Durham University

Durham University has two campuses, one in the city that shares its name (3 hours north by train from London), and another in Stockton-on-Tees (Queen's Campus), about 23 miles away. Make sure you know which campus you will be based at for your course, as they are quite different! In addition, Durham is a collegiate university, and hence you apply to a particular college, of which there are several both in Durham and Stockton.

Within Durham those near the cathedral are called Bailey colleges, while those on the hill are, unsurprisingly, called Hill colleges. Bailey colleges include Hatfield, St. Chad’s, St. Cuthbert’s, St. John’s, and University. Hill colleges are Collingwood, Grey, Josephine Butler, St. Aidan’s, St. Mary’s, Trevelyan, Ustinov, and Van Mildert. Meanwhile, Queen’s Campus has George Stephenson and John Snow colleges. In addition, St. Hild and St. Bede is a college in Durham that cannot be categorized by their geographical location.

Famous alumni of Durham University include cricketers Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss, TV presenters Jeremy Vine and Gabby Logan, as well as the naturalist David Bellamy.

"Thank God that rugby didn't turn professional until 1996. Had I missed the fantastic experience at Durham University, it would have been a travesty and a great disappointment. Quite simply three absolutely fantastic years of my life. From day one to Graduation, I have nothing but wonderful memories of my time there, and I have a load of quality friends to prove it." Will Greenwood, Durham University

"I decided to join every second club at the Fresher's Fair! My enthusiasm for student life was unbridled; I was in the Union Society, the Debating Society, the Drama Society, the Rowing Club (this lasted a week), the Netball Society and a whole host more. I quickly realised I only had so much time on my hands and sorted out what it was that I really enjoyed. I never really lost that initial enthusiasm though, University was everything I expected and a whole lot more. Ironically because I didn't like beer or cider I didn't really drink at University. I was nearly always designated driver, but I didn't care, I got such a buzz from all the new experiences and people I was meeting. As a result I have very crisp and clear memories of what were some of the happiest days of my life. In my second year I made the mistake of choosing a house to live in on a warm July day. In October when we all started back I realised that the house had no heating and the huge bedroom I had chosen for myself in July was the coldest place on the planet. I lasted two months before I begged college for a room!" Gaby Logan, Durham University