Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Royal Holloway is a campus university in Egham, Surrey, with the University of London name but a very different feel from a central London college. Most first years live on campus, so lectures, the Students' Union and your friends are all close by, and the Founder's Building makes it one of the most striking campuses in the country.
The trade-off is location and cost. Egham is a small town, so London nights out mean a 45-minute train and a late journey home. Halls aren't cheap either: most rooms cost £200–£258 a week for 2026/27, though shared rooms in Founder's and Penrose Court are much cheaper.
Known for
Royal Holloway, University of London is 25th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 53.9, above the UK median of 48.5. Our rankings are built around the student experience, combining employability, freshers experience, happiness, nightlife, sustainability, inclusion, innovation and societies. That means big research names don’t automatically top the table. See how we score universities.
Marker shows the UK median across all ranked universities.
| Rank | University | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | University of Oxford | 54.6 |
| 24 | University of Cambridge | 54.5 |
| 25 | Royal Holloway, University of London | 53.9 |
| 26 | University of Glasgow | 53.9 |
| 27 | Northumbria University | 53.7 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
4th of 124 · Safety Score 84.1
19th of 124 · Wellbeing Score 64.9
23rd of 124 · Nightlife Score 61.6
24th of 124 · Innovation Score 64.4
33rd of 123 · Happiness Score 52.9
36th of 124 · Freshers Score 60.9
39th of 124 · Value Score 53.8
45th of 124 · Employability Score 33.7
46th of 122 · Careers Score 34.3
47th of 124 · Societies Score 54.5
48th of 124 · Sustainability Score 54.9
55th of 124 · Inclusion Score 61.9
63rd of 124 · Social Score 49.9
76th of 124 · Balance Score 39.5
88th of 124 · Affordability Score 49.3
Egham as a student city
Ranked 5th of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 63.9.
Royal Holloway, University of London appears in 32 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoology | 3rd | of 37 | 114 |
| Physics | 4th | of 45 | 123 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 8th | of 66 | 120 |
| Computer Science | 14th | of 102 | 192 |
| Human Resource Management | 9th | of 58 | 137 |
| Software Engineering | 9th | of 58 | 139 |
| Geography | 11th | of 63 | 141 |
| Psychology | 19th | of 108 | 183 |
| Biochemistry | 12th | of 60 | 135 |
| Business and Management | 24th | of 114 | 191 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archaeology | 6th | of 28 | 89 |
| International Relations | 16th | of 71 | 136 |
| Marketing | 20th | of 88 | 163 |
| Biomedical Science | 22nd | of 93 | 156 |
| Criminology | 23rd | of 94 | 168 |
| Classics | 5th | of 20 | 66 |
| History | 20th | of 76 | 139 |
| Film Production | 23rd | of 87 | 167 |
| Law | 26th | of 97 | 158 |
| Philosophy | 15th | of 54 | 118 |
| Mathematics | 17th | of 61 | 124 |
| Economics | 24th | of 85 | 145 |
| Geology | 6th | of 21 | 65 |
| Drama, Theatre and Performance | 18th | of 60 | 122 |
| Biology | 17th | of 51 | 111 |
| Sociology | 29th | of 86 | 149 |
| Music | 20th | of 56 | 111 |
| Accounting and Finance | 15th | of 30 | 165 |
| Cyber Security | 29th | of 58 | 112 |
| PPE | 16th | of 31 | 64 |
| Statistics | 14th | of 27 | 61 |
| Politics | 42nd | of 78 | 111 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
Life at Royal Holloway is campus-centred. The Students' Union runs the bars, events, societies and sports clubs, and with most first years living on site, it's easy to get involved. Egham itself is small, with pubs and cafés on the High Street. Staines and Windsor are a short bus ride away, and London is around 45 minutes by train from Egham to Waterloo. A term-time university bus service runs to campus until after 1am.
University halls cost £111.02–£257.81 per week (2026/27 undergraduate halls, 38-week lets) (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
The university says: "We guarantee accommodation to new undergraduates and postgraduate taught overseas students who make us their firm choice and apply by our deadline." For September 2026 entry, undergraduates were guaranteed an offer of a place in halls if they made Royal Holloway their firm choice and applied by 13 July. To accept your offer, you pay a £300 prepayment.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founder's (shared room) Catered | Egham campus | shared (twin) room, shared bathroom | £111.02/wk | The cheapest option by far: £4,218.76 for 38 weeks, in the historic Founder's Building. Single-sex corridors only. |
| Penrose Court | Egham campus | single room, shared bathroom | £134.82/wk | The cheapest single room: £5,123.16 for 38 weeks. |
| Founder's (single room) Catered | Egham campus | single room, shared bathroom | £204.96/wk | Single rooms in the Founder's Building; large singles are £245.07 a week. |
| Highfield Court | Egham campus | en-suite | £204.26/wk | One of the cheaper en-suite options: £7,761.88 for 38 weeks. |
| Runnymede | Egham campus | en-suite | £205.10/wk | Runnymede 2 is £205.10 a week; Runnymede 1 is £230.16. |
| Reid Catered | Egham campus | en-suite | £241.36/wk | Catered en-suite hall: £9,171.68 for 38 weeks. |
| George Eliot | Egham campus | single room, shared bathroom | £243.60/wk | Also offered on a 30-week let (£7,238.40). |
| Gowar, Wedderburn, Williamson, Tuke and Butler | Egham campus | en-suite | £257.81/wk | The most expensive undergraduate rooms: £9,796.78 for 38 weeks. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
The town at the foot of the hill: closest to campus, with the station and High Street.
The village right next to campus, popular with students who want to walk in.
A bigger town a short bus or train ride away, with more shops and nightlife.
Top tip
Applications open in early March (9 March in 2026) through the online accommodation system, where you can pick your exact room. Rooms are released in batches (March, April, May and June), so if you miss your first choice, check back at the next release. Once you've booked a room, you can't swap if a better one appears later. Make Royal Holloway your firm choice and apply by the July deadline to keep the guarantee.
Royal Holloway isn't in London, but its halls are priced close to London levels. For 2026/27, most undergraduate rooms cost £200–£258 a week on a 38-week let, although a shared room in Founder's (catered) is £111 and a single at Penrose Court is £135. Catered halls include one meal a day plus a £25 weekly allowance. Budget for train fares if you'll be heading into London.
Getting around
Most students walk around campus. Egham station is about 20 minutes' walk from the main campus, with trains to London Waterloo in about 45 minutes and to Reading in about 40. A subsidised university bus runs in term time, roughly every half hour from 7am to about 1.15am. A 16-25 Railcard (£30 a year) cuts a third off rail fares.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
Royal Holloway, University of London is 25th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 53.9. Its strongest results are for safety (4th), student wellbeing (19th), nightlife (23rd).
In our 2027 subject rankings, Royal Holloway, University of London places highest for Zoology (3rd of 37). Across our awards, it also stands out for safety.
No. It's part of the University of London, but the main campus is in Egham, Surrey, near Windsor. Trains from Egham to London Waterloo take about 45 minutes, and the station is about 20 minutes' walk from campus.
Yes, if you make Royal Holloway your firm choice and apply for accommodation by the deadline (13 July for 2026 entry). You'll also need to pay a £300 prepayment to accept your room.
For 2026/27, undergraduate halls cost £111.02–£257.81 a week on 38-week lets. Most single en-suite rooms are £204–£258 a week. The cheapest single room is Penrose Court at £134.82.
Yes. Founder's is a catered hall with shared, single and large single rooms (from £111.02 to £245.07 a week for 2026/27). It's arranged in single-sex corridors.
In catered halls (Founder's and Reid), your rent includes one meal a day plus a £25 weekly allowance on your student card for campus cafés and dining halls. Self-catered students get 20% off in campus dining halls when paying by student card.
Yes. The online system lets you pick a specific room, or you can just give preferences. Rooms are released in batches between March and June, and once you've booked one, you can't swap.
About this guide. Rankings data comes from the Unifresher Rankings 2027 (methodology). Facts, hall prices and costs come from the university and official sources listed below. Last updated 23 October 2026.
