• Tweet

• Roehampton University

TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Roehampton University

University of Roehampton

About Us

Roehampton is one of the newest universities in the UK, having been established in 2004. At the same time, through its four Colleges which have come together to found the University, it has a proud and distinguished history dating back to the 1840s, particularly in the field of Childhood Studies and Education. Roehampton's Colleges were also among the first colleges of higher education in the country to admit women. That tradition of commitment to equality continues to be part of the University's Vision and to the ethos of Roehampton, which has one of the most diverse communities of students in the UK.

Academic Departments

Roehampton manages its programme across nine academic Departments and the Business School. Each of these manages its own budget, course content, research activity and programme-based events. Postgraduate students are also members of the Graduate School.

Colleges

Roehampton's parkland campus includes four Colleges, each of which has its own unique personality with a real community spirit. Each College is responsible for its own accommodation, conferencing and other social activities. They also provide students with pastoral support and work closely with the Students' Union College reps who organise an extensive range of social opportunities.

Facilities

Library

The Library is located at the North Campus (Roehampton Lane site). It holds over 490,000 books and 500 journals, as well as providing access to electronic journals and databases, DVD, internet and PC suites as well as Wired social learning space and internet cafe. Staff are available to help students use these resources, including help to use PCs, with general and subject-specific enquiries, and to help with specialist services such as graphics packages. The Library also provides a variety of learning environments including bookable study rooms.

The Library has three open-access PC suites (with over 270 PCs available for general use). Photocopiers are available in the Library, operated by cards available for purchase. A range of material to support study are also offered for sale in the Library e.g. computer disks, stationery, DVDs and video / audio cassettes.

The Library also has a range of study environments available - there are noise zones to cater for all tastes, Group, Quiet and Silent areas. Study bays are dotted around the book floors, as well as bookable study rooms, PC Suites, social learning in the Wired cybercafé, access to power for laptops on study bays, sofas, desks, bean bags and comfy chairs.

The library has several study rooms varying in size. Most can be booked in advance via a web booking system. Two of these rooms have priority booking status for students who are registered with the Library as having Special Requirements.

The University's free minibus service stops at the front door to the library every 15 minutes during the day in term time. The timetable varies, but is updated regularly on the university's website.

IT and Computing

Computer suites are available in the Library, Southlands, Whitelands, Froebel and Mount Clare.

The University of Roehampton Library has several open access PC suites as well as an internet café called Wired which has 50 computers including one with an adjustable table and scanner. These do tend to fill up quickly during peak hours (12-1pm, 4-5pm) and is more of a social area, so expect people to be on Facebook and talking to their friends, rather than doing coursework. A laptop rental service is also available from IT Services in the Library, enabling students to borrow a laptop for a short period of time.

In total, there are 275 computers available in the Library for general use.

The Southlands Suite has 36 computers which are available during the day, evenings and weekends during term time using a student ID card unless they are booked for teaching. In the future, the Costa Coffee outlet will have 10 Apple Macs and 2 PC computers.

There is one main suite in Whitelands, housing 35 computers, colour printing and a special-needs computer. It is open 24/7. Parkstead House also has five Touchdown computers, two in the main entrance lobby and three outside the William Morris Lecture Theatre. Touchdown computers are ideal for web surfing and checking emails on the go.

Mount Clare's Internet Cafe has 13 computers with black & white printing facilities and a scanner. It is also open 24/7.

Visit the university website for more information on open-access computers at Roehampton. WiFi is available throughout the University.

Sport Roehampton

Sport Roehampton provides high-quality sport, physical activity and health services for Roehampton students and staff, our local community and elite athletes. Sport Roehampton strives to ensure that their programmes are accessible and inclusive and build on University of Roehampton's long-standing commitment to social justice. They support the idea that "sport is for all" and believe in the potential that sport and physical activity have for developing society.

Sport Roehampton's work builds on a long tradition of academic excellence in physical education, sport sciences, health sciences and dance and the work of the Roehampton Students’ Union in supporting and promoting sport and recreation.

On-campus sports facilities include:

• All weather floodlit multi use games area for tennis, netball, five-a-side football and basketball
• A further full-size tennis court
• Fully inclusive (IFI accredited) fitness suite with CV and resistance training equipment, air conditioning and personal entertainment systems
• Three dance studios with specialty, sprung floors and ceiling-to-floor mirrors
• An indoor gymnasium for fencing, badminton, basketball, volleyball, sitting volleyball, boccia and five-a-side football
• Two grass football pitches

The University is also leaseholder of the Roehampton Playing Fields on Doverhouse Road. This sports hub, a short walk from campus, includes:

• 3 grass football pitches
• 4 tennis / netball courts
• Grass running track

Future developments in this area will include a new pavilion with studio and seminar room, plus an artificial pitch for hockey, tennis and football

Our teams, clubs and recreational programmes also enjoy access to a range of high quality local facilities, including the following (within walking distance of campus)

• The National Tennis Centre
• Bank of England Sports Centre
• Roehampton Club
• Roehampton Sport and Fitness Centre
• Richmond Park

University of Roehampton currently runs a sports scholarship programme which includes four annual £3,000 scholarships rewarding students for their commitment to sporting excellence.

The University is dedicated to giving its students the opportunity to play sports at all levels. It recognises the difficulties students encounter trying to balance academic studies with training and competition schedules. Alongside the scholarship, Roehampton offers a support network designed to encourage talented sports men/women to meet their full potential not only in their chosen sport, but also in their academic studies.

3 of 2009's intake of students were awarded a scholarship for sporting excellence - Igino Corradi, Krushmi Chheda, and Jamie Kirkwood.

Healthcare

The university has it's own medical centre, based in the Old Court at Froebel. It's open every weekday during term time from 9.30am 'til 4pm, offering a range of services including sexual health screening, family planning and travel immunisations. This is a nurse-led service, which means you will be seen initially by a nurse who will be able to provide you with treatment or refer you to a GP or other service.

Shops and Amenities

There are various shops available on campus where students can purchase basic groceries, stationery, computer consumables, select pharmaceuticals and snacks.There are also a number of vending machines.

Whitelands students are closer to the shops on Danebury Avenue and Roehampton High Street (which include a Co-op, Chemist, Post Office, Off Licence and Takeaways). There is a Premier shop in Aubyn Square for your basic requirements.

Students can also get the bus (265 or 85) to the local ASDA in Roehampton Vale, or go to Putney (265, 430), Kingston (85), Richmond (493) or Hammersmith (72) to shop.

There is a 24/7 Shell Petrol Garage for those in the night that can't be bothered to go to ASDA.

On-Campus Catering

• Froebel Catering Outlets
• Digby Stuart Catering Outlets
• Whitelands Catering Outlets
• Southlands Catering Outlets

Digby Stuart campus has several catering outlets to choose between. The Amigo-To-Go shop sells a wide range of sandwiches, drinks and snacks, as well as groceries, stationery, pain relief and toiletries. You can get a good cup of bean-to-cup coffee, a freshly-made fruit smoothie, a panini or choose between a range of muffins, cakes and Danish pastries from the Toujours Cafe. The Trattoria Pizzeria in the main Dining Room serves fresh-dough 10” pizzas, while Eat (also in the Dining Room) serves a daily menu of cook-to-order dishes. There is also a Goodness Me fruit and salad bar. For good Italian coffee (and a great atmosphere) then go to the Wired Cybercafe in the library.

The catering outlets at Southlands have recently been updated to include Piri Piri which serves a wide range of freshly cooked spicy chicken dishes. You can also grab a coffee or a snack from Costa Coffee if you can't face the queues.

Froebel's Montefiore Diner includes Eat (freshly cooked traditional meals), Goodness Me (self-service fruit and salad bar) and Pasta Pasta (convenient "on-the-go" pasta) catering outlets. In addition, the small Cafe Direct coffee bar serves great bean-to-cup coffee, as you can tell by the huge lines of staff and students that form there at the end of every class. For that genuine 'greasy spoon' atmosphere then head up to Brenda's Union cafe in the Students' Union.

Similarly, Whitelands' Eat / Cafe Direct outlets serve up a range of freshly cooked traditional meals, hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks. The Costa Coffee 'pod' in the lobby of Parkstead House is Rainforest Alliance certified and serves fresh coffee and a range of snacks.

Off campus, there are a number of takeaways on Roehampton High Street (Chinese, Lebanese, Indian) and a chip shop on Danebury Avenue. If you're living on the Roehampton Lane campus then you have a wide choice of takeaways who will deliver.

Banks

There is a Santander Bank (near to the Post Office) in Roehampton itself, but there is also a 'free-of-charge' in The Union (Froebel Campus). Off campus, the nearest free cash-machine is on Roehampton Lane opposite the hospital. For banking, you will have to travel to Putney, Kingston or Wimbledon.

Transport

Since three of the colleges are located on the Roehampton Lane campus, for most students everything they need will be within walking distance. The Whitelands campus is a 10-20 minute walk from the main campus, and Mount Clare is a similar distance away. There is an inter-campus bus service that runs regularly through the week.

Employment and Careers service

The Employability and Entrepreneurship service is available to help current students and alumni develop their career plans and ideas. The service is open between Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm with daily careers adviser drop-in sessions from 12.45pm to 2.45pm during term time. Longer career interviews are available on most weekday mornings by appointment.

The Employability and Entrepreneurship Service at Roehampton can offer information on various jobs from Accountant and Acrobat to Youth Worker or Zoologist, with accompanying advice from experienced careers advisers. Impartial and personal advice is also available on career choices, routes in and up, applications, interviews and getting the job. There are also various job opportunities available while you are studying - Job Shop lists part-time work to help you through your course and temporary jobs that use those long vacations to the max.

Religious facilities

Roehampton has a reputation as a very religious university which can put people off. A visit to the campus, however, will show prospective students that while there are numerous religious facilities on campus, religion isn't shoved down your throat and it's perfectly possible to go through your three years here and not encounter it at all.

A lot of the reputation comes from the fact that three of the colleges (Whitelands, Southlands and Digby Stuart) were once teacher training colleges that all had a strong religious affiliation, and originally the Roehampton Lane campus was home to a Sacred Heart convent and school. Consequently, the religious foundation of the university plays a strong part in its history and each college (apart from Froebel) has a chapel and a particular religious affiliation. Southlands has a Methodist foundation and chapel, Digby Stuart, Roman Catholic and Whitelands, Anglican. Froebel college has a Humanist foundation.

Each chapel has a strong chaplaincy which does have a presence on campus, but Roehampton is not a 'religious college' and the vast majority of students have very little to do with the chaplaincies or the religious side of the university. It's very much something that you have to seek out, rather than something that's forced upon you.

Social

Bars, Pubs and clubs

In the past, each college campus had its own social space. Recently, however, social activities on campus have largely been centralised with the creation of a new Union on Froebel campus next to Montefiore Hall. The new Union is a brand new, purpose built venue and the new home for student events like Club Night, The Bop, Pre-Fez Drinks, Pub Quiz and more. As well as being the new student local, The Union also houses Brenda’s café, giving you the perfect wakeup call with a homely breakfast. Pub Grub is also on offer, with an extensive menu between 3pm and 9pm. The Union is decked out with comfy Chesterfield sofas to sink into, decking in the courtyard, Sky TV, Juke Box and much more. It's open from 8am every weekday and from 12pm at weekends until at least 11pm.

Barcode is based above the Dining room in Whitelands and is open fortnightly on Thursday evenings from 5pm-1am serving a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks.

Further afield, central London is only a tube ride away, although it can be a lot more expensive there. Look out for student nights (Monday and Wednesday) at Oceana in Kingston as well as Fez in Putney on a Wednesday.

Events

The Students' Union Entertainments/Events programme is made up of regular/weekly events, as well as annual and termly larger events. The regular programme of events includes:

• Laugh Out Loud - Comedy Night
• The Grand - Club Night
• Fez Club - Club Night
• Club Foot - Indie Club Night w/Live music (Replacing Bands Night)
• Acoustic Night - Open Mic style event for budding singer/songwriters
• The Bop - Club Night

On top of this, they also arrange Freshers Week, Xmas Bash, The Big RAG Bop and of course, the unmissable RSU Summer Ball. Free buses are provided to take everyone to the Fez club in Putney, which although crowded is a great night! Once a month there is also a free bus to a night at the Clapham Grand. Fridays are a highlight of the Roehampton week, because it is the day of the legendary Bop! It takes place in Montefiore Hall on Froebel with lots of cheesy music, fancy dress and cheap drinks.

Clubs and societies

There are loads of societies to join and if you can't find one you want to join, you can start up your own - all you need is the details of 10 students and apply to the SU to start up.

Socities include:

Accommodation

Accommodation policy

Students who apply before the May deadline (and meet the criteria) you are guaranteed a room and will receive an offer in June. Students who apply between May and the end of July (who live within 10 miles) will be allocated a room after the end of July, subject to availability. Students who apply after the end of July will be allocated a room, subject to availability, according to the date of their application, not their distance from the University.

A £250 deposit must be paid to confirm a room offer. All offers need to be responded to within one week to secure your room. If you have received a conditional offer and do not receive your required grades the full deposit payment will be returned.

For more information relating to accommodation at Roehampton, please visit the Accommodation pages on our website.

Facilities

All bedrooms contain a bed, mattress and mattress cover, desk with drawers, a desk chair, curtains, a wardrobe, shelving and a waste bin. All on-campus accommodation rooms offer internet access via data cabling or a wireless network. Communal areas are regularly cleaned while laundry facilities are close to most accommodation blocks. There are also landline phones in each hall, which can be used to receive external calls and make internal calls within the University.

All kitchens contain a microwave, hob and oven, a kettle, an iron and ironing board, a vacuum cleaner, a toaster, a fridge/freezer, and general waste and recycling bins. Most kitchens, common rooms, corridors and staircases in shared and en suite flats is cleaned once a week. Bede, Newman, Lawrence, Garden Court, New Court and Old Court is cleaned twice weekly. All rubbish is removed daily - Monday to Friday - by the cleaners.

All bedrooms are inspected at least once a term - students are always contacted in advance of this inspection.

Residences

Each of the colleges have their own residences. An overview is listed below, but more comprehensive information can be found in this pdf.

Digby Stuart College

Here you'll have a choice of 4 self-catered halls all available on 38 week lets (except Shaw F - 48 weeks). All 140 rooms in Lee House are self-catered as are most of the 61 rooms in Newman House. Shaw House has 47 of it's 143 rooms as en-suites. Bede House is the cheapest accommodation here and has 108 rooms with shared bathroom facilities.

Froebel College

There are 8 self-catered halls in Froebel. Lawrence, New Court, Old Court, Garden Court and Mount Clare have rooms with shared bathrooms for 38 week lets. Linden, Aspen and Willow have en-suite rooms.

Southlands College

Epworth and Aldersgate Court have 213 rooms arranged in flats with shared facilities and a further 8 en-suite rooms. Wesley Hall has 66 en-suite rooms including some for mature and international studnets. All rooms here are self-catered and are available for 38 week lets (except Arton Wilson East - 48 weeks).

Whitelands College

Beverley, Cheltenham, Durham, Gilesgate, Kings, Melrose and Walpole halls all have 289 self-catered en-suite rooms between them, arranged in small flats which can be rented for 38 week lets. Sutherland has 15 self-catered rooms which are available for 48 week lets.

Private sector

If you are interested in living off campus, there is a wide variety of accommodation suitable for students available to rent in Roehampton and the surrounding area. This private sector accommodation includes:

• properties to rent by groups of students
• rooms available within a student house
• rooms within a resident landlords property (lodgings)

The University has teamed up with the student accommodation company Studentpad to provide an online search facility for private accommodation available to rent in the local area.

The following areas are easily accessible by public transport (bus or train) to the University: Battersea, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, East Acton, Hammersmith, Kingston, Kingston Vale, Putney, Richmond, Sheen, Shepherd’s Bush, Southfields, Tolworth, Vauxhall, Victoria, Wandsworth Town, Waterloo and Wimbledon.

Environment

Local area

Roehampton is located in SW London, just outside the South Circular. Barnes Station is about 15 minutes walk from the Roehampton Lane Campus. It serves Clapham Junction and Waterloo in one direction and out as far as Staines and Windsor to the south west.

By Tube:

From Hammersmith Tube Station: District/Piccadilly/ Hammersmith & City Lines – take the 72 bus from the first floor of the shopping centre. The tube station and shopping centre are below the bus station. Alight at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton Lane. Each college is within about 15-20 minutes walk from Barnes railway station, connecting with Clapham Junction and Waterloo.

From Putney Bridge Tube Station: District Line – take the 265 bus outside the station. Alight at the University, opposite Queen Mary’s Hospital.

Applying to Roehampton

Thinking of applying to Roehampton? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?

Links

• Roehampton University Homepage
• A-Z of Universities

Roehampton Discussions

Latest relevant discussions	Last post/replies
Anyone else got an offer from University of Roehampton entry 2013? by Summer Quincey	ellenpapworth 4 Hours Ago Replies: 92
Roehampton PGCE 2013/14 by Mikey	Mikey 22 Hours Ago Replies: 26
Roehampton 2013? by ellenpapworth	twinny_two 1 Day Ago Replies: 5
University of Roehampton (2013/14) Facebook Page by spacepup	365gapyear 1 Week Ago Replies: 20
PGCE Roehampton 2013 Accomodation by Claire_Louise	Claire_Louise 1 Week Ago Replies: 0
Changing course: is it too late? by music4life483	music4life483 1 Week Ago Replies: 2
Go to University of Roehampton forum Post new thread