Welcome to Van Mildert College! Congratulations on your remarkable and well-deserved achievement. You are joining one of the world’s best universities and a very active, caring and open college community.  

Durham University consists of 17 diverse and distinctive colleges. Van Mildert is, however, exceptionally distinctive. Our College occupies a unique lakeside setting on the hill, with a range of great facilities and friendly support staff. High academic achievement is matched, for example, on the sports field, in the concert hall, on the stage and by our outreach and volunteering projects with our partners in and around the city. Our senior management team is open and committed to supporting the student body through the Presidents and executive committees of Junior and Middle Common Rooms, helping drive and deliver their agendas for the benefit of all the members of the College.  

With over 1700 members and more than 500 residents, Van Mildert is one of the largest colleges in Durham. Here you will find a friendly, comfortable and secure environment where you can develop your own interests, talents and personality and establish enduring friendships with your peers. We offer an excellent library, computer room, music suite (with rehearsal rooms and a recording studio), a well-equipped gym, snooker room, spacious common room and bar, as well as the largest dining hall in the entire University.  

The success or otherwise of our inclusive College community depends on you all: an ambitious student cohort with fresh aspirations and innovative ideas. I encourage you all to participate in the College community - there is something for everyone with over 120 clubs, committees and societies - and engage in some of the many activities that define the unique Van Mildert community. When you leave you will join a distinguished alumni population that has made its mark on society in Britain and elsewhere. My very best wishes to you all.

Louise Gildersleeve, Vice Principal, Van Mildert College