Robinson College is committed to ensuring that students from across the country are able to participate in our events. To that end, this page contains information on travel expenses for students who are involved with any in-person event held at and organised by the College. 

Please note that travel costs will only be refunded when trips are made via non-First Class public transport. This is usually trains but can also be coaches, and we will expect students to take off-peak journeys when event times allow. In cases where flying would be more appropriate, this can be discussed with the student. 

We will not refund taxi costs or private car mileage. We will not usually refund transport costs to, from, or between main legs of public transport (e.g. tube fare; bus fare to and from stations etc.) unless this is prohibitive. 

Please see the end of this page for further information on how to make a claim. 

Full travel expenses covered

The College will cover full travel expenses for students who meet one of the following criteria: 

• Are currently under the care of a Local Authority (including the Foster Care system); 
• Are currently eligible for Free School Meals. 

If you are eligible for full expense coverage, the College will book your travel directly. We will confirm journey times with you, and then forward on tickets or ticket collection details once they have been purchased. 

Partial travel expenses covered 

The College will cover 50% of travel costs for students who meet one of the following criteria: 

• Are attending a state-maintained (i.e. non fee-paying) school; 
• Or are attending an independent (i.e. fee-paying) school on full bursary/scholarship; 

And 

• Total travel costs exceed £50. 

If you are eligible for partial expense coverage, you will need to purchase your tickets yourself and then claim reimbursement. Reimbursements are processed on the 20th of each month; this money is usually paid by the beginning of the following month. We suggest you contact us to check that your journey is valid for reimbursement before buying tickets. 

If you or your family are unable to afford the up-front cost of the journey, please have a parent/guardian or school teacher email slo@robinson.cam.ac.uk to discuss further. 

If your travel costs will exceed £100 and you meet the above criteria, please contact us directly. 

Requesting expenses

If you have a confirmed place on a Robinson College event and meet the eligibility criteria for partial or full expense coverage, you must email us directly to request this. 

In your email please include the following information: 

• Full name; 
• Event you are attending; 
• Type of expense coverage that you are requesting (partial or full). Please provide evidence of Free School Meal eligibility or that you are in Local Authority Care if requesting full coverage; 

If you are requesting a reimbursement for full coverage, please include the below: 

• Preferred mode of transport (e.g. train or coach); 
• Closest station(s); 
• Whether or not you hold a valid travel card (e.g. rail or coach card); 

If you are requesting a reimbursement for partial coverage, please include the below: 

• Ticket receipt (e-receipt or scanned receipt). This must show the total cost of your journey. If you have booked using Trainline, the digital Booking Confirmation email will suffice and can be forwarded to us, or attached to your email; 
• Bank account number, sort code, and account name.