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Community Relations
Visitors studying an exhibition in the Chinese wing of the museum.

Student Neighbours

Citizenship is one of our five core lived values, which set out the principles by which we will act across everything we do. We develop well-rounded people who make a positive difference locally and all our students agree to be good citizens when they join the University, and good and considerate neighbours wherever they live.

In most neighbourhoods within the Durham city area, permanent members of the local community have student neighbours. In 2022/23 around 85% (18,749) of our students were resident in the Durham City area - which we define as those postcodes beginning DH1.
Contact Us
Number 8 South Bailey showing a listed building used for student accommodation

Many of our students will be housed in College owned or managed accommodation, or in Purpose Built (but privately owned) Student Accommodation (PBSA) for at least one, if not more years of their studies here in Durham. However, every year, thousands of our students will 'live out' in residential areas in privately rented houses or flats with non-student neighbours around them.

Durham has a diverse local community, beyond the University and our Colleges, of people of different backgrounds, experiences and ages and we very much welcome the approach of many of the permanent residents of Durham City to support our students to settle in to their new surroundings every year.

As a community, we have come through some extraordinary times in recent years and we continue to recognise how important it is that our students behave with consideration for others and uphold the values of our institution.

What to expect from our students

We take our duties as a neighbour seriously, and we expect the same from our students. All our students sign up to our Student Pledge on joining the University and we also have a Code of Conduct for Students Living Out of College, which shows our students how to have a positive impact when they 'live out' in the wider Durham community.

What to expect from us

Our Local Issues section outlines how we work in partnership to tackle the common issues experienced in communities where our students 'live out'. The City of Durham Parish Council produces a vital resource to empower local communities to know who can help when they experience a local issue in Durham City. Further information on how to contact the University forms part of this publication.

Our Community Relations team are here to help if you experience any issues with your student neighbours, just follow the link above to contact the team. Our Student Conduct Office can also help if you experience problems specifically with student behaviour off-campus.