A preliminary college allocation is issued to all offer holders before the publication of A-level and equivalent examination results (for 2025 entry, prior to results being released on 14 August 2025).

A preliminary allocation:

• is based on your academic offer and the college preferences you submitted;

• allows you to begin engaging with a college community at an early stage; and

• is provisional, meaning it may be subject to change once examination results are known and final student numbers are confirmed.

Wherever possible, the University will seek to ensure that applicants who go on to secure a place at Durham remain with their preliminary allocated college. However, a preliminary allocation does not guarantee final college membership and may be amended in line with the University’s published allocation processes.

A finalised college allocation is confirmed after examination results have been published, once the University has a full and accurate picture of:

• which offer holders have met the conditions of their offer;

• accommodation availability across colleges; and

• any additional accommodation or support requirements that need to be considered.

At this stage, students are contacted to confirm their finalised college allocation. This allocation relates to college membership and, once confirmed, will not be changed at a student’s request.

Finalised allocations are made in accordance with the University’s published allocation processes.

While most students who go on to secure a place at Durham will remain with their preliminary allocated college, changes may be required in a small number of cases once examination results have been published and final student numbers are confirmed.

A preliminary college allocation may be changed where necessary in order to ensure fairness, meet student needs, and manage accommodation capacity across the collegiate system. This may include circumstances where:

• a student has a medical or disability-related need that cannot reasonably be met by their preliminary allocated college;

• a student is accepted to Durham through a different admissions route than originally anticipated, including as an Insurance choice or through Clearing;

• a student is accepted to the University despite not meeting the original conditions of their offer; or

• there is insufficient accommodation availability within a college to make accommodation offers to all eligible students.

Any changes to preliminary allocations are made in line with the University’s published allocation processes.

Where reallocations are required after examination results are published, the University seeks to manage college capacity fairly while prioritising continuity of college membership wherever possible.

In these circumstances, priority is given to retaining students in their preliminary allocated college in the following order:

1. Offer holders who placed Durham as their Firm choice and met or exceeded the conditions of their offer

2. Offer holders who placed Durham as their Firm choice and were accepted despite not meeting the original conditions of their offer

3. Offer holders who placed Durham as their Insurance choice

4. Offer holders accepted through Clearing

Where it is necessary to change a student’s preliminary college allocation, previous college preferences are not taken into account. Students are allocated to colleges with available accommodation through a managed allocation processdesigned to ensure fairness and consistency across the collegiate system.

No. All applicants who receive an offer from Durham are eligible for college allocation.

You may be preliminarily allocated to a college before you have accepted your academic offer.

Once the college allocation process begins (typically in April), allocations are run on a regular basis.

When an academic offer has been made and communicated to UCAS, a preliminary college allocation will normally be generated as part of this process. There may be a short delay of a few days before this is reflected in University systems.

No. Once a college allocation has been made, it forms part of your broader offer from Durham University and will not normally be changed at an applicant’s request.

An exception may be considered where a student has a medical or disability-related need that cannot reasonably be met within the allocated college, following assessment and recommendation by Disability Support Services through the Disability Disclosure process.

Durham’s colleges are multidisciplinary academic communities. The allocation process is designed to ensure a balanced distribution of students across colleges in order to maintain the distinctive collegiate experience.

No. UCAS decisions (Firm or Insurance) do not influence the college allocation process.

College allocation begins before the UCAS decision deadline so that applicants can receive a preliminary college allocation before deciding whether to accept their offer.

No. Applicants are eligible for college allocation once an academic offer—conditional or unconditional—has been made and communicated to UCAS.

Durham University uses offer factors to ensure the intended number of students are admitted. These factors are applied across all colleges. All offer holders are included within the same allocation process, and holding an unconditional offer does not guarantee allocation to a preferred college.

College allocation takes place in the year of application. Applicants who defer their offer are allocated proportionately across colleges using the same allocation principles as all other applicants in that year.

This means that a preferred college cannot be guaranteed following deferral. This approach ensures that applicants in subsequent years are not disadvantaged by a large number of college places having been allocated to applicants who deferred in a previous cycle.

No. All colleges are multidisciplinary, and no college is linked to a specific subject.

No. Family connections to a college are not considered in the allocation process.

College allocation is based solely on applicant preference and the need to maintain multidisciplinary communities across all colleges.

No. All colleges are multidisciplinary communities and offer a wide range of activities and opportunities.

There are also extensive inter-collegiate and University-wide activities available to all students. Individual interests, skills, or abilities are not considered as part of the published college allocation process.

No. College allocation is based on two principles only:

• maintaining multidisciplinary academic communities; and

• applicant preference.

Colleges are not allocated based on facilities. Allocation confirms membership of a college community, not access to a particular room type, catering arrangement, or facility.

No. Once a college allocation has been made, it will not normally be changed at an applicant’s request.

An exception may be considered where a student has a medical or disability-related need that cannot reasonably be met within the allocated college, following assessment and recommendation by Disability Support Services through the Disability Disclosure process.

Yes, but only before the college allocation process begins.

You can amend your preferences using the college preference form in the Undergraduate Applicant Portal.

No. Durham University does not operate college waiting lists, either centrally or within individual colleges.

Once a college allocation has been made, it will not normally be changed at an applicant’s request. An exception may be considered where a student has a medical or disability-related need that cannot reasonably be met within the allocated college, following assessment and recommendation by Disability Support Services through the Disability Disclosure process.

There is no appeals process for college allocation decisions.

Where a student has a medical or disability-related need, they must follow the Disability Disclosure process. The University will first consider whether reasonable adjustments can be made within the allocated college.

Only where a student’s needs cannot reasonably be met will a change of college be considered, based on an assessment and recommendation by Disability Support Services. Decisions reached through this process are final.

No. College allocation is about membership, not accommodation alone.

Your college is central to your academic, social, and pastoral experience at Durham, offering events, activities, support, and leadership opportunities regardless of where you live.

All new first-year undergraduates who meet the criteria of the University’s Accommodation Guarantee, and who indicate through the College Membership & Accommodation Application that they wish to be considered for University accommodation, will be offered University accommodation, subject to availability and operational requirements at the time of allocation.

No. Once an accommodation offer has been made, it will not normally be changed at a student’s request. If you choose not to accept your accommodation offer, the University cannot guarantee that a further offer of accommodation will be made.

Accommodation offers are made based on availability at the time of allocation and are intended to ensure that as many students as possible can be offered University accommodation. Offers relate to a specific room type, location, and let length and cannot be amended on preference grounds.

Where a student has a medical or disability-related need, the University will first consider whether reasonable adjustments can be made within the offered accommodation. If needs cannot reasonably be met, students should contact their allocated college directly for further advice.

No. Once a college allocation has been made, it will not normally be changed at an applicant’s request on financial grounds.

An exception may be considered where a student has a medical or disability-related need that cannot reasonably be met within the allocated college, following assessment and recommendation by Disability Support Services through the Disability Disclosure process.

Catered colleges typically provide around 650 meals per year, averaging just over £4 per meal, and remove the need for food shopping or cooking equipment.

Information on managing your finances, cost of living, and additional support is available on the University website.

Yes. All colleges are experienced in supporting a wide range of dietary requirements, including complex needs, where reasonably practicable.

You are encouraged to contact your allocated college directly to discuss your individual requirements.

No. Where an applicant submits more than one academic application, the same set of college preferences will be used in the allocation process.