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College Membership Allocation Process – Postgraduate Students (2025 Entry) 

After accepting an academic offer from Durham, you'll have the opportunity to rank three colleges in order of preference for membership.  

Full Time Students Starting in September 

Steps to Follow: 

  1. Accept your academic offer from Durham. 
  2. Receive an email with a link to the College Membership Application. 
  3. Rank your three college preferences. 
  4. Confirm whether or not you are interested in applying for accommodation offered by the University. 

Your preferences will be considered during the College Membership allocation process. While we strive to allocate membership to one of your preferred colleges, this cannot be guaranteed. 

If you accept your offer after the membership allocation process has started, you'll have a specified deadline to submit your preferences via the College Membership Application. 

Factors Considered During Membership Allocation: 

  • Your ranked college preferences 
  • The number of students in your department 
  • Type of study (Taught or Research) 
  • Fee status (Home or International) 

Full Time Students Starting in November to July 

If you accept an offer to begin your studies between November and July, you will be contacted to rank your top three college preferences before your start date and a deadline to submit. The allocation process follows the same procedure as for September applicants. Please refer to the Steps to Follow section above for further guidance. 

Part Time and Distance Learning Students 

After accepting your offer to study at Durham, all part time (PT) and distance learning (DL) students are automatically allocated college membership. Students will be allocated to one of the six designated colleges that support PT/DL students based on their programme of study: 

  • John Snow College 
  • Trevelyan College 
  • Hatfield College 
  • St Mary’s College 
  • Van Mildert College 
  • St Aidan’s College 

Students enrolled in Theology PT/DL programmes will automatically be allocated to St John’s College.