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7 months ago
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Furious students have slammed the University of Oxford after a college worth millions announced it was charging the equivalent of more than a month's rent for tickets to its summer ball.
Pembroke College, which was founded in 1624, is charging £446 per person for its 400th birthday white tie bash.
It means a ticket for the fancy ball is more expensive than the average monthly student rent in the UK, which is £418.
Students said it shows just how 'inaccessible' the historic university is for working class students.
They said poorer students are being priced out of Oxford's posh perks, such as their formals and summer balls.
Oxford student Chloe Pomfret, 20, revealed the staggering price of the College's anniversary ball.
Oxford student Chloe Pomfret, 20, (pictured) revealed the price of a ticket to Pembroke College's anniversary ball was a whopping £446
A ticket for the fancy white tie ball is more expensive than the average monthly student rent in the UK, which is £418
She posted the price of tickets in disgust online, writing: 'You wonder why oxford is so inaccessible for working class students... £446 for one college ball.' Pictured: Chloe with her boyfriend Viraansh on a boat ride along The River Thames, London, in May last year
Pembroke College (pictured) was founded in 1624, 400 years ago, and reportedly has £62million in its coffers
The Human Sciences undergraduate grew up in foster care and was left homeless at the age of 16 after becoming estranged from her family.
She posted the price of tickets in disgust online, writing: 'You wonder why Oxford is so inaccessible for working class students... £446 for one college ball.'
The St Catherine's College student later added that there had been cheaper prices specifically for students, but even those tickets were still a whopping £196, almost half a month's rent.
She previously said: 'It's still surreal when I walk out into Oxford. You see all these big, fancy buildings, and it's just a whole other world.
'You go to formals, where they're serving you food, I have a cleaner that comes and cleans my room, and I just think, ''What on Earth?''
One literature-loving social media user replied: 'My goodness that's a month's rent right there.'
Other students were shocked by Chloe's (pictured) revelation. Georgie Hobden, 25, a PhD student in Experimental Psychology, told MailOnline such high costs led to a polarising divide between rich and poor students
Chloe previously said her life had a 'surreal' turn after she was accepted into Oxford University
Social media users reacted furiously to the incredibly expensive prices
Another said: 'That's ridiculous. I'm a member of a private members' club, and even factoring in the membership fee, it doesn't work out at these kind of prices for formal events.'
Georgie Hobden, 25, a PhD student in Experimental Psychology, told MailOnline such high costs led to a polarising divide between rich and poor students.
She said: 'These prices contribute to an unhealthy polarisation within the student body - those who cab those who can't.
'Social hierarchies and injustices that students seek to escape by coming to a supposedly inclusive university are sadly mirrored, reinforced and amplified by these distinctly non-inclusive events.'
MailOnline has contacted the University of Oxford and Pembroke College for comment.
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