History
Historic foundations, exciting futures
We opened our doors to students for the first time on 28th October 1833. And we awarded our first degrees to those very same students - then graduates - on 8th June 1837.
Since then, we’ve grown our reputation as a world-leading University. Not to mention one of Europe's oldest universities in continuous operation.
A world top 100 University
Today, we’re a world top 100 University, and we placed 7th in the Guardian University Guide 2024. We offer more than 330 undergraduate and postgraduate courses, with 12 in the World Top 50. And our distinctive collegiate system contains 17 individual colleges.
What’s more, our people and our students now come from over 120 countries, which reflects our ambitions around diversity, and our commitment to embed equality and diversity in everything we do. And we were also named 50th in the world for employer reputation in the QS World Rankings 2024.
A history that can help build your future
With the world heritage site of Durham Cathedral and Castle sitting right at the heart of our collegiate campus and wonderful city, you’ll get an even deeper sense of the incredibly rich history that’s woven throughout our story.
Our history has helped to make us what we are today and it can help shape your future.
