Your web-based forms MUST be completed and returned by noon on Friday...November 2025.  If you miss this deadline you will automatically be charged £15.00 on your College bill to cover the additional administrative costs incurred.

To stay in College-owned accommodation between these dates, you need to obtain agreement from the Academic Registrar.  Permission will be given only if there is a compelling reason for your continuing to stay in College.  If you are planning to work for the College or elsewhere over the vacation you still need to request accommodation and should state you will be working.  If you hope to go down on or before 13 December but then return later to stay in College, please state this in the text.

Your request should be made only on the online Going Down Form.

If you are requesting to stay over the vacation in full or part, you should say whether you live outside the UK.  Please also ensure details of your Tutor appear on the form, as the Academic Registrar may need to contact them for confirmation of your needs.

There will be a standard vacation rent of £24.91 per day for all rooms.  The College reserves the right to invoice you for payment in advance of your vacation stay.

If you request to stay up or return early (outside of term) and permission is granted, you will be taken to have agreed to take the room for the period and for the amount specified and a charge will be levied for the whole period of time in question – for 2025-26 this is £24.91 per day regardless of whether you take up occupation or not.  At least 48 hours’ notice prior to the first day of arrival is required in order to cancel the booking without incurring this charge.

NEXT FULL TERM BEGINS ON TUESDAY 20 January 2026

• You are required to obtain permission from the Academic Registrar if you wish to return into residence before Saturday 17 January 2026. This is the last day for return to Cambridge
• Lectures will start on Thursday 22 January 2026

Note for occupants of 1, 1A, 2 & 3B Sylvester Road, 2, 4, 5 & 6 Adams Road

• The same arrangements for vacating rooms during the vacation apply as in the Main College Building
• Rooms in these houses will be required to re-house students who may be staying in College over the vacation period

When you ‘go down’ you must hand in the key to your room by 10.00am.  The Residence Charge for your room is chargeable until the end of Term, even if you ‘go down’ earlier.  Failure to hand in your room key is a breach of the College’s General Regulations and will result in an automatic £10.00 fine that will be added to your College account

You should ensure that your room is cleared of all your belongings and left in a clean and tidy state so that the cleaners can carry out their vacation duties without hindrance:

• Any rubbish must be put in the black bags
• Please ensure that you take your bed linen away and leave the mattress protector, duvet and two pillows on the bed
• Any personal bed linen left behind will be disposed of and missing mattress protectors, duvets and pillows will incur a charge Perishable food and drink must not be left in either your room or in staircase kitchen cupboards and refrigerators
• You may leave personal belongings in your room over the vacation only if they are secured in the lockers above the built-in wardrobes, if you have one in your room (Main College Building only)
• Kettles provided by the College should not be locked away
• Any rooms deemed unusable for other students over the vacation may incur charges

The College cannot accept responsibility for loss in your absence so please do not leave anything of value in the locked cupboards

You must have your belongings packed and have vacated your room and checked out at the Porters Lodge by 10.00am on the day of your departure so that your room may be prepared for re-occupation on the same day.  Failure to do so will result in a payment of compensation to the College at the rate of £24.91 per day or part day.

You should note that all rooms are inspected just after they have been vacated and if there is any damage to your room, you will be charged for repair. The cost will be put on your next term’s bill

Storage in the College is very limited and if you live in the UK you should plan to take everything home

Everything that belongs to you must be carefully removed from the walls etc and taken away with you or locked away in the overhead lockers

Junior Members are reminded that any personal items left in College are not insured by the College under any circumstances

Fridges:

These must be removed from all Main College rooms. Exceptionally, for this vacation only, they may be stored in the top kitchen of your own staircase. They must be thoroughly cleaned before storage and must be clearly labelled with your name and room number.  For residents of the hostels, again for this vacation only, fridges may be left in individual rooms but must be emptied, switched off and thoroughly cleaned.  Fridges stored in kitchens and left in hostel rooms are left at your own risk and are not insured by the College

Requesting space in the College Trunk Room:

The Head Porter is responsible for managing the Trunk Room and rules for its use have been circulated by the RCSA President. Please refer to the rules which state that:

• UK based students are permitted to leave one item of luggage UK students travelling home by bus or train may leave one small additional item
• International students and UK students travelling home by plane may leave three additional items
• Access to the Trunk Room will be restricted to specific times and dates, and monitored by a Duty Porter.  The times will be circulated by the Head Porter and access will not be available outside of those periods.
• Storage will only be accepted in the following containers – Trunks , suitcases and sealed boxes. Soft bags and carrier bags will not be permitted. Oversized boxes will not be accepted. Production of a Robinson Camcard will be required to deposit items.
• Every item MUST have a label provided by the Porters’ Lodge identifying your name and removal date
• Failure to remove the item by that date will incur an administration charge of £20.00 to your College account.
• If the item is not subsequently removed following three requests over a 4 week period, disposal will be arranged

• Any cycle being left in College over the Vacation period must be marked clearly with a Robinson College number and stored in the Bin Brook Cycle Store, which will remain locked during this period
• Cycles must not be left in Hostel racks, The Herschel Road racks or the racks at the front of College, but must be placed in the Bin Brook cycle store for safe keeping
• Individual College cycle numbers together with a cycle marking kit, are held in the Porters’ Lodge

Students living out elsewhere are reminded that the regulations regarding keeping Term, seeing Tutors, etc. apply equally to them.  It is also essential that we have details of the dates when you are going down and when you are returning