Van Mildert College is a community of about 1000 students, staff and tutors. "Mildertians" (Van Mildert Students) come from throughout the world, and study a broad range of subjects. Around 500 of these students live in on-site accommodation, spread through the college's leafy grounds and around its lake. Students study in departments throughout the picturesque city of Durham, and the college is only five minutes walk from the University's state-of-the-art science facilities on the Science Site.

Van Mildert's social calendar features regular bops, formal dinners, exhibitions, plays, musical recitals and talks. The college's sports teams compete in a huge variety of sports, and many aspects of the college are run by the student body, the Junior Common Room.

Van Mildert boasts some of the best conference facilities in the University and is able to offer both day and residential events through the year.