Cambridge Term Dates

How long is a term at Cambridge actually? I am trying to work out my budgeting as a fresher for Michealmas term but I’m not sure how many weeks I’ll actually be there for? Do you move out after the 8 weeks of lectures or do you stay longer and if so how long?

Reply 1

flowersinmyhair

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

20

https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/term-dates-and-calendars
Please see the above link

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post

by flowersinmyhair

https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/term-dates-and-calendars
Please see the above link

i just don’t understand whether this means I move out on the 6th december or whether students stay on later than this

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post

by Anonymous

How long is a term at Cambridge actually? I am trying to work out my budgeting as a fresher for Michealmas term but I’m not sure how many weeks I’ll actually be there for? Do you move out after the 8 weeks of lectures or do you stay longer and if so how long?

8 weeks. As I understand you have to leave your college accommodation at the end of term, although I think in some cases you can arrange to stay extra days paying per-day rent. There might be an extra "welcome week" at the beginning of the year, and some postgrad courses might have a pre-sessional week or two I think?

The students definitely all clear out at the end of the teaching term though, unless something changed since I used to work there...I believe in part because the colleges rent out all the rooms for conferences and other short stay visitors (and also use them for interview candidates I believe at that part of the year) thus at least the majority of the students need to be out of there.

Reply 4

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

20

Original post

by Anonymous

How long is a term at Cambridge actually? I am trying to work out my budgeting as a fresher for Michealmas term but I’m not sure how many weeks I’ll actually be there for? Do you move out after the 8 weeks of lectures or do you stay longer and if so how long?

You need to speak to your College about your arrival date and then the issue with Cambridge is 'it all depends'. You MUST be in Cambridge during Full term, which is a shorter period within Term. Lectures occur during Full Term. At the start of Michaelmas, when you can arrive depends on your College and exactly what accommodation you are in. Thereafter, you decide and/or you negotiate with your College. Technically you can leave on the last day of Full term, but your College accommodation agreement will say how long you can stay. It's usually until about the Saturday after Full Term.

If you are in accommodation that is used for Conferences, your College is likely to be pretty fixed on arrival and departure dates. If you are in accommodation that isn't used for conferences (usually in 2nd and 3rd years, in off-site hostels, or in tiny rooms) then they can be more flexible. If you are in a room needed for conferences, then you may be allowed to stay but you would have to move to another room.

People tend to leave quite promptly at Christmas (assuming they can get home and back in time, and its culturally a thing, ie many Chinese students stay in College the whole vacation), at Easter departures depend on revision preferences. Most trying stay on as long as they can in the summer.

So if you really need to know for flight tickets, then you need to ask your College what your accommodation agreement will say about leaving at Christmas (actually not many Colleges have large residential conferences before Christmas), and the work out the end of Full term, and decide who you want to leave between the two.

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post

by artful_lounger

8 weeks. As I understand you have to leave your college accommodation at the end of term, although I think in some cases you can arrange to stay extra days paying per-day rent. There might be an extra "welcome week" at the beginning of the year, and some postgrad courses might have a pre-sessional week or two I think?
The students definitely all clear out at the end of the teaching term though, unless something changed since I used to work there...I believe in part because the colleges rent out all the rooms for conferences and other short stay visitors (and also use them for interview candidates I believe at that part of the year) thus at least the majority of the students need to be out of there.

okay, thank you so much!!

Reply 6

melancollege

Universities Forum Helper

18

Original post

by Anonymous

How long is a term at Cambridge actually? I am trying to work out my budgeting as a fresher for Michealmas term but I’m not sure how many weeks I’ll actually be there for? Do you move out after the 8 weeks of lectures or do you stay longer and if so how long?

Lectures are 8 weeks plus a week either side (it's not like you move in on your first day of lectures). At my college (Sidney Sussex), the standard rent license length was 30 weeks so unless you specifically asked for and / or paid for extra, that's all that you could be there for.

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post

by melancollege

Lectures are 8 weeks plus a week either side (it's not like you move in on your first day of lectures). At my college (Sidney Sussex), the standard rent license length was 30 weeks so unless you specifically asked for and / or paid for extra, that's all that you could be there for.

okay that makes sense thank you!!

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