By Ruby Sharkie, Associate News Editor
There was once a place at Royal Holloway, unknown to many current first years, that held countless memories for second and third years. Free entry, crowded dancefloors, Toast and a beloved photobooth… Medicine was a hub of socialisation, cheap drinks and themed nights out.
In June 2025, the Royal Holloway Students’ Union (RHSU) board of Trustees decided that Medicine would be closed, and in September, the closure was announced publicly. This came to much distraught and surprise to the students of Royal Holloway, meaning that there were no free-entry bars on campus.
During a time of cost of living and rising student debt, this closure seems counter-intuitive to many. It begs the question: “are universities doing all they can to be accessible?”
One student told Orbital: “I think (the closure) is a net negative – it was the only affordable night out on campus, and (now) the only ways to go out on campus is paywalled behind an entry fee, which is then added to however much people spend on drinks and food whilst out (…) this is a lot of money considering that people may want to go out but may not be able to as a result of their own situation and the ongoing cost of living crisis”
In a statement featured on the RHSU website, the University claimed that the closure was decided using data from a “commercial review survey” from over 1,200 students.
“I think the biggest downside of (Medicine) as a venue was that it architecturally made no sense. More often than not I’d give Medicine another chance after giving it 10 chances already and it was always empty. If the dance floor was full then you’d be waiting 40 minutes for a drink and if the dance floor was empty then everyone would just be in the smoking area and if I wanted to listen to music and smoke I could’ve done that in the comfort of my own back garden.”
Another student told us the closure is “AMAZING – Royal Holloway is a professional academic institute. Activities on campus should contribute towards one’s career/studies. Having three bar venues made me feel as though the SU was rather interested in profiting off of naive young adults getting into addictive, harmful habits. Alcohol destroys lives and there are other ways to enjoy one’s free time.”
In a study conducted by Universities UK, it was found that: “60% of institutions have scaled back on repairs and maintenance to existing facilities (up from 49% last year). 89% said they may need to do so over the next three years.”
This shows that closures of student facilities in universities are not restricted to Royal Holloway alone, it “reflects a wider trend across universities towards less use of commercial services on campuses, and particularly late-night venues.”
It is believed that the Medicine venue will be used as priority space for Student societies and sports club meets, but many have argued that this won’t be sustainable as the venue was designed and created as a bar and club style space.
On a Monday, Medicine would host ‘Toast’, a themed event with free-entry and discounted drinks prices. With the closure, RHSU has allegedly replaced Toast with the similarly themed ‘Quackers’ on Wednesdays. This event has a mascot (like Toast), drinks deals but with a £6 entry fee.
After asking Royal Holloway students what they thought of this, they replied:
“It’s quite cheeky, I can’t lie. It’s unfair that an event that has been free for so long suddenly decides that you have to pay. I understand that the SU needs to make a profit, however, it won’t necessarily get them more money. Now it cost the same to go to 1 SU event as it did to go to 1 SU event and 1 Toast night, so people will only go to 1 event”
Another response said: “In this economy, people are struggling to pay for food and heating in their homes. It’s crazy to think that students will have to find another thing to pay for. But I do understand that there is a funding crisis for universities and they need to find money for events like this, but this will impact the students more than the income of the university.”
However RHSU released a statement on their website stating: “ (Our) management team are working with the University on future plans, aiming to continue to offer space for student-led activity in the evenings, with greater flexibility for different groups.”
Image: Royal Holloway Students’ Union