Rectory Road site

Room Usage

For the academic year 2021/22, the following rooms are being used by undergraduate and postgraduate residents:

Single bedroom with ensuite: 130
Single bedroom with shared facilities: 111
Graduate couples flats: 0

Single bedroom with ensuite: 93
Single bedroom with shared facilities: 32
Graduate couples flats: 7

Any questions?

Questions about undergraduate accommodation? See our FAQs for undergraduates.

Questions about postgraduate accommodation? See our FAQs for postgraduates.