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Castle undergrad scholarships

University College Scholarships 2026-27 

Our college culture prioritizes supporting students with potential to succeed and flourish, inspired by our College motto, not for ourselves alone.

Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, we are pleased to offer a number of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for applicants joining University College in 2026-2027.

The awards enable students from a range of backgrounds to engage fully in the co-curricular opportunities at University College, and successful applicants will be expected to get involved in College/University life.

Further details of our current schemes are detailed below.
If you have any questions, please contact us via univcoll.admissions@durham.ac.uk

For prospective undergraduates

Dunkley Scholarship

Award Range: £5,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years

Year of entry: starting in September 2026

Number of scholarships available: 1

Programmes: All undergraduate programmes

Eligibility: Undergraduate applicants, for any undergraduate degree course, with a household income below £62,377 as defined by Student Finance England. 

Preference will be given to students from the North East of England (Postcode regions: CA, DH, DL, LA, NE, SR, TS)

OR Care-experienced students, care leavers, estranged students and other young independent students (CaCE+ students) more information about our definition here.

OR Home UK students of Black Heritage - African, Caribbean, Dual or Mixed Heritage (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Other Black Background).

Successful applicants will be expected to get involved in College/University life.

 

Bryan Johns Scholarship

Award Range: £5,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years

Year of entry: starting in September 2026

Number of scholarships available: 1

Programmes: Undergraduate Mathematics programmes

Eligibility: Applicants with a household income below £62,377, undertaking a Mathematics programme.

Preference will be given to students from the North East of England (Postcode regions: CA, DH, DL, LA, NE, SR, TS)

OR Students who participated in Maths Summer Schools or Support Programmes (Futures in STEM, Supported Progression and Sutton Trust Summer Schools).

Successful applicants will be expected to get involved in College/University life.

 

Bell Scholarship (Undergraduate)

Award Range: £4,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years

Year of entry: starting in September 2026

Number of scholarships available: 2

Programmes: All undergraduate programmes

Eligibility: Undergraduate applicants, for any undergraduate degree course, with a household income below £62,377 as defined by Student Finance England. 

 Preference will be given to the following:

Students from the North East of England (Postcode regions: CA, DH, DL, LA, NE, SR, TS)

OR Care-experienced students, care leavers, estranged students and other young independent students (CaCE+ students) more information about our definition here.

OR Home UK students of Black Heritage - African, Caribbean, Dual or Mixed Heritage (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Other Black Background).

Successful applicants will be expected to get involved in College/University life.

Application process for all undergraduate scholarships

To apply for these scholarships please complete the College Scholarship Form here: College Scholarship/Bursary Application - 2026-27 – Fill in form.

Deadline for applications: midnight, Monday 27 April 2026.

This form is used to apply for a number of different colleges’ Scholarships. To be considered for Scholarships at University College please make sure you:

  1. List University College as your first preference (question 11)
  2. Indicate which Scholarship you wish to be considered for (Dunkley, Bryan Johns or Bell) as part of your personal statement
  3. The form asks you to share two personal statements:

Question 15: Please tell us your understanding of the College system and how you would embrace and contribute to College life as a student? (2500 characters)

Question 16: Why do you want to study at Durham University? (4000 characters)

Selection: Applications will be assessed by a panel made up of University College Officers (and in case of the Johns’ scholarship, also representatives from the department of Mathematics), on the basis of applicants' ability to meet the eligibility criteria, academic potential, and personal statement. In addition to the information supplied on the scholarship application form, the College will gather contextual information to support the assessment of scholarship applications.

We do not require any references to be submitted as part of the application. Successful applicants will be guaranteed membership of University College.

Reporting: Durham University Bursary recipients will be required to adhere to the University College Bursaries and Awards Terms and Conditions.

For prospective Research Postgraduates

Bell Scholarship (Postgraduate Research)

Award Range: £4,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years

Year of entry: starting in September 2026

Number of scholarships available: 2

Programmes: All postgraduate research programmes

Eligibility: Postgraduate research applicants (e.g. PhD)

 Preference will be given to the following:

Students from the North East of England (Postcode regions: CA, DH, DL, LA, NE, SR, TS)

OR Care-experienced students, care leavers, estranged students and other young independent students (CaCE+ students) more information about our definition here.

OR Home UK students of Black Heritage - African, Caribbean, Dual or Mixed Heritage (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Other Black Background)

Successful applicants will be expected to get involved in College/University life.

Application form will open in May 2026.

 

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Fees and Funding

Tuition fees and college accommodation 

Information about Tuition Fees can be found in the following locations:

Undergraduate Finance

Postgraduate Finance

Information about college accommodation costs, which are standardised across all the colleges, can be found here: 

Undergraduate College Accommodation Costs  

Postgraduate College Accommodation Costs 

Join a common room 

We encourage all University College students to join one of our common rooms: the Junior Common Room (JCR) for undergraduates or the Middle Common Room (MCR) for postgraduates.  

Both common rooms organise and run a huge amount of events, opportunities and support for their members. Membership of either the JCR or MCR offers a wide programme of annual events, from weekly formals to the opportunity to participate in our wide range of clubs, sports and societies. Joining is entirely your own choice, but if you choose not to join a Common Room, you will not be automatically able to participate in their annual programmes of events and you will need to pay extra to join these events. Details of membership levies are made available to all new students. 

Funding support 

University College offers its members a wide variety of funding opportunities, including student support bursaries of up to £300 to which any student in financial difficulties may apply, and short-term hardship loans of up to £100. The College also advertises Employability Bursaries, to help support the costs involved in attending or holding any careers-based events (including job interviews), and Travel Bursaries, to cover costs associated with conference attendance (for example) or travel associated with your degree courses. There are also awards for academic achievement and contributions to college and university life.