Vanbrugh College Reviews

The best college in York if you don't want the noise of Derwent but still want a social college. Close to most buildings on campus and most people are very friendly. Definitely an easy college to socialise in. Only thing is that there need to be fewer people per kitchen, 12 is too much and it's never clean. Also charging £140 for an ensuite, self-catered is too expensive. All York accommodation is pricey though unless you have £105 accommodation which is a hole. York gets so many complaints about pricing with accommodation, so if you're paying for your own living costs consider this before coming to York. Also, the most expensive accommodation usually has the worst people (bratty and stuck-up) so beware!

The student accommodation is one of the best.

I live (and will be nex year in Donald Barron Court. Which along with Barbara Scott is dubbed ‘Vanbrugh Paradise’. And it is perfect. I’m 5 minutes from the library, 3 minutes from my department, 3 minutes from local Nisa, lovely and quiet, new building, large kitchen and ensuite rooms. Cleaners are lovely as long as you treat them nicely! Eric Milner (total opposite and where all the negative reviews are from)

Cleaning service is dreadful without cleaning but just by sanitazing the place.

Not social we all hated each other

My window was broken shut, room was tiny, bed frame was bent, freezing in winter and boiling in summer, no social/communal area except kitchen, college admin staff unhelpful, no sense of community, TERRIBLE food thief, lights failed regularly, corridor floors were dirty, etc etc. Only good thing was how close to centre of campus it was, 3 mins from my lectures

Halls range in price and en-suite are extremely overpriced. Cleaners expect you to do the majority of their work and give you notices if the kitchen isn't tidy. Location is very good on the whole - very near shops and lectures - but the common room isn't near en-suite halls and is also pretty sparse, literally just a few sofas and a pool table which you're expected to pay for.

I was In Donald Barron/Barbara Scott, still nice and modern and ensuite whilst being on campus (and closest to town!) and without the huge price tag and baron wasteland-ness of hes east

Not sure the other buildings could be rated so highly, but Barbara Scott Court has to be one of the best accommodation on campus!! Central location, large kitchens, cute ducklings congregating on the green- Shame the vending machine was so expensive!

Everything was great about my halls and I would redo 1st year at the drop of a hat just to be back in halls. Didn't have a great common room space but didn't matter too much.

Needed a lounge but really nice

I have a shared room in Eric Milner block b which is ridiculously huge, especially for the money, but the single rooms are much smaller.

Great people, good catering, clean accommodation

Really good if you get into "Vanbrugh Paradise" (ie. Barbara Scott/Donald Barron), but probably quite at lot worse if you end up in one of the old Vanbrugh blocks, so it' pretty diverse. But I was fortunate enough to be in the good bit so really can't complain, en suites are good too.

You are so central. It's perfect!

Block environment was great for socialising, but tiny kitchens and grotty "dining rooms" meant limited areas to hang out. We had rats, yet no compensation despite being locked locked out our kitchens for weeks. Also had quite a bad silverfish infestation, again no compensation. Bullying was rife, and poorly handled by college staff. One of the cheaper accommodations when taking into account catering, but was still well overpriced for the carby junk food and desperately awful blocks.