The oldest of the University’s 16 colleges, University College, was founded in 1832 at the same time as the establishment of the University (which is England's third oldest Higher Education Institute after Oxford and Cambridge). The most recent is Josephine Butler College, founded in 2006.
In 1987 Durham Cathedral and Castle became a World Heritage Site, of which the university is a joint guardian.
In 2012 the opera singer, Sir Thomas Allen was appointed as the university's 12th Chancellor.
Location and Transport
The university operates in two locations: in the city of Durham and at Queen's Campus, Stockton-on-Tees, both of which have excellent transport links to the rest of north east England.
Both are located 2¾ hours from London and have two international airports close by: Newcastle International and Durham Tees Valley.
Local amenities are within walking distance at both locations.
Durham University is distinctive - a residential collegiate university with long traditions and modern values. We seek the highest distinction in research and scholarship and are committed to excellence in all aspects of education and transmission of knowledge. Our research and scholarship affect every continent. We are proud to be an international scholarly community which reflects the ambitions of cultures from around the world. We promote individual participation, providing a rounded education in which students, staff and alumni gain both the academic and the personal skills required to flourish.
The university is currently ranked 5th to 6th by recent national league tables of the British universities. In terms of average UCAS points of entrants, Durham ranked 5th in 2014. "Long established as the leading alternative to Oxford and Cambridge", the university attracts "a largely middle class student body" according to The Times's Good University Guide. In 2014, Durham had the fifth highest proportion of privately educated students at 36.6%. In 2013, Durham was judged to have the best quality of student life in the country in the inaugural Lloyds Bank rankings and has never (in 2015) been out of the top three, coming in third in 2014 and second in 2015. The university was named Sunday Times University of the Year for 2005, having previously been shortlisted for 2004 award, and the Times and Sunday Times Sports University of the Year for 2015.
Current and emeritus academics include 14 Fellows of the Royal Society, 17 Fellows of the British Academy, 14 Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences, 5 Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2 Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts and 2 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Durham graduates have long used the Latin post-nominal letters Dunelm after their degree, from Dunelmensis (of, belonging to, or from Durham).
The average UCAS point score for each student was 521 points in 2014, placing Durham University fifth in the country in terms of entrants' points. Durham's student body consists of 12,954 undergraduates and 4,552 postgraduate students (2014/15). In 2014/15, Durham had the fourth highest number of students from middle class backgrounds at 85.8%. For the same year, 34.31% of the undergraduate full-time student population came from independent schools and 8.75% from grammar schools, 19.35% of full-time students are of ethnic minorities and 53.87% are female. In 2014-15, 44.79% of full time undergraduate students lived in University (including St John's and St Chad's colleges) accommodation.
For the undergraduate admissions cycle 2013-14, Durham received 26,030 applications, of which 38.4% were from independent schools and 13.8% (of UK applications) from ethnic minorities, overall 64.2% of applicants were successful in receiving an offer of admissions. Durham requires students applying for degrees in Law to sit the LNAT admission test and the UKCAT for the MBBS in Medicine.
Since 1992 the university has run a widening access programme, originally called the Centre for Lifelong Learning. The centre is now called the Foundation Centre, which delivers courses at both Durham City and Queens campus, Stockton on Tees. The centre provides access to Durham degrees for mature students who show academic promise but do not hold the traditional entry requirements and international students who require an extra year of study to bring them up to the standard expected. The Centre runs a range of courses which cover specific academic disciplines and key skills. From the 2013–14 admissions cycle, 153 students took up offers of places in the programme. Durham also runs the Durham University Sutton Trust Summer School for gifted and talented school children and the Durham International Summer School, as part of its widening access policy.
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