Durham Student Guide
The city of Durham can be found 20 miles south of Newcastle in the north east of England. The city has a student population of over 15,000, many of whom study at Durham University.
Nightlife
The high density of students in Durham means you are never short of options for a good night out. The area around Durham Cathedral is full of bars and pubs- in fact, there are more than 40 watering holes to choose from within a 1-mile radius! Colpitts Hotelis a popular student hangout- with its 20th century northern charm and cheap drinks (pints under £2.00) the pub attracts a varied mix of local residents and students. Trendsetters may prefer the more upmarket Hide cocktail bar just off Market Square, where prices are reasonable and the drinks fresh and fruity. Klute nightclub is probably the most popular club for Durham students, as the club offers midweek student nights and plays cheesy chart classics to get you dancing the night away.
Top Things to Do
Durham is a historical city with many sights to see and places to explore. History buffs should visit Durham Castle- the castle dates back to 1073 and forms part of a World Heritage Site. Durham Cathedral, The Treasures of Saint Cuthbert and The Durham Light Infantry all offer interesting insights into the history of Durham and the surrounding area.
Shopping
Durham offers a variety of shops and boutiques for shoppers to take refuge. Dalton Park is the biggest outlet shopping centre in the region and rewards visitors with up to 50% off on a range of over 200 top brands. The shopping centre is home to designer labels like Joseph and Radley and also high street brands like Gap and Next. Durham Indoor Market is a traditional Victorian market in the centre of the city and is home to over 50 local traders. The market provides a range of food and specialist trades and there are often bargains to be found.
Where Can I Study?
Durham is home to one university: the University of Durham (also referred to as Durham University). The university provides places of study for over 15,000 students every year. Durham University was founded in 1832 and is considered to be one of the oldest universities in England.
Durham University is spread over 227 hectares of land and includes part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 5 grade-one listed buildings and 68 grade-two listed building. The university is split across two campuses: Durham City and Queen’s Campus, and a free bus service runs frequently between the two campuses. The university is organised into three faculties: the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the Faculty of Science.
Durham City is the main university campus and includes 14 of the 16 colleges. The science site contains the majority of departments and lecture theatres along with the main university library and the Calman Learning Centre. Mountjoy is home to the Psychology and Biological and Biomedical schools as well as a number of research centres.
Queen’s Campus opened in 1992 and can be found in the town of Thornaby-on-Tees, approximately 30 miles from the Durham city centre. The campus is home to students studying degrees in accounting, business and finance, human sciences, and primary education.
Durham University has a strong reputation for academic excellence and consistently ranks within the top universities in the UK. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Durham 83rd out of the top 400 universities in the world.
Should I Study in Durham?
A student’s honest opinion:
“As Durham is such a small city, it is mainly made up of students, which means it has many bars and pubs. Every Durham college has its own bar, serving very cheap drinks. Colleges also put on events like bops and formal dinners. Durham has 4 night clubs, including Klute (the worst nightclub in Europe).
During the day, the numerous independent coffee shops are very popular, Vennels is renowned for doing the best cakes. There are also many restaurants- Spags serves large portions of high quality authentic Italian food at student friendly prices. There is also a small cinema/theatre. There are many beautiful walks around Durham too.
Although Durham is small, with little shopping, Newcastle and the Metro centre are only 10 minutes away by train.” – Laura, 21