There are three types of accommodation available for military students at Cranfield Defence and Security:
Single rooms in the Officers' Mess accommodation,
Service families’ accommodation (SFA),
Privately-rented accommodation.
The first two categories are available to British military students only. Overseas military and civilian students studying at Cranfield Defence and Security will not be allocated SFA or Mess accommodation – please see below for further information about private renting options.
UK MoD-sponsored single military students should call 01793 785566, quoting the CIC number which will be provided in the joining instructions. If you are a MoD-sponsored military student and you require married accommodation, please contact the Defence Infrastructure Organisation on 0800 1696322.
Civilian and overseas students
As Cranfield University does not have accommodation at its Shrivenham site, civilian students live in rented accommodation in nearby villages.
If you are coming from overseas we strongly advise you not to bring your family to the UK until satisfactory accommodation arrangements have been made.
The closest small villages to the Defence Academy site are Shrivenham and Watchfield, nestled in the Vale of the White Horse. Other towns in the area, such as Highworth, are a short drive or cycle from the Shrivenham site, while Faringdon lies on the direct S6 bus route to site.
The nearest large supermarket stores can be found in Faringdon. There are also a small number of retail outlets in the area, such as a mini supermarket, a fast food chain restaurant and a pub restaurant called The College Farm where you can get 20% student discount on food on Mondays.
Shrivenham is reasonably near Swindon (about 10 miles away) and Oxford (20 miles away in the opposite direction). Both Swindon and Oxford have excellent, regular bus services (S6) which stop outside the gates. Your DMR pass allows you discounted travel on this bus service. Swindon and Oxford are both served by main-line trains from London and other major destinations.
‘A Student’s Guide to Shrivenham’ is available to all students via the VLE and provides information on finding local accommodation. The Cranfield Students’ Association (CSA) have also launched an MS Teams page called 'Accommodation' as a platform to offer advice and help to find accommodation for incoming and current students. You can contact the CSA directly on csa.shrivenham@cranfield.ac.uk or, if you already have a Cranfield email address, you can access the Teams site.
You can search off-campus accommodation on these external websites: Rightmove | SpareRoom
Living in Shrivenham
Shrivenham is a large, historic village in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire which proves to be a popular location with students looking to live within walking distance of the Defence Academy site.
In the area there are numerous pubs, cafes and restaurants which are popular with staff and students. Shrivenham Post Office offers a foreign exchange service.
Swindon is a large, historic town about 10 miles away from Shrivenham. It is a very popular option for students looking to live in a busier town atmosphere near many facilities.
As one of the UK's largest towns, Swindon offers facilities such as a shopping centre, museums, theatres, parks, cafes, restaurants, a football stadium and a train station with links to many key locations like London, Wales and the West of England.
There are also many accommodation options in Swindon including shared student housing and private rentals. Please note that the student accommodation is not supplied by Cranfield University.
There is a regular bus service from Swindon to Faringdon, calling in at the Defence Academy.
Watchfield is a village located in the Vale of White Horse about 1 mile north of Shrivenham village.
Local amenities include restaurants, convenience stores, hairdressers and a pub restaurant called The College Farm where you can get 20% student discount on food on Mondays.
The village is home to the Shrivenham Hundred Business Park which hosts a wide variety of businesses of various sizes working within diverse sectors. Watchfield is also the location for Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative – a community-owned wind farm with five 1.2MW wind turbines and the Westmill Solar Co-operative – believed to be the largest community-owned photovoltaic power station in the world with over 21,000 solar panels.
Watchfield is located about 10 miles away from Swindon and 20 miles from Oxford and has a regular bus service to both on the S6 bus, which stops just outside of the gates to the Defence Academy.
There is no short-term accommodation at Cranfield Defence and Security; however, there are several privately-owned bed and breakfast establishments and hotels in the local area.
Within walking distance
White Horse B&B, Cherry Bungalow, Station Road, Shrivenham, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 8JL Barrington Arms Hotel, 25 High Street, Shrivenham, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 8AN
