Student Facilities

Student Facilities – What’s on offerInformation Technology FacilitiesLibrary and Technical Learning Resources FacilitiesCatering FacilitiesSports and Leisure FacilitiesPrint Services (Reprographics)Student Parking

Facilities Available at Colchester Institute

We are continually working to improve our resources to help you with your studies. There are a number of resources available at both our Colchester and Braintree sites, and these are open to all students. We’re incredibly proud of the strong sense of community among staff and students that exists across the College, with over 4,000 students studying at our main Colchester campus and many more based at our sister sites in Braintree and Harwich.

Outside of timetabled sessions you can spend your time in various ways; you could get ahead with your coursework in our libraries and resources zones, work out in the gym, take part in college activities or even have a treatment in one of our salons.

Our campuses have a fantastic range of facilities for you to enjoy – from places to relax where you can meet with friends, to dedicated study areas where you can get on with your work. There are on-site food and beverage facilities (see the Catering tab for more) so you can get a bite to eat at breakfast or lunch, and grab a coffee or cake between your classes. Our Higher Education Centre provides a great range of specialist facilities including well-equipped teaching spaces and private study areas.

There are excellent facilities for students including dance and drama studios, recording studios and two iMac suites running Logic, Reason, Sibelius and Soundtrack Pro. We also have a concert hall and practice rooms for bands and orchestras. Our in-house theatre in Swinburne Hall, isn’t just an ideal practice space for students of the dramatic arts – it’s also a great place to catch ground-breaking performances throughout the year.

We have a great reputation for sports and recreation at Colchester Institute and, when you see our sport and fitness facilities, you’ll understand why. With an on-site gym, and a wide range of competitive sports opportunities, you’ll find that it’s easy to stay active across our campuses.

If you are interested in getting more involved then you could become a student representative, join (or set up) a club or society, sign up to a sports team or join us on one of our college trips.

We are always looking for people to build links in the student community and are usually recruiting volunteers to contribute to our Student Voice scheme and charity fundraising activities, so we look forward to having you on board.

Colchester Institute has an extensive modern computer network with over 1,000 computers available for student use. All students have their own personal accounts with Internet access and email. The network is equipped with up-to-date word processing, spreadsheet, database and graphics applications software.

In addition, some suites have specialist software available such as AutoCAD, Sage Accounting, QuarkXPress and Photoshop. There are a number of areas with high specification computers for e-learning. This type of learning is increasingly popular with students because it adds a new dimension to their course.

There are Libraries at Colchester and Braintree campuses offering a range of services. There are over 100,000 resources which include books, academic journals, DVDs, CDs, music scores and online information sources designed to support you with your studies. We also have a range of equipment for you to borrow to enhance your work, such as cameras, digital audio recorders, video cameras, microphones and CD players.

Please click an area below for more information.

The Library

Library Help and Support

Learning Resources staff will give you friendly, helpful advice to enable you to make the best use of the services here. To find out more, visit the Library’s portal pages; you can also search the Library Catalogue for resources. To join the Library, bring your student ID card to one of the staffed desks in the Library; once you have signed up you can begin borrowing immediately. You must always have your ID card with you to borrow anything.

As part of your course induction you will meet a Learning Resources Adviser, the information specialist for your course, who will show you how to make best use of the facilities and resources available to you. The Advisers offer sessions to help you find information, to improve your search skills and understand your search results, and to use Harvard referencing. If you need help with finding resources for an assignment you can get in touch with the Adviser for your subject area for one-to-one help throughout the year.

Online Resources

The Library subscribes to online databases and web resources covering an extensive range of subject areas and has full-text access to over 10,000 electronic journals as well as a range of e-books; these are accessible both on and off-campus.

There are a variety of study spaces available in the Library, including a seminar room that be used for group work or to practice presentations. You may also book a computer in the Library from over thirty open-access PCs that are available.

Opening Hours

Colchester (first floor South Wing)
Colchester Institute Library, Sheepen Road, Colchester CO3 3LL
Braintree (STEM Centre)
The College at Braintree Library, Church Lane, Braintree CM7 5SN
Term time Holiday time Term time Holiday time
Monday & Wednesday 8am -6.15pm Monday 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday 8am – 4:30pm Please check opening hours before visiting
Tuesday & Thursday 8am – 8pmTuesday to Thursday 8:30am – 5:00pmTuesday to Thursday 8am – 4:30pmPlease check opening hours before visiting
Friday 8am – 4:30pm Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm Friday 8am – 4pm Open by arrangement only in the summer
Saturday Closed Saturday Closed Saturday Closed Saturday Closed

You can contact us in person, by email or by phone:
Email: library.helpdesk@colchester.ac.uk
Telephone: (01206) 712642

Email: braintree.library@colchester.ac.uk
Telephone: (01206) 814040

Technical Learning Resources

Technical Learning Resources (TLR) offers a wide range of facilities, services, support and advice, regardless of academic level and with the minimum of formality. It is an open resource for all learners and the friendly and approachable TLR team offer technical advice, one-to-one support and group workshops to help you use the TLR resources and facilities.The main TLR Helpdesk is located at Colchester in the Resources Zone, above Eat Central; some services are available from the Libraries at Braintree and Colchester.

Resources and Studios

Loan equipment is available (via the Libraries and Resources Zone) for you to borrow, including point-and-shoot digital cameras, SLR cameras, video cameras, audio recorders, laptops and a wide variety of accessories. TLR offer inductions on all equipment and can help you to understand how best to use the resources in your work.

In addition to the loan equipment that is available, TLR offers a range of specialist facilities for student use on the Colchester campus. These include a television studio, video editing suites, an audio studio and digital imaging facilities along with Adobe Creative Suite. If you are studying media, drama or graphic design, you will soon get to know these facilities but many other students benefit from using them too and they are available to all.  Sophisticated equipment may be borrowed with no more formality than borrowing a book from a library. The latest technology is always under development for the benefit of students and staff.

Most courses call for written assignments, but there will also be opportunities to work with sound and vision. A short video sequence, prepared using our camcorders and post-production suites, is often an acceptable alternative to a written essay or report. Colchester Institute is dedicated to helping you lay a firm foundation for a successful career. Alongside a sound training in your chosen vocation, an ability to communicate is essential for success. Technical Learning Resources can provide direct experience in the latest communication media.

Help and Support

TLR staff are available to explain to you how to use the equipment and to provide advice on techniques and shortcuts to get the most from the equipment and studios. TLR also offers services such as dubbing, duplicating, DVD printing and file conversions as well as laminating and binding services. In the Library and the TLR Centre there are machines for copying, scanning and printing available for student use.

Opening Hours

Term TimeOpensCloses
Monday – Thursday8:30 am5:00 pm
Friday8:30 am4:30 pm
Saturday and SundayClosed
Holiday TimeOpensCloses
Monday – FridayBy appointment

Contact TLR

You can contact us in person, by email or by phone:

Catering Facilities

Colchester Institute provides a wide range of catering facilities for students, staff and visitors.

Whether your looking to sit down with a hot meal for lunch or you have to shoot off to a class and have no time to sit down and eat, our refectories offer tasty food at even tastier prices. If your on the move, whatever you fancy, be it a Costa or Starbucks coffee, a sandwich, a bacon roll, salad-to-go, some chips, fruit or a bit of cheeky chocolate – you’ll find the treat for you.

There are a number of in-house options for food and drink, with refectories offering a selection of breakfast options, main meals, drinks and snacks. Students can choose between healthy meals cooked on the premises, sandwiches and grab-and-go options.

On Colchester Campus we have three cafés, hosting a Costa and Starbucks facility, where you can catch up with friends whilst enjoying a variety of refreshments. At our Colchester campus students can also eat food prepared and served by our catering students. There are daily meal deals offered at each campus with choices of hot or cold options to help students to budget, and to fit in with the Free Meals at College daily allowance.

Colchester Campus has a fully equipped gym and sports halls on-site.

At the Colchester campus students are able to join the newly-equipped College gym, which features ultra-modern equipment including the latest cardiovascular machines, free weights and ‘Tanita’ scales which monitor and measure body composition. The suite of high-tech apparatus includes ergonomically designed non-motorised treadmills that give the athlete the experience of running at full speed and ‘smart’ fitness equipment with interactive consoles that store personalised training programmes and connect with personal devices. Click here to visit the Colchester Gym.

Located in W104, Colchester Institute Print Services (Reprographics) offers students a comprehensive range of printing services. Using state-of-the-art production equipment and the latest printing technologies to ensure the highest standards to help you create a professional look. Our team can assist you from the initial design, through to print on both college work and private printing work. If it’s a dissertation or extracurricular activity, we can assist you to get that professional design, print and finish.

Can I park on site?

There is student parking at both the Colchester and Braintree campuses, however this is limited and there is no guarantee of a space.

Colchester Institute has been a cashless campus since 2020 and in line with this, our car parks are managed by ANPR barriers and we use app-based technology to pay for Pay and Display parking with JustPark. Please go to the Apple App Store or Android Play Store to download the app and add your details prior to parking on campus.

Parking Permits

There is no longer a requirement for staff and students to display a physical permit on their dashboard. The online system logs all details of registered vehicles and uses ANPR to allow access.

You are not authorised to park onsite unless registered with JustPark and you will not be able to gain access until this has been completed. For those dropping staff and students off, this is still possible and you will not be charged providing you exit the campus as soon as you can following the drop off.

Parking Tariff

  • Pay and Display – £2.50 per day
  • Staff – £11.90 per month deducted monthly for 10 months [Sept-June]
  • CLMG – £ 24 per month deducted monthly for 10 months [Sept – June]

How do I pay for my Pay and Display Parking?

There a number of ways to pay for your parking now online or by phone, but please be aware there are no onsite payment facilities. Failure to pay for parking as above will mean you will not be able to park on campus.

Staff Parking – How are monthly deductions taken?

Prior to the new academic year, a staff survey will be sent to capture registration details of vehicles and for you to advise what tariff you will be using. Please ensure that this is filled out accurately and returned as soon as possible. Failure to do so will mean you will not be able to access the campus in the new year without having registered.

Staff parking on campus is now operated on an opt out basis. A survey will be sent each summer for the purpose of updating any registration details. At any point during the year if your details change, or you wish to cancel your permit please get in touch with facilities.helpdesk@colchester.ac.uk.

There is no charge for any student parking at our Braintree Campus on production of a valid student ID.

Please note: all vehicles are left at the owner’s own risk. The College accepts no liability for loss or damage to vehicles or belongings left on premises.