Pembroke College Cambridge

Accommodation

Where will I live during the Pembroke Cambridge Summer Programme?

All students on the programme will stay in either Pembroke College on-site accommodation or in our off-site central townhouse residences which are in quiet neighbourhoods in the city centre.

With its extensive gardens and quiet courtyards, the College is a beautiful and historic place to live and work. The off-site houses are located between the College and the train station, ideal for access to public transport and shops and give you a more authentic 'Cambridge local' experience with a back garden and friendly neighbours.

You'll be housed in a private, single-occupancy room with shared kitchen facilities and shared bathrooms which are cleaned daily. There is also a weekly cleaning service for your room as well as free Wi-Fi throughout the accommodation and College.

All of our rooms are single-occupancy (i.e. no roommates) and facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms are shared with other students on the programme.

All bedlinen and towels are included, so you don't need to bring your own.

Rooms vary in size, location, amenities and distance from the main lecture venue and College site. This variety is reflected in the pricing of the different accommodation bands, which are based on the College banding used throughout the year. Cambridge is a historic city and the buildings can be hundreds of years old so no two rooms are the same. We have done our best to reflect differences in rooms with the different price bands but please be aware that there will still be some variation between rooms of the same band and location.

Choosing your accommodation

You'll choose your accommodation once you're accepted on the programme using our online application platform. Don't worry though, we'll send you all you need to know in your acceptance email. Your choice of accommodation cannot be changed once submitted so please keep this in mind when selecting your room. Please ensure you are aware of the location of your accommodation. The furthest accommodation is about a fifteen-minute walk to Pembroke College, but is located in a beautiful quiet neighbourhood in the centre.

You can see a map of the accommodation locations here.

Meals in College 

You'll have meal credit that covers approximately ten meals per week, depending how much food you eat for each meal! This will be in the form of credit on your access swipecard which is part of the accommodation fee. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available (brunch and dinner on weekends) and you will be able to eat all your meals in Pembroke's historic dining hall for that authentic Cambridge experience.

Pembroke also has a lovely café with an adjoining common room for a quieter more relaxed option, where you can get baguettes, paninis and cakes, which can also be eaten outside in the sun, overlooking the beautiful gardens.

The amount of credit is designed to allow you to balance the meals you take in College with those you may want to eat out when you explore the wonderful array of restaurants and cafés in Cambridge.

You can have as many or as few meals in College as you like, but if your credit runs out you will have to pay by debit/credit card for any future meals. Unfortunately we are not able to refund leftover credit on your swipecard so we recommend you keep an eye on the amount at the till during the summer.

Formal Hall

Formal dining is an integral part of College life. Over the summer you'll have the wonderful opportunity to attend two College dinners known as ‘Formal Halls’. These three-course candlelit dinners are enjoyed in the College's beautiful dining hall with your fellow students, lecturers and PAs, and are a Cambridge tradition dating back hundreds of years.

There are strict traditions and etiquette with Formal Halls such as standing for Grace in Latin and students will be expected to be on their best behaviour and dressed formally for the occasion! It sounds daunting but many of our students tell us it's their most memorable part of the summer.

Laundry access

You'll have access to shared laundry facilities which may not be in your exact accommodation location, but always close by. You'll also be provided with towels and bedding and these will be changed weekly.