Staff and students at St Chad’s College are looking forward to welcoming you to the University on Wednesday 19 February 2025, Monday 24 March 2025, Saturday 26 April 2025. Come along to a session in College to get a sense of what undergraduate life at St Chad’s is all about. We are looking forward to meeting you and showing you around our College! Until then, we hope you find the information provided here useful as you begin to explore the Durham Colleges.

Have you applied for a St Chad’s College scholarship?

A range of scholarships are available at St Chad’s for students who hold an offer from Durham University. The deadline for applications is Sunday 27 April 2025 and full details, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the College webpages HERE.

Welcome from The Principal, Dr Margaret Masson

With around 500 undergraduates and 150 postgraduates, St Chad’s is the smallest college in Durham and has high levels of engagement across all year groups. Our students enjoy a strong sense of community, with friendships across all years, a stimulating programme of college conversations, discussions and lectures, and the beauty of our old historic buildings right across the road from Durham’s magnificent cathedral.

Founded in 1904 on principles of justice and inclusion we welcome students from all backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities and have a range of bursaries and scholarships available to support those in financial need. Do take a look at our website to find out more and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Better still, come and visit if you possibly can.

Welcome from The JCR President, Rachael Dobbin

Congratulations for receiving an offer from Durham University! One of the things that makes Durham special is the collegiate system, and so you now have the opportunity to think about which college you would like to be a part of! Every college will offer a different experience, but remember that you will have a great time wherever you end up!!

As an undergraduate student, you’ll be part of the ‘JCR’, or ‘Junior Common Room’ of your college – at St Chad’s, this is comprised of around 300 students, and as a third-year Chad’s student, I was elected to lead and represent the JCR as the President! There are loads of other roles that Chad’s JCR offers, as we have 40+ societies to get involved in – such as joining the social committee to plan events, the green committee to champion the environment, or the many sports teams we have on offer! Student leaders such as myself (and potentially you in the future if you choose to run!) also oversee events such as formal balls, weekly gowned formals, musical events to participate in and attend, and the thriving student bar!

St Chad’s is an amazing place to spend your university years. Being the smallest college in Durham means that we have a welcoming, friendly atmosphere where everyone can get involved. There are countless friendships between students from various backgrounds and year groups, fostering the community feel that makes us such a special college. Since we’re so small, Chad’s also thrives through student engagement, passion and proactivity, relying on gaining new students each year who will throw themselves into college life; either through being a leader or a keen team player willing to take part.

It’s hard to condense all the reasons why St Chad’s is such an amazing college, as every Chadsian could go on for days about how much they love it here, but the same is true for all the Durham colleges. Good luck with the rest of the process, and wherever you find yourself, make the most of it: I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time!  

Take a virtual tour of St Chad’s

As you begin to think about your College preferences and consider which Colleges you might prioritise for a visit as part of your Post-Offer Visit Day, you may like to take a look at our virtual tour video below.

Accommodation and Catering at St Chad’s

At St Chad’s we have a range of rooms available for first year undergraduates including single standard and ensuite rooms along with shared rooms (both standard and ensuite). Sharing a room in first year is the norm at St Chad’s with around 70 % of first year beds being in shared rooms. In most cases, single rooms at St Chad’s are prioritised for students with specific medical or disability-related need.

St Chad’s is primarily a catered College and all students in our Bailey accommodation enjoy a fully catered offering of 21 meals per week during term time. In 2025/26 a small number of shared self-catered rooms will also be made available for first year undergraduates. These rooms will be located at Trinity Hall which is just a 10 minute walk from Main College and home to Chad’s students from a range of year groups. New students will be offered the opportunity to express their accommodation preference once their College allocation has been confirmed.

While most of our undergraduates live in College accommodation in their first year, some choose to live elsewhere. For some students who live locally, the option to live at home is a natural choice for them and experience suggests that these students can still become actively involved in all aspects of College life. Similarly, students with caring responsibilities or other specific personal circumstances may decide not to live in College but, where possible, we encourage first year students to take up the opportunity of College accommodation.

Visit Day Schedule

The College will be open to offer-holders and their accompanying family and friends from 9.30 am – 12.30 pm on Wednesday 19 February 2025, Monday 24 March 2025, Saturday 26 April 2025. During this time, you will attend a brief welcome and information session with College staff, take a tour of the College’s buildings and facilities guided by a current student, and have the opportunity to learn more about the wide array of sports, music, arts, volunteering, and social opportunities on offer at St Chad’s.

9.30 am/10 am/10.30 am/11 am/11.30 am/12 noon – Each 30 minute session will include a Welcome and information session (10 minutes) with a member of College staff followed by a College tour (15 minutes) guided by a current St Chad’s College student.

During this tour you will be able to see many of the communal areas of the College. Unfortunately it is unlikely that we will be able to show visitors accommodation as part of the visit as our students will be in residence. However, photos of our accommodation are available on our accommodation pages of this website.

9.30 am – 12.30 pm: A chance to speak to current students about undergraduate life at St Chad’s and Durham University.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may well be wondering what distinguishes St Chad’s College from other Colleges at Durham University. Well, we are the smallest of the Durham Colleges, are just 30 metres away from Durham Cathedral, have the largest library collections of any College (with seven libraries in St Chad’s!), and are home to the only student-run bar in the University! Take a look at our FAQs to find out more about our people, ethos and community in addition to information about some of the practical aspects of College life such as catering, accommodation and facilities.

How can I find out more about St Chad’s?

We are looking forward to welcoming you early in 2025 at one of the Post-Offer Visit Days. However, if you have questions before then, please contact the Vice Principal, Dr Victoria Brown, or the Academic Office Administrator, Susan Mather, via chads.admissions@durham.ac.uk.

If you are planning to attend one of the Post-Offer Visit Days and have specific access requirements, we are very happy to arrange a call with you to ensure we are able to make your visit as smooth and enjoyable as possible.