‘Halfway hall’ dinners vary starkly in price across Cambridge colleges, with some offering them for free, while one charges over £40.

Halfway hall celebrates the halfway point of most undergraduate degree courses, taking place halfway through Lent Term each year. All second-year undergraduate students are invited to a formal meal at their respective college, normally along with academics and fellows.

Halfway hall is organised by the college itself at most colleges, with some being organised by the JCR. At Newnham, JCR officers organise the evening, while at Pembroke, although some help is given by the College, they do not directly organise the formal.

However, while some colleges offer the evening to their students for free, others charge students a wide range of prices. Jesus College charges all undergraduates £42.50 for the meal with drinks included, and £35 for the meal without drinks. Meanwhile, Queen’s College charges £28 and Gonville and Caius £21.95.

Other colleges charge more modest prices, with Churchill and Newnham charging around £12. However, with many colleges not charging students, and some, such as Emmanuel, including free wine, college pricing choices face criticism.

Jesus College in particular has seen criticism of the price of its halfway hall: one anonymous Jesuan told Varsity that the price is “not reasonable, but obviously just typical for Cambridge”, adding that “the price of this formal has added an element of wealth and privilege into an already fraught situation”.

The student cited May Balls as another costly social activity, but argued that “at least with May Balls there are always many people not going to each one, but with halfway hall it seems like the thing to do if you are properly integrated into your college.”

They added: “It [halfway hall] is not an easy thing to opt out of, as you feel like you are not properly part of the year if you don’t go.”

“A lot of people who said they could not afford it, have now just bought tickets anyway, which is pretty depressing, because they have been made to choose between financial pressure and social pressure.”

The student further expressed frustration over the arrangement, saying that they believe the College “has a system of prioritising formals and conferences over the student body”, which has caused “a lot of dissatisfaction” among the student body, despite the pastoral system trying “very hard” to improve welfare for students.

Another student, however, said to Varsity that even though the price is “a bit controversial”, they “don’t actually mind the price given that we get matriculation and graduation dinner for free”. The student commented that they are “so lucky to have a chance to experience Cambridge life” and that while those who struggled financially “should be helped out”, “the rest of us don’t have much to complain about it when you put things into perspective”.

Jesus halfway hall does now have a scheme to assist those on Cambridge Bursaries following petitions to the college from Jesus College Student Union (JCSU). The college provides discounted tickets for those who receive bursaries, although the President and Vice-President of JCSU told Varsity that “the JCSU believe that Halfway Hall is too expensive and are looking for ways to reduce the overall cost for students next year.”

Varsity has reached out to Jesus College for comment.