UK bank accounts
It is essential to have a UK bank account set up as soon as possible after you arrive.
On request, the Postgraduate Office will provide a letter confirming your student status for a bank.
Tuition fees & College charges
The College runs two accounts for you:
- Tuition fee account (academic fees)
- College account (for other expenditure)
All academic fees are collected through the College. Self-funded students are required to pay their academic fees for the year before arriving in College. If you are funded by a public body, or other organisation and wish to vary these arrangements please contact Theresa Brooks in the Student Accounts Department.
Approved fees for all other students are charged termly in advance and should be paid to the College at the start of the term or at the latest within 14 days of the first day of full term.
If the payment of fees in advance causes you hardship, you should talk to your tutor immediately. You can check the fees you should be paying on the University website.
The total fee you pay depends on your course.
Home fee status students following certain courses (see Note 1 under Incoming Funds above) continue to be eligible for the public support they received in their undergraduate study years and can apply to have the college element of their fees and in some cases, a means-tested contribution to the university element, or a fee loan, paid directly from public funds. Please note that even if your parental income is such that you do not qualify for the means-tested elements of public funding, it may still be necessary for you to provide proof of residence for home fees status, otherwise you will be personally liable for a college fee of £10,695 (2022/23)  in addition to the overseas university fee.
Details of postgraduate course costs and fee status can be found on the University website.
Information about scholarships and hardship funds available to Churchill postgraduates can be found on our financial support pages:
Financial support and scholarships
General information on public financial support for UK students can be found on the gov.uk website.
Payments to College
Payment of Tuition fees and any payments due before you arrive at Churchill College should be made by bank transfer, or through Transfermate. The College bank account details for electronic transfer are:
Bank:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Lloyds Bank
Address:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3 Sidney Street, Cambridge, CB2 3HG
Account Name:Â Â Â Â Â Churchill College Bursar’s Account
Sort Code:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30-91-56
Account Number:Â Â Â 03114294
IBAN NUMBERÂ Â Â Â Â GB72LOYD30915603114294
SWIFT CODE:Â Â Â Â Â Â LOYDGB2L
Please ensure that the bank quotes your surname and student account number as the reference for the transfer.
Payment of your monthly College Accounts should be made by direct debit from a UK bank account. Direct debit forms will be sent to you for completion just before you arrive in College. Additional forms can be obtained from the Student Accounts Office if required. Please complete the direct debit form as soon as you have your UK bank account details.
A strictly enforced regulation is that students may not collect their degrees or certificates in person if they have any outstanding debts in Cambridge.
Guide to Payment Dates
The link below takes you to a summary of what payments are due before you arrive at College, and what you will need to pay (and when) whilst you are at College.
College account
Your monthly College Account will be sent to you by 10th of the following month. This will include rent for the following month plus catering, electricity or other charges that you incurred during the month. All College Accounts should be paid by direct debit and you should ensure that you complete a mandate as soon as you have a UK bank account. Payment of your College Account will be made by direct debit on 1st of month after it has been issued.
The rent for college rooms includes reasonable heating from about 7am–11 pm from October to April depending on the temperature outside. Rents for individual room range from about £97–£200 per week, depending on size and facilities. The rents are set by the MCR with the Bursar.
Meals in the dining hall, which is open every day of the week, cost approximately £6 for two courses.
College rent deposit and Membership bond
All postgraduate students who live in College accommodation are required to pay 2 months rent in advance. You will then be billed monthly in advance for rent until the end of your final rent contract.
All students, including those who do not live in College accommodation, are required to pay a Membership Bond of £250. This will held by College whilst you are a student and will be refunded to you against your final College Account.
Grants & funding payments received by College
Some grants for living expenses from other public bodies for UK, EU and Overseas students are made directly to the College rather than to the student. If this is the case, the grants or other funding will be credited to your College Account. You should contact the Student Accounts Office if you would like all/some of this money to be transferred to your own bank account.
Please complete the funding information form given to you by the Postgraduate Office promptly.
Student Loans Company
If you are a Home fee status student on certain specified postgraduate courses (*MASt., clinical veterinary and clinical medical sciences) and and are receiving a loan from the Student Loans Company, this will be paid directly into your bank account. You will be sent a Financial Notification Form. This should be sent to the Student Accounts Office as soon as possible after you arrive in Cambridge.
Overdue accounts
A late payment penalty charge is levied on all overdue accounts at 0.5% per week unless the Bursar excuses you after consultation with their Tutor.
If the account is still overdue at the end of a vacation, you may be asked to leave your accommodation, unless agreed on an exceptional basis by the Bursar or by the College Council on appeal.
Bringing dependants
No dependents or additional dependants may be brought to Cambridge before evidence of the extra financial support needed has been supplied to the Student Registry/JBS and the College, and the consent of the College obtained. Students supported by bodies such as the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and the Cambridge Overseas Trust must have their permission to bring a dependant into residence in Cambridge.
‘Over-running’ PhD students
Some PhD students are now funded for 12 terms, but many for just nine terms. For those who fail to submit in time, there are a number of sources of help. You should plan your finances to allow for some extension. Talk to your research supervisor as well as your college tutor, particularly if the delay is no fault of your own. Many departments also have funds available to assist.
A postgraduate student is liable to pay full university and college fees for the minimum required number of terms of research required for their degree, even if they receive leave to work away from Cambridge. Students wishing to continue to make use of College facilities while completing their PhD may do so, on condition that they maintain an advance deposit of £250 with the College. In exchange for the maintenance of this deposit the following facilities will be granted:
- A pigeon-hole for mail.
- The possibility of a college room/flat paying normal student rents.
- Non-fee-paying students (NFPs) will be low on the priority list for such rooms, but the Postgraduate Tutor may make them available in certain appropriate cases.
- Those occupying college accommodation for a period of more than four weeks would be required, before entering that accommodation, to increase their Deposit to an appropriately higher figure. You will be expected to rent your accommodation for a minimum of nine months unless agreed otherwise in advance.
- The ability to apply for conference travel grants, on the understanding that an application from an NFP student (particularly one who has already received a conference travel grant) will have lower priority.
- The ability to apply for hardship funds, on the understanding that the over-run is for unforeseen and unforeseeable circumstances and that the student has sought department funding first.
- The holding of a college account card, which at present gives entitlement to college computer and laser-printing facilities, access to the College library and the ability to borrow books, access to squash courts and the gym, and the ability to purchase meals in College.
- Access to administrative assistance from the Postgraduate Office, including letters for visa renewal, certification of student status etc.
- MCR membership.
- Invitations to one Postgraduate Students’ Dinner per annum (subject to availability).
The following obligations shall also be incurred:
- To sign the Redit Book at the start of each quarter and the Exeat Book whenever they take leave to work away or are going to be away from Cambridge for an extended period for any other reason.
- To keep the Porters’ Lodge informed of their current address.
- To pay all college accommodation and meal accounts by the due date.
- To notify the Student Accounts Office and provide a forwarding address when they finally leave Cambridge.
Failure to comply with these obligations may mean that the facilities are withdrawn.
Students who choose not to maintain their deposit would have the rights of a former member of the College. Any person removing their deposit who then wishes to regain the facilities of a deposit-holder will be charged a non-returnable administration fee of £40, as well as the advance deposit.
If you think you may over-run your PhD time allocation, you should talk to your research supervisor as well as your college tutor, particularly if the delay is no fault of your own. Many departments also have funds available to assist.
Council Tax (local property tax)
Full-time students have no liability for Council Tax provided that they are only living with other students. All students are expected to apply themselves to their studies for an average of 21 hours a week while in residence. If you are living outside of college accommodation you may be asked to provide proof of student status for Council Tax purposes. A certificate for this purpose is available, on request, from Rebecca Sawalmeh in the Postgraduate Office.
Do not ignore letters from the City Council about Council Tax
Council Tax liability for dependents
Dependents of students living in the Wolfson flats or in external properties are liable for Council Tax unless they themselves are students or have a visa stamped ‘no recourse to public funds’. Dependents may be eligible for a reduction on the grounds of low, or no, income in the household if they complete a form for Housing and Council Tax Benefit. Legal liability for payment of the Tax lies with the tenant and not with the dependent concerned or with the College. All Wolfson flat residents will need to complete a form showing the dependant’s status and provide evidence in the form of a copy of the visa in their dependent’s passport.
For more information contact: Rebecca Sawalmeh in the Postgraduate Office.
Details of Council Tax discounts and exemptions can be found on the Cambridge City Council website.
University cards
Most students will be provided with a university/college card, which you should collect from the Student Accounts Office. If your department gives you one, you will need to get it programmed by the Student Accounts Office for college use. The card gives you access to various areas and facilities in college and university, it can be used in the dining hall and buttery to charge meals and food purchases to your account, and to borrow library books from the College library. It will also give you a discount in the Cambridge University Press bookshop and various other shops as well as on U buses into the town centre and Addenbrookes Hospital.
Contacts
The Student Finance Officers are Theresa Brooks and Allison Bone.
The main accounts offices are situated above Housekeeping, near the JCR Games Room.
