Following serious accomodation delays, a number of Oxford Brookes students will be forced to start their university careers from a room at the three-star Oxford Holiday Inn.
Although those who chose Brookes as their first choice university have been guaranteed accomodation, some students admitted through Clearing or via their Insurance choice are beginning the term in the hotel.
It’s a far cry from the purpose-built accommodation many had expected, due to be completed in October, though for as long as the university contributes to their costs, the forty students directly involved are unlikely to be complaining.
Students will be expected to pay a small fee, which includes breakfast and shuttle trips to the campus, while the university subsidises the cost of the room. An on-site warden is available for help with any housing – or hotelier – issues.
In a city with extremely high demand for places in university accommodation, Oxford Brookes has historically guaranteed a place in halls only to those who placed them as their first choice.
This year registrar Paul Large said that the university had “proved a popular choice”, leading to a larger proportion of students wishing to stay in halls than in previous years.
Accommodation construction on Chapel Street was underway, with the capacity to house almost 200 students from universities across Oxford, scheduled for completion in October.
Students in Oxford have long been aware of a shortage of houses, with letting agents this year reporting increased interest in private lets.
