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Accommodation and Catering

The College provides accommodation for over 300 undergraduates and over 150 postgraduates.

We have just over 30 shared twin rooms; the remainder of our rooms are single rooms.
Explore our facilities
Shared room facility with bed and furniture

Our buildings

We offer catered and self-catered accommodation for undergraduates and self-catered accommodation for our postgraduates. 

Undergraduate accommodation 

Within the Castle walls we have around 100 rooms, mostly in the Keep, but also in Garden Stairs, Hall Stairs, Fellows' Garden, the Junction and the Norman Gallery. Most rooms within the Castle walls are occupied by final year students, but some of the shared rooms are occupied by first year undergraduates. 

Bailey Court, Moatside and Owengate are all catered undergraduate accommodation blocks on the Bailey with a mix of single and shared bathrooms. Some rooms in Moatside and Owengate are shared. 

Kepier Court is our self-catered block, for undergraduates and postgraduates. All rooms are en suite, in either studio flats or apartments with a shared kitchen.  

We aim to provide all first-year students with a room in college, and rooms for a number of returning students are allocated via a ballot each year. Allocation of all rooms is at the discretion of College Office. 

Postgraduate accommodation 

We offer self-catered accommodation for postgraduate students at New Kepier Court. We offer studio flats and apartments with shared kitchens. All rooms are en suite.  

All our study bedrooms are fully equipped with essential furniture. Students are welcome to bring your own bedding (linen packs are available to purchase), towels, and crockery/cutlery for tea and coffee in your room. More details are made available to new students.

  • About Us

    University College or “Castle” is a thriving living community within Durham University. We have some 750 undergraduates and 700 postgraduates, and 300 members of University staff are attached to the College through the Senior Common Room.
    View of the castle gatehouse
  • Our Values

    University College has a long and revered history as a living learning community supporting the quest for knowledge and appreciation of higher education as a pathway to enlightenment and vocation.

About Us

University College or “Castle” is a thriving living community within Durham University. We have some 750 undergraduates and 700 postgraduates, and 300 members of University staff are attached to the College through the Senior Common Room.
View of the castle gatehouse

Our Values

University College has a long and revered history as a living learning community supporting the quest for knowledge and appreciation of higher education as a pathway to enlightenment and vocation.

Our Accommodation Blocks

A summary of our accommodation blocks at University College

This table summarises the different accommodation blocks in University College:

Accommodation block Location  Facilities Catering type Let Length 

New Kepier Court

(Undergrad and Postgrad)
Claypath, 15 minute walk from town 

All en suite, single rooms.

Studios or shared flats. 
Self-catered  Term-time and vacations 

Bailey Court

(Undergrad only)
On Palace Green  Shared bathrooms, single rooms.  Catered  Term-time and some vacations  

Moatside

(Undergrad only)
On the Bailey, close to town  Shared bathrooms, some single and shared rooms.  Catered  Term-time and vacations  

Owengate

(Undergrad only) 
On Owengate, road from the Bailey to Palace Green  Some en-suite & shared bathrooms. Single and shared rooms.  Catered   Term-time and vacations 

Castle walls

(Undergrad only) 
Inside the Castle  Some en-suite/shared bathrooms, single and shared rooms, mostly for returners.  Catered   Term-time only (apart from Fellows' Garden) 

A map showing University College Accommodation locations

 

 

Accommodation at Stephenson

Accommodation & Catering

Accommodation at Stephenson

Accommodation & Catering

Accommodation at Stephenson

Accommodation & Catering

Accessibility: If you have special medical requirements please let us know and we will do our best to meet these needs. In view of the Castle’s stone steps, cobbles, staircases and Grade 1 listed building status, some aspects of the College site are not suitable for students with mobility difficulties; however, other colleges have purpose-built facilities. 

Catering 

We offer catered accommodation on the Bailey for undergraduates, and self-catered accommodation at New Kepier Court for undergraduates and postgraduates.  

During term-time, undergraduate students who live in College accommodation on the Bailey have breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Great Hall, seven days a week, as part of the Residence Charge. Our wonderful catering teams cater for a wide range of dietary requirements. Packed lunches and late meals are also available for students with commitments over mealtime periods. 

Sharing meals in the Great Hall is a wonderful way for members of the community to come together and socialise, chat and build community. Meals are served in our magnificent dining hall, which can seat up to 220. The dining hall is the Great Hall of the Castle, one of the largest medieval halls in Britain, begun in the late thirteenth century. 

Members of the College also enjoy formal dinners once week. This optional event is a chance to get dressed up in your academic gown and enjoy a three-course served meal in our beautiful Great Hall. 

 

Get in touch

Contact us by phone or email below to find out more about accommodation, admissions and student support.