Information for New Undergraduate Students

A few weeks before the start of term, all students should receive an email inviting them to complete the University’s Student Registration process. This ensures the information held on your student record is correct.

As you are a new student, this process also enables you to set up your University IT account. Your account will comprise a username, which is your CRSid (the first part of your Cambridge email address), and a password. With this account, you can access lots of University websites, as well as external websites, documents and research. It also means you only need to remember one password to access multiple systems.

The College and University will communicate with you via your Cambridge (@cam.ac.uk) email address. We recommend checking this email regularly.

As a new student it is essential that you register with a Cambridge General Practitioner (GP), as this will allow you to receive emergency care if you need it as well as quick and easy access to health services while you’re at University. Do not leave this until you become ill.

You can choose to register with any local GP. Registration is online and we highly recommend that you start the process before arriving in Cambridge. You will need to have photo ID (e.g. a passport or driving license) and to take a headshot of yourself holding your photo ID next to your face.

New students who have pre-existing medical conditions and/or repeat prescriptions will need to make a phone appointment with their new GP to discuss this once they have registered. It is also recommended that students with pre-existing medical conditions email the College Nurse for advice about what support might be available.

EU and International Students

Students coming to the UK on a student visa for six months or longer will have paid an immigration health surcharge as part of their visa application fee. This entitles students to access the NHS free of charge in the same way as a permanent UK resident. You may need to pay for dental and optical treatment as well as for any medicine prescribed by a doctor and collected from a pharmacy. More information is available on the International Students website.

Before you come to Cambridge, please read this vaccination information document and check you have had the vaccines listed. It is really important that students are protected against common but preventable communicable diseases because when you arrive at Cambridge you will be living with and mixing with lots of other students.

You will receive confirmation of your room allocation in early September, and an accommodation licence will be sent to your @cam.ac.uk email account in mid-September. This is an important document, so please read it carefully and make a note of its conditions before formally accepting it. There will be a link to the acceptance form in the email and you should accept the licence before arriving in College.

When accepting the licence, you will also have the choice to opt in or out of the College linen service. If you opt in, the College will provide you with clean bed linen (i.e. sheet, pillowcase and duvet cover) each week/fortnight. The charges for this service will be outlined in the licence document. If you opt out of this service, you will be required to provide and launder your own bed linen.

The Undergraduate Matriculation Dinner will be held on Friday 10 October. You will be sent an invitation to this by email and will need to reply to the invitation by Thursday 25 September, including any dietary requirements.

If you require a visa to study in the UK, you will need to provide a share code so the College can check your eVisa and verify your right to study. You should send your share code by email to the Tutorial Office and information about how to generate a share code can be found on the International Students website.

Some subjects may require you to complete some preparatory work before you arrive. We will let you know if this is the case. If you don’t hear from us, then you don’t need to do anything.

Your University Card will have many functions during your time in Cambridge, including access to your accommodation and other College spaces (e.g. the Library), and to charge meals and other items to your College account in the cafeteria and Aula Bar.

You should collect your card from the Porters when you first arrive in College, as you will need it to access your room. If your card is not ready to collect, the Porters will issue a temporary card for you to access your room in the interim.

If you are being sponsored by the University for a student visa, then you will need to visit the Tutorial Office between 9:30–11:30am on Monday 29 September for your immigrations documents to be checked and copied. Further instructions will be circulated to the relevant students.

You will be contacted by your Tutor and DoS to arrange your first meetings. The invitations will be sent to your university email address.

Matriculation is the formal admission of a student to membership of the University. You will need to complete an online form confirming that you will observe the Statutes and Ordinances of the University. The form will be sent to you by email at the start of Michaelmas Term in early October.

If you don’t already have a UK bank account, you will need to open one. Most banks will ask for proof of your address. If you need a letter from the College to confirm your address and student status, please email the Tutorial Office and include the name of the bank you wish to use. We will issue a letter once you have arrived in Cambridge.

Your College pigeonhole is the place where your physical mail is delivered. This can be found in the Porters’ Lodge on Central Site.

If you bring a bike to College, this must be registered at the Central Site Porters’ Lodge within two weeks of arrival. You can store bikes in the College cycle racks but this is on a first come, first served basis.

Take some time to explore the city of Cambridge, to discover the location of your favourite supermarkets, shops and cafés, etc. You will also want to find your department and plan your route to lectures – the University map can help with this.

The College produces an annual Student Handbook, which contains a wealth of important and useful information. The Handbook is updated in September each year, and you can read it on the intranet.

The College intranet is the central repository for information (the daily Cafeteria menus are very popular!) and is also the place to book facilities or seek assistance from various departments. You will be given access via your Cambridge IT account shortly before you arrive.

Make sure you provide the College with your UK bank account details – this can be done via the meal booking system on the College intranet.

You can expect to receive details of your room allocation via email in early September.

In mid-September, you will receive another email with your accommodation licence, and you will need to accept the licence terms (by clicking on the link provided) before you move into your room. This will be sent to your @cam.ac.uk email address.

All first-year undergraduates are expected to arrive on Sunday 28 September.

It is not possible to arrange viewings of individual rooms in person. However, you can view examples of rooms via the College’s Virtual Tour.

All first-year undergraduate accommodation licences are term-time only by default and your entitlement to residence dates for each term are as follows:

• Michaelmas term: 28 September – 12 December 2025
• Lent term: 15 January – 26 March 2026
• Easter term: 21 April – 30 June 2026

First-year international students may request to change to an Academic Year licence (which includes the Christmas and Easter vacations) or an Easter licence (which includes the Easter vacation only), but it is likely they will have to move to a temporary room during the vacation periods. After the first year, all students will have the option to choose their preferred licence type via the JCR ballot system.

Students living in college accommodation are covered by a mandatory room insurance policy. This gives a basic level of cover for personal possessions in rooms and bicycle cover. The exact cost for 2025-26 is to be confirmed but is likely to be in the region of £16 per year and is added to Michaelmas Term college bills.

Your room does not include a TV licence, so you will need to get your own if necessary. You can find further information about licencing requirements on the TV licencing website.

Furniture: All rooms will be furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, wardrobe/cupboard, desk lamp and rubbish bin. In rooms where space permits, they may also contain an easy chair, bedside cabinet and chest of drawers. Please note that you will need to obtain permission from the Junior Bursar to bring any additional furniture into your bedroom.

Bedding: All students are provided with a mattress protector, duvet, and pillow as standard, and this is included in the room rent.

Bed linen: If you choose to opt in to the College linen service, you will receive a clean pillowcase and sheet every week (on Fridays), and a clean duvet cover every second week. The cost of the linen service will be outlined in your accommodation licence. If you choose to opt out of the linen service, you will not pay any additional laundry charges but will need to provide and launder your own bed linen.

Fridges: These are not provided as standard and are only allowed in bedrooms if permission has been granted by the Junior Bursar for medical or religious reasons. Please email the Tutorial Office if you wish to apply for permission to have a fridge in your bedroom.

All kitchens and kitchenettes have a fridge, microwave, toaster and kettle. Central Site kitchenettes do not have an oven or hob as meals are available in the cafeteria. However, the WYNG Gardens kitchens do have ovens and hobs.

Students are permitted to use their own kettles, toasters and rice cookers in the shared kitchens if they wish, but these must have been recently PAT tested. Correctly tested kettles are also allowed in students’ bedrooms, but toasters and rice cookers can only be used in the kitchens/kitchenettes. No other cooking appliances are permitted – please see the Student Handbook for full details of prohibited items.

The following list is intended as a starting point to help you consider what to bring with you. It is not exhaustive, and most items can also be purchased (new or second hand) when you arrive if necessary.

Packing list

• Everyday clothes and shoes
• Formal wear and shoes (see guidance on dress codes)
• Nightwear/pyjamas
• Winter coat, gloves and scarf
• Bed linen (duvet cover, sheet and pillowcase – if you have opted out of the College linen service)
• Towels
• Clothes hangers
• Toiletries and other personal items (e.g. hairdryer, shaver etc.)
• Washing detergent and a bag/basket for dirty laundry
• Mobile phone and charger
• Laptop and charger (you will need a device suitable for lectures, supervisions and digital exams – guidance is available on the University website)
• Notebooks, pens and other study materials
• Kitchen utensils, crockery and cutlery
• If you plan to cycle – bike, helmet, lock, lights and high-visibility vest/clothes
• If applicable depending on your hobbies – musical instruments, sports equipment/clothing etc.
• You may bring items to personalise your room if you wish (e.g. photos, cushions, throws, plants), but please note that you cannot attach any items (e.g. posters) to the walls.

The following items are not permitted anywhere in College accommodation, so please do not bring any of these:

• Candles, incense burners or oil burners
• Fairy lights
• Electric scooters
• Deep fat fryers, air fryers, chip pans, slow cookers, portable hobs, hot plates and grills, sandwich toasters
• Portable heaters
• Electric blankets
• Untested electrical appliances
• Travel adaptor plugs which do not comply with British Standards BS1363
• Additional furniture (without prior approval)
• Pets

If you have any question about what to bring, please email the Tutorial office.

If your accommodation licence does not include the vacations, which will be the case for most first year students, you will need to clear all belongings from your room during the vacation periods, as the rooms may be used for conference guests. Some rooms have lockable storage in them (see list below) which can be used to store items during the Christmas and Easter vacations. All other cupboards, drawers and surfaces must be cleared. If your room does not have lockable storage, then you will need to remove all of your belongings.

• Central Site: there is storage either under the beds or in the bedheads on A, G, H, M, N, O and P staircases.
• WYNG Gardens: there is storage in the bedhead in every room.

In addition to the in-room storage listed above, a limited amount of storage space is normally available elsewhere in College for international students.

Card-operated washing machines and dryers are available in the laundry rooms at Central and in WYNG Gardens.

Overnight guests are permitted in accommodation for a maximum of three nights in any seven consecutive nights, up to a maximum of ten nights in a calendar month. All guests must be registered with the Porters’ Lodge at Central Site or WYNG Gardens.

The Aula Bar and Coffee Shop sells a range of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks during the day, with alcoholic drinks available in the evenings when the bar is open, and the College cafeteria offers a selection of hot meals at reasonable prices. You can find the opening times, daily menus and price lists on the College intranet.

The College also hosts formal dinners during term time with Formal Halls on Thursday and Sunday evenings, and Super Halls usually on Fridays once or twice per term. Places are booked via the Meal Booking and Accounts System on the intranet.

Further information about College catering can be found in the Internal Catering FAQs.

One of the advantages of studying in Cambridge is the diversity of its libraries. All members of Trinity Hall have 24/7 access to the College’s Jerwood Library. You will also have access to the main University Library and the many department and faculty libraries, and you can find information about all of these in the Library Essentials guide.

You may also wish to have a look at the CamGuides for Undergraduates, which introduce some of the academic and information skills you will need during your studies.

As a Cambridge student you will have access to a large number of IT facilities and services. Most importantly, you will receive a University ID (or CRSid) and an @cam email account. You can and should access these after you have completed your student registration and before you arrive in Cambridge. There is a guide prepared by the University Information Services (UIS) which will lead you through the basics:

• Get Started with IT as a new student

If you have any problems or questions once you arrive, please contact the College IT Team by submitting a service request via the College Intranet. You can also view information about WiFi, the wired network and College computing facilities on the College intranet.

Music plays a very important role in the life of Trinity Hall and is overseen by the College’s Director of Music. All genres of music are encouraged and there are countless opportunities to get involved, whether by singing in the chapel choir, attending or performing in one of the many eclectic solo or ensemble concerts presented by the Trinity Hall Music Society, or by simply making use of the College’s musical facilities.

Students enjoy a wide variety of sports at Trinity Hall. Whether you are an established athlete or interested in trying something new, there is sure to be something here for you.

There are also many University sports clubs and societies you can get involved with and the University Sports Centre, which is on the West Cambridge site, is open to all students and has a range of membership packages.

The College Chapel welcomes anyone from Trinity Hall and their guests to its services, regardless of their beliefs. You can also visit the Chapel when services are not running for quiet contemplation.

The College also has an interfaith room for those who prefer another option to practice their faith. A room for private prayer, meditation or quiet contemplation, this is a place where you can go any time to make the most of your own personal peace. The Interfaith Room is located on T Staircase on Central Site. Anyone wishing to use the Interfaith Room should visit the Porters’ Lodge to obtain the key.

The JCR committee has various Instagram pages and, if you have an account, we encourage you to follow those relevant to you:

• @trinhall.jcr – this will be relevant to all of you. Profiles for the entire committee are posted on here, so do have a browse!
• @tithall.welfare – this will be relevant to all of you.
• @tithall.ents – this will be relevant to all of you. In Cambridge, Ents committees are responsible for throwing bops and other big events throughout the year.
• @tithall.liberation – this is relevant to anyone part of or an ally to various marginalised groups.
• @tithall.lgbtq – a safe space for anyone part of or an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.
• @trinityhallsport – where info on everything College-sport-related can be found.
• @trinityhallcamb – this will be relevant to all of you. This is the account of the College itself, run by the Communications Team.

In Cambridge, Facebook is probably the most used platform for spreading information and organising events. We strongly advise you create an account. The Tit Hall JCR group is the Facebook group for the entire College undergraduate body. It is used to share crucial information, ask any questions, promote events, and, very importantly, is where you can buy club tickets from our College club reps.

Cambridge has a tradition of college families, whereby all incoming first-year students are assigned a ‘parent’. This is someone from the year above within your college who studies the same or similar subject to you. They’re there to help you navigate your first year, and most of all to be a friendly face! College families tend to consist of two parents and two children.

Our Welfare Officers will be working through the summer to assign you to your parent(s). A few weeks before you arrive in Cambridge, your college parent will be in touch with you to introduce themselves. Please look out for their message or follow requests, most likely on Instagram, Facebook or email.

Cambridge has a variety of traditional events that require a gown, such as Matriculation, Formal Halls, formal academic events, and if you are to sing in the Chapel Choir.

We strongly recommend that you own a gown for your time at Cambridge. You can buy a gown directly through the JCR during Freshers’ Week – which we strongly recommend as it will be less expensive than the shops in town such as Ryder and Amies. Additionally, our Class Act officer will be running the Gown Donation Scheme, in which graduating students donate their gowns for free. Look out for information on this.

The JCR committee also hosts events in College during Induction Week. We hope to create opportunities for you to get to know others in College and to introduce you to life in Cambridge. Our Freshers Representatives (Freps) will be around to answer any questions you have and help you settle in as smoothly as possible.

In the run-up to and during Freshers’ Week, we ask that you please read any communications from us – whether that be on social media, on email, or through the Tutorial Office – as it will make everything flow much better.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us through whichever channel of communication is easiest. We’ll see you at the end of September!

The Universal bus service links Eddington with West Cambridge, the city centre (Queens College/Silver Street), the railway station and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (including Addenbrookes), running up to every 15 mins. The route map can be seen on the University Map or on the Whippet website, where you can also find the timetable. The fare for University of Cambridge members is £1.50 per journey, or an all-day ticket is £3.30.

Stagecoach bus routes operate around Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Single fares are capped at £2.50 for travelling within Cambridge. You can check prices, routes and plan your journeys on their website.

Cambridge is relatively flat and has an extensive cycle route network. CamCycle is a local charity which has been working for safer cycling and they have produced this useful guide to cycling in Cambridge.

To buy either a new or second-hand bike, you can search online but be wary of buying bikes directly from individuals or online adverts as they may be stolen. If you wish, you can check the frame number against an online database of stolen bikes.