TEACHING
QUALITY
Durham University
6
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
84.8%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
95.8%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
13th=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
7th=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
16th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
The Palatine Centre,
Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3LE View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
contact the university
University Profile
Gaining admission to the elite Russell Group or research-intensive universities in 2012 has served only to make an already popular university even more so. Durham has taken the opportunity provided by the relaxation of government restrictions on recruiting the brightest students (those with ABB or better at A-level) to enrol many more students, but competition for places remains keen.
Entrance requirements are among the highest in Britain – and the prospects for graduates when they leave three or four years later are among the best. It is not hard to see why Durham is an attractive proposition in thousands of sixth forms across the country.
Long established as a leading alternative to Oxford and Cambridge, Durham has a collegiate structure and picturesque setting that attracts a largely middle-class student body. Just one in eight students are from a working class background and for all that the university tries to diversify its intake, the proportion of students admitted from state schools stubbornly refuses to go above around 63%, making Durham a plum choice for the privately educated.
There are schemes aimed at applicants from non-traditional backgrounds,
Undergraduates apply to one of 15 colleges, all of which have been mixed since 2004. Colleges range in size from 300 to 1,300 students and are the focal point of social life, although all teaching is done in central academic departments.
There are significant differences in atmosphere and student profile, ranging from the historic University College, housed in the stunning Durham Castle, to modern buildings on the city’s outskirts and on Queen’s Campus, 23 miles away at Stockton-on-Tees.
Investment continues on the Mountjoy site for the sciences, with improved student facilities and an extension of the library (now named after Durham’s former Chancellor, Bill Bryson). The new law school has opened and the £16.6m extension of the Business School is now complete.
But the main recent development has been the Palatine Centre, the culmination of a £50m programme to create a student services hub at the heart of the university. The centre houses the full range of student services, which were previously spread around Durham City.
As the third-oldest university in England, Durham is generally quite traditional. Wherever possible, teaching takes place in small groups and most assessment is by written examination. However, the establishment of Queen’s Campus in Stockton-on-Tees broke the mould. Initially a joint venture with Teesside University, Stockton is now home to a wide range of courses including applied psychology, business and business finance, pharmacy and primary education.
The campus has also seen the fulfilment of Durham’s long-held ambition to restore the medical education it lost when Newcastle University went its own way in 1963. An innovative joint project allows students to do the first two years of their training at Stockton, concentrating on community medicine, before transferring to Newcastle to complete their degree.
Significant investment has been made to improve social facilities for the 2,000 students in Stockton, including the opening of a £5.5m sports centre, relocating some of the university’s elite sports activities from Durham as part of a strategy to increase integration between the two sites.
The university’s aim is for the campus to be equal in academic status to Durham City, focusing on interdisciplinary research and covering the full range of research, taught postgraduate and undergraduate study.
More than 60% of the work submitted for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Applied maths, archeology and theology achieved among the best results in the UK. Music, English and geography and environmental science also did well. In the 2013 QS subject rankings, geography was placed fourth in the world, while the space science researchers are rated in the top four for global influence by Thomson-Reuters.
The university dominates the city of Durham to an extent which sometimes causes resentment, but adds considerably to the local economy. For those looking for nightlife, or just a change of scene, Newcastle is a short train journey away.
Sports facilities are excellent – with strong investment in facilities at both Durham and Stockton – and Durham is among the premier universities in national competitions.
Now established as second only to Loughborough on the country’s sports fields, it wins our Sports University of the Year award this year
It is no wonder that the projected dropout rate of 2.2% is among the lowest and half the expected level. Students like Durham – and employers seem to be of the same view.
Entrance requirements are among the highest in Britain – and the prospects for graduates when they leave three or four years later are among the best. It is not hard to see why Durham is an attractive proposition in thousands of sixth forms across the country.
Long established as a leading alternative to Oxford and Cambridge, Durham has a collegiate structure and picturesque setting that attracts a largely middle-class student body. Just one in eight students are from a working class background and for all that the university tries to diversify its intake, the proportion of students admitted from state schools stubbornly refuses to go above around 63%, making Durham a plum choice for the privately educated.
There are schemes aimed at applicants from non-traditional backgrounds,
SHOW MORE
including one that targets able pupils from schools in County Durham and Teesside where progression to higher education is low. But most undergraduates (80%+) are incomers to the northeast which makes a special open day held for all those who receive an offer particularly important. Most of those who attend are seeing the small cathedral city for the first time.Undergraduates apply to one of 15 colleges, all of which have been mixed since 2004. Colleges range in size from 300 to 1,300 students and are the focal point of social life, although all teaching is done in central academic departments.
There are significant differences in atmosphere and student profile, ranging from the historic University College, housed in the stunning Durham Castle, to modern buildings on the city’s outskirts and on Queen’s Campus, 23 miles away at Stockton-on-Tees.
But the main recent development has been the Palatine Centre, the culmination of a £50m programme to create a student services hub at the heart of the university. The centre houses the full range of student services, which were previously spread around Durham City.
As the third-oldest university in England, Durham is generally quite traditional. Wherever possible, teaching takes place in small groups and most assessment is by written examination. However, the establishment of Queen’s Campus in Stockton-on-Tees broke the mould. Initially a joint venture with Teesside University, Stockton is now home to a wide range of courses including applied psychology, business and business finance, pharmacy and primary education.
The campus has also seen the fulfilment of Durham’s long-held ambition to restore the medical education it lost when Newcastle University went its own way in 1963. An innovative joint project allows students to do the first two years of their training at Stockton, concentrating on community medicine, before transferring to Newcastle to complete their degree.
Significant investment has been made to improve social facilities for the 2,000 students in Stockton, including the opening of a £5.5m sports centre, relocating some of the university’s elite sports activities from Durham as part of a strategy to increase integration between the two sites.
The university’s aim is for the campus to be equal in academic status to Durham City, focusing on interdisciplinary research and covering the full range of research, taught postgraduate and undergraduate study.
More than 60% of the work submitted for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Applied maths, archeology and theology achieved among the best results in the UK. Music, English and geography and environmental science also did well. In the 2013 QS subject rankings, geography was placed fourth in the world, while the space science researchers are rated in the top four for global influence by Thomson-Reuters.
The university dominates the city of Durham to an extent which sometimes causes resentment, but adds considerably to the local economy. For those looking for nightlife, or just a change of scene, Newcastle is a short train journey away.
Sports facilities are excellent – with strong investment in facilities at both Durham and Stockton – and Durham is among the premier universities in national competitions.
Now established as second only to Loughborough on the country’s sports fields, it wins our Sports University of the Year award this year
It is no wonder that the projected dropout rate of 2.2% is among the lowest and half the expected level. Students like Durham – and employers seem to be of the same view.
SHOW LESS
Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
6 (6)
Student experience
85.3
13th=
Research quality
29.7
7th=
Ucas entry points
525
5th
Graduate prospects
79.5
16th
Firsts and 2:1s
84.8
6th
Completion rate
95.8
7th
Student-staff ratio
15.6:1
41st=
Services/facilities spend (£)
2,544
5th
World ranking
-
92= (90)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
11,835
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
250
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
3,155
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
1,560
Applications/places
25,925/4,165
Applications/places ratio
6.2:1
STUDENT CITIES
Daniel Slavin, students’ union president
The colleges’ common rooms and societies work hard to welcome the students.
Some of our teaching spaces vary in standard, but plans are in place to ensure improvement.
SHOW MORE
Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
5,398
Accommodation costs
£109-£127
Catered costs
£156-£211
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (placement year)
£1,800
Fees (overseas year)
£1,350
Fees (international)
£14,000-£17,900
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£22,837
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
Household income below £25K, £2,000 each year for college living expenses or as cash if living out. Students from the Supported Progression Compact Scheme, bursary of £5,500 a year (in year 1, as an accommodation subsidy).
>
Academic, music, art and sports scholarships based on circumstances or by competition, up to £2,000. Scholarships for students from Co. Durham and Newcastle up to £10,000 a year.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
3545.5, 2nd
Sport website
Student satisfaction
93.1%
90.0%
89.7%
87.6%
87.6%
87.0%
87.0%
87.0%
87.0%
86.3%
85.8%
85.7%
85.0%
84.6%
84.1%
83.9%
82.9%
81.6%
81.4%
81.3%
79.9%
78.8%
76.2%
75.3%