Frequently Asked Questions
The Student Recruitment and Admissions Office is responsible for managing the admissions process within Durham University for full and part time undergraduate courses. Academic Departments are responsible for considering each application and making offers and passing successful applications to one of the sixteen colleges for consideration, whilst the Student Recruitment and Admissions Office ensures that this process occurs as fairly and as transparently as possible and that decisions are communicated to UCAS within agreed deadlines.
The questions below have all been asked by our applicants or their parents at one time or another, and are intended to provide further information regarding the application process, some of our requirements, our collegiate system, the University and life as a student.
If you find that your query is not addressed or if you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Recruitment and Admissions Team directly. Our email address is admissions@durham.ac.uk.
I left school a few years ago, does my UCAS application require a reference?
It is Durham University's policy to ask for a reference. Our programmes are very popular and our Admissions Selectors require as much information as possible to be able to make an informed decision. It would, therefore, be in your best interest to include a reference. This does not need to be from an academic acquaintance; we have made offers to applicants who have included a reference from an employer, or, in the absence of an employer, a professional who knows them well, such as a doctor, civil servant or lawyer.
