Is Durham University Good? 10 Ways to Tell in 2024
- Originally published
- Last updated on January 9th, 2024 at 01:35 pm
Table of Contents
Besides rankings, we compile reviews and scrutinize everything from the libraries to the city to learn more about studying at Durham University (you can even check out our own ranking on Durham from an international perspective).
You can look at the rankings to see that Durham routinely ranks among the top universities in England. It’s always in the top ten, with multiple subjects among the best in the country and, by extension, the world.
But it’s also about whether you’ll find your people among Durham students, feel at home in its ancient streets, and vibe with its teaching style enough to succeed and thrive.
Will you?
We rounded up reviews, wrestled with rankings, pored over programs, and talked to current students about what they wish they knew while applying to find out: Is Durham University good? And more specifically, who is Durham University good for?
Here’s the gist: Durham is great for students who want academic prestige, don’t need a ton of program flexibility, are students of Durham’s best programs, like space science, or humanities, classics, and archaeology, who aren’t ruffled by a small town, and think the collegiate system is right for them.
#1 Durham University Rankings
Among students, Durham is “for Oxbridge rejects”: in other words, the place has a reputation as a haven for students who were unsuccessful in their interviews and entrance exams at Oxford and Cambridge, the country’s two most prestigious universities. It’s a Russell Group university, one of England’s top research universities.
In the 2023 rankings, Durham rates #277 globally by US News, and 26th in the UK. It doesn’t rank in the global top ten for any programs, but does rank in the global top 100 for geosciences and space science. With its lowest scores in publications, conferences, internal collaborations, and citations, it’s totally possible that Durham undergrads will never see these “failings,” and instead might be served well by teachers who focus more on teaching than on grabbing research headlines and bringing in research grant cash to their institutions.
In the Times rankings. Durham comes in at #177 globally, as well as #77 in the “impact” ratings, a newer metric that shows how universities commit to furthering the UN’s sustainable development goals. That might be a good indicator of how at home social science students feel at a university, though it’s a metric that depends partially on the research topics of its faculty, as well as campus policies and teaching curriculum.
Durham was also named #27 in Europe this year in the QS rankings, The Times “Sports University of the Year” for 2023, and in 2017, it even hit #4 nationally in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, with its music program taking the #1 spot.
Other reports show Durham tumbling in the rankings following funding cuts to many of its programs.
Ultimately, Durham bounces between an outstanding position and a kinda-above-average one in tables and rankings.
#2 Is Durham Right for International Students?
One of Durham’s worst rankings is for “social inclusion”: the number of students it admits from non-selective public schools, mature students, students of color, and working-class white male students. Durham took the bottom spot among 115 universities in England and Wales.
While that measure doesn’t call out international students in general, it does apply to many students looking for acceptance as outsiders. Many internationals are students of color, and many couldn’t tell you what a “state school” means in the UK, let alone banter about the differences between state students and their private counterparts. Only 7.8% of Durham students are from the Northeast of England.
Durham does admit a fair number of international students: its 35% international students helps it rank in the top quarter of UK schools. However, the university student population is also more than 87% white, ranking it in the top 30 for “whitest” universities in the UK.
We’ve found that the number of international students definitely gives universities a leg up; having years of experience with international student needs, complaints, and special circumstances certainly creates an environment where internationals are more likely to find they’re understood and supported (though this is not always the case, it’s a decent proxy).
In the case of Durham, internationals from outside the US benefit from an International Student Center and foundation year program that lifts 90% of its students to acceptance in a regular degree program at Durham. With help on visas, English, and getting its students settled. Emphasizing academic English, Durham’s international support seems geared toward students from non-English-speaking backgrounds.
The large number of international students also creates a community for international students. Students who can find compatriots going through the same struggles they are (“I can’t open a bank account and have no cash!” “Why can’t the Brits stop making fun of my accent?”) can make a world of difference in finishing a university course and successfully earning a degree.
#3 Durham’s Continuation Rate & Employability
How many Durham students go on to postgraduate work? How many find jobs they love?
According to the national graduate outcomes study (HESA), 89% of UK and EU grads from Durham were engaged in postgraduate work or employed within 15 months of graduation.
The university doesn’t publish overall grad student rates, though you’ll find individual departments do publish some data on where their former students have landed. For example, 85% of recent English lit students find their work “meaningful.” To our American ears, that sounds like “only 15% wait tables,” but really, we’re reading into this stat. Be sure not to make assumptions about the potential meaning of stats like this.
Another bonus? Though you’ll find this service often in UK universities, it’s nice to know you’ll get it for sure: Durham University students get lifelong access to career services.
#4 How Good is Durham for Math? Physics? English? History? Best Programs
Durham was ranked #201-#250 globally for math, The program’s popular “with placement” option pushes the degree to 4 years, but increases your employability with tons of relevant work experience. It’s often considered more rigid than rival Warwick’s math undergraduate program, but Durham’s optional courses (modules in the UK), are plentiful and interesting. The university also allows a year abroad in the 3rd year of a math degree.
In physics, Durham University’s tough to beat. The Guardian ranks it 4th, and with a high US News ranking in space sciences, you can be assured that students looking at the cosmos are coming to Durham in search of greatness.
Students say Durham’s maths and physics are both more regimented than their top rival universities, with less choice but incredibly strong teaching.
Arts and humanities are a strength at Durham. They’re consistently ranked high. In English, the Guardian Guide 2024 ranks English 3rd in the UK, and 90% of the department’s research is “world-leading,” whatever that means (we think that niche research can also be incredibly interesting, fulfilling, and worthy, especially if you find professors doing work in the areas you also love).
Over in the history department, they’re proud to be ranked #35 in the world in the QS ratings, where they benefit from Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle encompassing a UNESCO World Heritage Site and outstanding collaborative partnerships with the stellar classics and archaeology departments.
Overall, Durham ranks highest for theology (#6 globally), classics and ancient history (ranked #8), and archaeology (ranked #10).
#5 Student Accommodation at Durham
Durham University’s first-year students live in the “collegiate system” at Durham, which, like the Hogwarts houses, serves as a base for a small group of students from all subjects of study and all interests. At Durham, there are 16 colleges. Typically, colleges cater to different personalities and desires, with some offering stellar food and others with renowned student clubs, teams, and services.
The college system means extra student support for first years who live within it: it can make college feel human-sized and makes it easier to make friends. Durham colleges also offer internal job opportunities. Work at the college coffee shop, or join the college’s own rowing team.
At Durham, you won’t apply to a college directly (like at Cambridge and Oxford), but you’ll be invited to rank your preferences once you’ve been extended an offer. University College, located within Durham Castle, is particularly desirable, because, obviously. Sadly, the college maintains most of its first-year housing off-site, with castle rooms divvied out mainly to final-year students in their 3rd or 4th year.
Because of the college system, you’ll find a wide range of rooms at Durham, with considerably more shared rooms than at many other UK universities. Costs are standardized across the university, with shared rooms running~£6,806 with a shared bath to £7,430 for your own room and bath. Studios are also available at a higher cost in some colleges.
Returning Durham students were declined housing at a rate of 50%, prompting cries of a housing crisis at Durham that its collegiate system should have mitigated. Second-year Durham students typically live outside their colleges, and the race for housing can be grueling in a town where student rentals are big business.
#6 Applying to Durham University
Americans: there are different requirements depending on the program you’re applying for. At minimum, you’ll need 3 AP tests with scores of 5, 4, and 4 and one qualification from a list that includes SAT of 1290 (650 reading, 620 math), ACT of 28, 3 year-long honors courses in 11th and 12th grades with a grade of B+, or one year of college-level work with a B+ average. Durham specifically calls out requirements for US schools with and without AP coursework, but does seem to believe that those without APs will definitely have honors classes that you’d have taken with a 3.7 GPA.
This didn’t make a difference to their applications, say homeschool students we talked to. Ultimately, there are many ways to prove you’re meeting the minimum UK standards, so if your experience feels equivalent, contact them and ask.
Apply to Durham through the UK’s application portal, UCAS, by around January 24. As an English-spoeaker, you’ll need transcripts, a letter of recommendation, a personal statement, and test scores.
In short, Durham is easier to apply to than its Oxbridge counterparts.
#7 Durham’s Town
The city of Durham is compact. Located in the Northeast of England, Durham University is a highly photogenic outpost that was once a Norman fort and Cathedral town, having been built by Normans on the site of the church of Anglo-Saxon monks seeking to protect the relics of St. Cuthbert from marauding Vikings.
Is Durham a good place today to hide out and toil over your manuscripts? Yep, that tradition hasn’t gone away. In fact, Durham offers students the peace and quiet that London, or even Oxford, cannot.
Citified students take note: you’re just 15 minutes from Newcastle by train. That can keep you from losing your mind halfway through the term when you just some shopping therapy. Otherwise, you’ll have to make do with the sheer beauty of the place, while reminding yourself that clubs and malls are optional.
Durham isn’t a bad place to study, unless you’re an urban creature at heart. Here are some other pros of the city:
- It’s cheap. While expensive for the north east of England, it’s affordable compared to the rest of the country.
- That includes plentiful rental bikes and scooters to get students around town on the cheap when they just don’t feel like walking.
- And transportation to Newcastle is affordable, too. You can get to Newcastle for under £5 (it’s an 11-minute train ride).
- Weekend fun: head to one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Edinburgh, in about an hour and a half, for under £40.
- Durham has about 94,000 residents — and 22,000 of those are students. It’s a small, manageable city that’s easy to get around and has lots of businesses catering to its student population.
- Durham is large enough to have some student nightlife, like Klute, known for “cheesy music and cheap drinks.” Fun fact: it’s been voted Europe’s worst nightclub.
#8 Durham’s Campus and Palatine Centre
Campus is spread over the River Wear’s peninsula, surrounded by bridges. There’s “Cardiac Hill,” which you’d prefer to avoid, and the charming, cobblestoned “Old Bailey” street, which you may thoroughly enjoy, unless you have a disability, or even just a rolly suitcase.
Overall, Durham’s got some “dreaming spires” (which define how ancient universities like Oxford are known), as well as a bunch of truly postmodern centers. That makes Durham a good university for students who want to soak in medieval vibes without spending too much time dealing with medieval laboratory resources.
The Bill Bryson Library, colloquially known as the Billy B, is a towering edifice with a wall of glass and 24/7 hours during terms. With everything from a café to “no food” floors, there’s truly something for everyone here. Like many UK libraries, there’s an (unwritten?) rule: the higher you go, the quieter you should be. Luckily, the rule seems to serve students best in giant new libraries where there’s plenty of study space, and seating, for everyone — even during the last weeks of term.
Another campus standout is the Palatine Center, a cavernous student beacon with eaves decked in wood planking that reminds us of the California coast. It’s not only the worn driftwood vibes. The Palatine Center also looks like it has a fleet of boats jutting out the sides of the building, each of them serving as little skylights, trying to allow every last drop of December light inside. It won’t stop you from getting seasonal affective disorder, but it tries.
The Student Sport Center is also heavenly, and helps solidify Durham’s title as a capital for team sports in the UK. You might end up taking exams in the gym, which seems odd. Exam halls, in general, are literary constructions for most Americans who probably even took their SATs in smaller study hall rooms and regular classrooms. But in the UK, big rooms and special scheduling reign, and you’ll have to reschedule your basketball game during finals.
#9 Is Durham University Good for Student Life?
Get used to saying hi. Durham is a small campus in a small town, so you’ll get to know lots of people and see them over and over again. That makes the college feel “cozy,” according to more than one student. They’re places that are core to student experience at the universities where they structure student life, and they provide informal support structures, a sense of community, and sometimes very importantly, reliable housing.
The college system also means that schools with colleges (mainly Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham, but check out others for some adherence to the collegiate norms) have a disproportionate number of student clubs and societies. Don’t be fooled: 16 different collegiate rowing clubs isn’t the same as 16 different student clubs.
Nevertheless, Durham does offer a number of student societies for all students of diverse interests. There’s even an American society here, which we look for everywhere, and rarely find, as we research new universities. That can make days like Thanksgiving much easier for students who can’t find any pumpkin pie. It can also make for supportive nights out where students don’t have to worry about cultural tensions they face the other 23 hours of the day.
But you’ll also find a wide array of buddies in societies from angling to Dutch society, Canadian society, cats, Barbie, beekeeping, and even scientific expeditions. Literally, we could browse the student societies for ages and still not narrow down what we wish we could do.
Durham’s clubs and societies are an eclectic lot that should assure you that all kinds of students are at Durham, and if you hang in there, you’ll find your people.
#10 Durham vs. Oxford and Cambridge
Durham is a good university with a great reputation in the UK, but it can be hard to determine the real differences between Durham and those other paragons of academia. Here are some basics:
- Durham ranks higher for work placements, and values study abroad, as well as work placement years, that aren’t the norm at Oxbridge schools.
- Durham’s acceptance rate around 40% (check out wildly varying numbers for your particular program) is far more than Oxford’s 17% or Cambridge’s 21%. Because undergraduate students can only apply to either Oxford or Cambridge, and because there are specific A-level minimums for UK students to qualify for admission to programs in the UK, all three acceptance rates for all look high compared to elite schools.
- Durham has won awards for its sportiness. You won’t get that at Oxford or Cambridge, although both have strong traditions in rowing.
- The town of Durham is small (like Cambridge), but northern. It’s colder. It’s hilly (and therefore less cycle-friendly). Durham is also more than 3 hours by train to London, so nights out in the city are a no-go. And you should plan for early-morning (or night before?) travel for international flights. Durham is far less accessible on travel days than either Oxford or Cambridge.
- Oxford’s size means its nightlife is superior to either Cambridge or Durham’s. That said, Durham students are often known as “too social” for Oxford, and attend Durham for a superior social life.
Durham is a Good University…But It’s Not For Every Student
The university rankings 2023 don’t determine the best university in the world. Your own needs, personality, and desires do.
Is Durham University good? Yes.
But it’s really good for students who want:
- A collegiate system
- A remote learning outpost with few distractions
- High student satisfaction with teaching
- Quality of education without Oxbridge intensity
- A university that’s a member of the Russell Group and offers solid employment prospects after leaving Durham
- A diverse student body, at least from an international perspective
Still on the fence? Check out the competition. You may prefer these other academic heavy hitters that often compete in the league tables with Durham for applicants:
St. Andrews University (Guide)
St. Andrews University (Ranking)
University of Edinburgh (Guide)
Related Posts
Jessica Share
Jessica is the writer, Ph.D., and mom-of-an-abroad-student-in-the-UK at the helm of College Abroad Guides. When she's not asking college students where the coolest place to hang out in their city is, she's figuring out how she can make $60 imported Greek oregano potato chips and £50 British bacon potato chips appear on her doorstep for the cost of a local bag of Lay's.
