Scholarships and Prizes

Durham University recognises its students' academic and personal achievements with a wide range of scholarships and prizes awarded at the end of each academic year.

Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships for Academic Achievement are the most prestigious scholarships awarded by Durham University in recognition of academic achievement.  60 scholarships worth £2,000 each are awarded at the end of each academic year to non-final year students who have performed exceptionally well throughout the year.  The University also recognises students who have shown outstanding committment to their family or to a charitable organisation, or who have made significant all-round contributions to the life of the University, e.g. in the arts, sport or student welfare with the annual award of a small number of Thorp Scholarships and Ian Graham Awards.  These are worth £100 (Thorp Scholarships) and £250 (Ian Graham Awards) but very prestigious in that they recognise the achievements of some of the most remarkable students in the University.   

The Departments and Colleges of the University reward academic and personal achievement with scholarships and prizes awarded at the end of each academic year.  These prizes are not high in monetary value, typically between £25 and £200, but are very prestigious as they are usually awarded to the highest achieving students on specific academic programmes or students who have made outstanding contributions to College life.  

There are also some scholarships and prizes specifically for students at the Queen's Campus, which are awarded in an annual prize-giving ceremony presided over by the Mayor of Stockton.  This ceremony is held in November each year and gives prize-winning graduates the opportunity to return to the Queen's Campus to have their achievements recognised and to meet up with students and staff still at the University.  It is always well attended and is an important event in the Queen's Campus calendar.  For further information about the Queen's Campus Prizegiving please contact Andrea Hagan, Campus & Community Co-ordinator at the Queen's Campus.