How many colleges does Durham University have?

Durham University has 17 colleges. Every student belongs to one and remains a member throughout their time at Durham, even after moving out of college accommodation.

What is the difference between Bailey and Hill colleges?

The Bailey colleges occupy historic buildings on the peninsula near the castle and cathedral, while the Hill colleges are purpose-built and sit on and around Elvet Hill to the south, near the science site.

Which is the oldest Durham college?

University College, known as 'Castle', is the oldest, founded in 1832 and housed in Durham Castle itself.

Education

Durham University Colleges Explained

Durham's collegiate system explained, from the historic Bailey colleges on the peninsula to the Hill colleges on Elvet Hill, and what college life actually involves.

durhamcity.live·31 August 2026

One of the first things a new Durham student learns is that they do not just join the university, they join a college. Durham's collegiate system is central to life here, and understanding it makes the whole city easier to navigate.

What a college is

Durham University divides its work between academic departments, which teach and research, and its 17 colleges, which handle accommodation, dining, welfare and much of the social side. Every student must be a member of a college, and you stay part of that community throughout your time in Durham, even after you move out of college accommodation. It is a model shared by only a few UK universities and often compared to Oxford and Cambridge; Durham is itself usually counted the third-oldest university in England.

Bailey colleges and Hill colleges

Most colleges fall into two groups. The Bailey colleges occupy historic buildings on the peninsula around the castle and cathedral: University College, Hatfield, St Chad's, St John's and St Cuthbert's Society. The Hill colleges are the purpose-built ones on and around Elvet Hill to the south, near the science site, among them Collingwood, Grey, Van Mildert, Josephine Butler, St Aidan's, St Mary's, John Snow and South.

Each has its own character. University College, known to everyone as "Castle", is the oldest, founded in 1832 and housed in Durham Castle itself. Hatfield, founded in 1846, pioneered fully catered communal dining. Josephine Butler, opened in 2006, was one of the first purpose-built self-catered colleges. St Chad's and St John's are independent institutions recognised as colleges of the university.

Catered or self-catered

Colleges are either catered, where meals are cooked for you (the Bailey colleges famously dine in their great halls), or self-catered, where you cook for yourself. Which is which can change over time, so check the university's current position when choosing.

College life

The college is where much of student life happens: each has its own bar and common room, formal dinners you dress up for, quiz nights, music and college days, and its own sports teams and societies. Inter-college sport, in particular, is fiercely and cheerfully competitive. Undergraduate life is run largely through the JCR, the Junior Common Room, which provides an extra layer of pastoral support alongside the university's own.