Living at Merton

Where will I be living?

Merton provides accommodation to all new undergraduates. First-year rooms are single study bedrooms located on or very close to the main college site. You will be given your room number and precise location on arrival.

Although you will be asked to vacate your room at the end of every term for the holidays, you will be allocated the same room for the full duration of your first year. In later years of study, you will get the option to choose your room.

For the duration of your time at Merton your postal address will be:

Merton College
Merton Street
Oxford
OX1 4JD

It is not necessary for the sender to provide your room number, as all mail is delivered to the Porters' Lodge, from where it is deposited into individual pigeon holes (more on this in the JCR Freshers' Guide).

If you have particular accommodation needs, e.g. for medical, disability, religious or other grounds, then please complete and return the special consideration form as soon as possible, and by 10th September at the latest.

What should I bring?

The JCR Freshers' Guide gives a lot of helpful advice about what you should pack for life in College. Please note that the College does not supply sheets, pillows, pillow-cases, duvets, towels, crockery, cutlery, glassware, electric kettles, or bed-side or desk lamps except where there are special requirements, such as in the case of disability.

Do also remember to bring key personal documents – e.g. birth certificate, passport, and proof of home address – to fulfil administrative needs in Oxford.

TV Licence

Once you move into College, you must be covered by a TV Licence to download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer - live, catch up or on demand. This could be on any device, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or Blu-ray/DVD/VHS recorder. It’s the law.

• Find out more on the TV Licensing website

Meals are normally served in Hall three times a day. Copies of the menu (subject to last-minute changes) are published on a weekly basis on the intranet and online booking system. Vegetarian options are always available, and halal and kosher meals are available in the evenings on request. More information on meals can be found in the College Handbook and here. 

If you have any food allergies of which the College should be aware, please complete and return the Food Allergies Form before your arrival, and by 10th September at the latest.

In addition, once you have arrived at Merton, you should declare your requirements each and every time you sign in for a meal in College. This is especially important if you are medically allergic to any of the 14 allergens listed below. In these circumstances, the Kitchen will be pleased to prepare an alternative meal free of the specified allergen(s). As well as declaring it on your meal booking, to avoid any possible mix up, junior members with a medical allergy to any of these allergens must identify themselves to the Dining Hall Supervisor before the meal begins and ask a member of the Catering/Dining Hall/Waiting staff if the food provided is safe for them before they start eating.

The allergens are:

• cereals containing gluten
• crustaceans
• molluscs
• eggs
• fish
• peanuts
• nuts
• soya
• milk
• celery
• mustard
• sesame
• lupin
• sulphur dioxide (at a level above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre).

The College Handbook 2025-26 sets out all the fees and charges relevant to you during your undergraduate studies, and includes the Licence to Occupy Agreement , which should be read carefully before you arrive. In particular, you should bear in mind that the termly accommodation charge covers the period known as the 'college term', which is the night of Thursday of 0th Week until the morning of Saturday of 8th Week. This means that you will be required to pay additionally for the nights of Monday 6th, Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th October (or more, if you are an international student arriving early), and so you should factor this into your budgeting. These additional nights will be charged to you at the beginning of Hilary term (i.e. after the Christmas vacation).

Accommodation and meal charges, as well as details of the different types of financial support, grants and prizes available at Merton can be found in the College Handbook and here.

You are also encouraged to read through the Financial Guide for Undergraduates which is produced jointly by the University and the College, and to visit the University's fees and funding pages. If you have any enquiries concerning fee status or payments to College, please contact the Finance Bursary. Further information is available from the University's Student Funding website.

The final date of Michaelmas Term is Saturday 6th December.

Undergraduates are not permitted to remain in residence beyond the end of any term unless they have successfully applied for vacation residence. This is limited and only granted in specific circumstances, and details of the criteria and application process will be circulated during Michaelmas Term. Please therefore ensure that you are able to depart on Saturday 6th December, and that (if applicable) the person collecting you at the end of term will be available on the relevant dates. In future terms, you will must return to residence by the Thursday prior to the start of term. Further information about residency is available in the College Handbook.

Term dates of future academic years can be found on the University website.

The JCR have put together a guide to life in Oxford so that you can make the most of your free time in the city.  The JCR Entz Guide gives current students’ recommendations of clubs and pubs in Oxford, as well as explaining College bops and other Oxford events. Please also read the letter from the JCR's Welfare Reps, Tabitha and Kate. The JCR have also created a WhatsApp Group for for freshers: you can join up here. 

There is a guide the JCR, the Exec, the various reps and how to get involved here.

We are delighted to let you know about a lunch in College for you and your parents, guardians or carers. This will take place on 15th November and we hope that you will find it a relaxed and informal occasion and that it will give your guests a sense of what life at the College is like. It will also give you the chance to show your guests around the College and your new surroundings.

We will write to you with a more detailed invitation in later on but do ask your parents/guardians/carers to save the date in their diaries now if they would like to come along. The lunch is always a hugely popular occasion and places are taken very quickly, so numbers will be limited to two guests per undergraduate fresher.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at events@merton.ox.ac.uk.

Student ambassadors play a vital role in Merton’s outreach work.

Each year a large group of friendly, enthusiastic and well-informed ambassadors volunteer their time to give an undergraduate perspective of life at Merton to visiting school students and teachers. In Michaelmas, you’ll have the opportunity to apply to our ambassador team in order to help ensure Merton continues to showcase its welcoming and diverse college community to potential applicants. Ambassadors help with events such as school visits, workshops, Q&A panels and college tours, both in person and virtually.

Full training will be provided, and being an ambassador is a great way to earn valuable volunteer experience for your CV. Trained ambassadors can sign up to help with events on an individual basis, so it’s easy to fit volunteering in around your academic and social commitments. There will also be the opportunity to take part in some paid work throughout the year, so if you are interested in becoming an ambassador, please ensure you bring your passport with you to Oxford.

If you have any questions about becoming a student ambassador or about Merton’s access and outreach work, please contact the Schools Liaison and Access Officer at schools@merton.ox.ac.uk.