UK Postgraduate Research Students Before You Arrive

Welcome and Orientation 2024

Male and female student chatting at a table outside a coffee shop

New UK Postgraduate Research Students

There are lots of things you can do to get a head start on student life before you arrive! Here are the key tasks to complete so you're ready to study, live and socialise as a Durham postgraduate student:

Start planning your Welcome Week events

1. Enrol online

This is the first and most important step you should take before you arrive.

Enrolment opens six weeks before the start of your programme. Once you have completed your enrolment, then you'll be able to access your university IT account.

How to enrol

A student conservator studying artefacts under a microscope in the Conservation lab

2. Get to know your Department

There are a number of different ways you can get to know more about your department before you arrive, including looking at our Welcome webpages, logging in to Learn Ultra and visiting the Learn Ultra Induction site for your programme.

Visit your Department Welcome page for information

A group of female students sat around a table with a laptop

3. Find out more about your College

Your College is waiting to welcome you, visit their Welcome webpages to find out more. Your College will contact you directly with more information.

Visit your College Welcome webpage for information

4. Get connected with My Digital Durham

Once you are enrolled, you get access to a range of digital services such as your university email account, FREE Microsoft 365 and Office subscription, plus a range of teaching and learning apps to help you with your studies. View the interactive pdf and video

Visit My Digital Durham

Your first week in Durham – University Welcome and Orientation Week Events Timetable

The Timetable has been designed so College events don’t clash with any of your academic departmental events, but offer you lots of opportunities to meet your fellow Freshers, find your way around and settle into student life.

To help you keep track of where you need to be, and what you need to do during your first busy days at university, in your College and your Department, we have created a day-by-day University Induction Planner. This should help you to plan your schedule, so you don't miss anything - from being issued with your Campus Card or meeting the staff in your Department, to trying out for a sports team or joining a student society.

Create your Personal Welcome Week Planner