Durham University admissions run through UCAS (the UK’s central undergraduate application service) and a direct postgraduate applicant portal. Indian applicants typically need Class XII at 80 to 89% for UG. Postgraduate taught programmes need a Bachelor’s around 55 to 65% Indian equivalent.
- Next live deadline: September 2027. UCAS Equal Consideration closes 13 January 2027
- Base tuition: £28,500 to £41,000 (INR 36.43 to 52.40 Lakhs) and application fee £60 (INR 7,669)
- UG: Class XII 80-89% plus. PG: 55-65%. IELTS 6.5 minimum
- Offer rate around 72%, institutional acceptance rate around 40%
Popular pathways include the MSc Finance, MSc Data Science, LLM Law, and full-time Durham MBA. Indian student feedback highlights compact tutorial groups and consistent research-led teaching at Durham University.
Table of Contents
- Durham University Application Deadlines for Indian Students
- Durham University Eligibility for Indian Students
- Durham University Postgraduate Programmes for Indian Students
- Durham University Undergraduate Programmes for Indian Students
- Durham University Application Process for Indian Students
- Durham University Documents Required for Indian Applicants
- Durham University Acceptance Rate for Indian Students
- Durham University Admissions: Frequently Asked Questions
Durham University Application Deadlines for Indian Students
Durham University runs a single primary intake in September, its Michaelmas or autumn term, covering most undergraduate, postgraduate taught, and MBA programmes. Undergraduate applications route through UCAS. Postgraduate taught and MBA applications route through the Durham Applicant Portal.
Deadlines below are drawn from the Durham International entry requirements page. Durham University’s primary intake for Indian students is September, when most programmes open.
| Intake | Level | Recommended Deadline | Application Fee | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | Postgraduate Taught | International applicants requiring a Student visa should normally apply by the end of July 2026. Applications remain open until programmes fill. | Application fee applies only to selected postgraduate programmes (for example, some Business School courses). |
Durham Applicant Portal |
| September 2027 | Undergraduate | 13 January 2027 (UCAS Equal Consideration deadline) |
UCAS fee (GBP 43.50 | INR 4,419) | UCAS |
| September 2027 | Postgraduate Taught | Rolling admissions; international applicants requiring a visa are normally advised to apply by the end of July 2027 | Selected programmes only | Durham Applicant Portal |
| September 2027 | MBA | Apply as early as possible; see programme page for current round deadlines | Selected programme fee | Durham Applicant Portal |
Durham University Eligibility for Indian Students
Durham University assesses Indian applicants against UK degree classification bands. Undergraduate entry maps Class XII scores to A-level equivalents, while postgraduate taught entry maps Indian Bachelor’s percentages to UK 2:1 and 2:2 bands. This section covers academic and English thresholds. Paperwork sits in the Documents Required section below.
- UG entry: Class XII at 80 to 89% from CBSE or ICSE
- PG entry: 55 to 65%
Durham University English Language Requirements for Indian Students
Durham does not accept Class XII English as proof of proficiency. Indian applicants must submit a valid English test score from the accepted list below. Tests must be no older than two years at course start.
| Test | UG Minimum | PG Taught Standard | PG Taught Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall, 6.0 each band | 6.5 overall, 6.0 each band | 7.0 overall, 6.5 each band |
| TOEFL iBT | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| PTE Academic | 62 overall | 62 overall | 68 overall |
Durham University Postgraduate Programmes for Indian Students
Durham’s postgraduate taught portfolio spans the Business School, Law School, Sciences, and Arts and Humanities faculties. Below are ten popular one-year Master's programmes for Indian applicants, with course-specific eligibility drawn from each programme’s official page.
| Programme | Duration | Minimum Eligibility | English Req. Min. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSc Finance | 12 months | UK 2:1 (Indian 65% plus) in cognate discipline with quantitative content | IELTS 7.0, 6.5 each band |
| MSc Management | 12 months | UK 2:1 (Indian 60 to 65%), any discipline | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
| MSc Marketing | 12 months | UK 2:1 (Indian 60 to 65%), any discipline | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
| MSc Business Analytics | 12 months |
UK 2:1 (Indian 65%+) with quantitative background |
IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
| MSc Economics | 12 months | UK 2:1 (Indian 65%+) in Economics or quantitative subject | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
Durham University Undergraduate Programmes for Indian Students
Undergraduate applications route through UCAS with an Equal Consideration deadline of 13 January 2027 for the September 2027 intake. Indian applicants typically apply straight into three-year Bachelor’s programmes, though Foundation Year pathways exist for those needing academic bridging. Class XII benchmarks below reflect the standard Durham India country page.
| Programme | Duration | Minimum Eligibility | English Req. Min. |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSc Computer Science | 3 years | Class XII 85% plus with Mathematics | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
| BEng Engineering (General) | 3 years | Class XII 85% plus with Mathematics and Physics | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
| LLB Law | 3 years | Class XII 90%, strong English and Humanities | IELTS 7.0, 7.0 each band |
| BA Business and Management | 3 years | Class XII 85% plus, Mathematics preferred | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
| BSc Economics | 3 years | Class XII 85% plus with Mathematics | IELTS 6.5, 6.0 each band |
Planning note: UCAS allows five programme choices. Use them across Durham, an aspirational course, and firm and insurance backups aligned to your predicted grades.
Durham University Application Process for Indian Students
Durham runs three distinct application routes depending on the level of study. Undergraduate applications go through the UK-wide UCAS platform. Postgraduate taught and MBA applications go through the Durham Applicant Portal directly.
- Choose your Durham programme and note the specific entry requirements and IELTS band.
- Prepare transcripts, degree certificates, English test results, references, statement of purpose, CV, and passport biodata page.
- For undergraduate, register on UCAS and pay the £34.50 (INR 4,419) fee for five choices.
- Postgraduate and MBA applicants submit via the Durham Applicant Portal with the application fee of £60 (INR 7,669).
- Upload one academic reference for taught master's or two references for MBA and PhD entry.
- Track your application through the portal for status updates, interview invitations, and offer letters.
- Accept your offer by the stated deadline and settle any required deposit.
- Once you meet all conditions, Durham issues the CAS letter for your UK visa.
Durham University Documents Required for Indian Applicants
Durham asks Indian applicants to upload documents through the applicable portal at submission stage. Copies are acceptable for review, but originals or certified copies are needed for enrolment. Documents overlap for UG, PG, and MBA routes with a few programme-specific additions.
- Passport bio-page: Valid for at least six months beyond your intended course start
- Class X and Class XII mark sheets: Official copies from CBSE, ICSE, or State Board
- Bachelor’s transcripts and degree certificate: Required for PG, MBA, and PhD applications
- English test score report: IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, or Duolingo, within two years of validity
- Statement of Purpose: 500 to 1,000 words explaining motivation, programme fit, and career plan
- Academic references: One for PG taught, two for MBA and PhD, on letterhead
- Updated CV: Required for PG, MBA, and PhD applications
- Work experience letters: Mandatory for MBA, listing role, dates, and responsibilities
- Research proposal: Required for PhD applications, typically two to three thousand words
- GMAT or GRE score report: Optional for MBA, boosts weak academic profiles
Durham University Acceptance Rate for Indian Students
Durham publishes an annual undergraduate admissions dataset. Full-year figures show a strong offer rate with tighter enrolment conversion, matching Durham’s Russell Group (24 leading UK research universities) standing.
How Selective is Durham University for Indian Students?
For the 2023/24 UG cycle, Durham reported 32,995 applications, 23,657 offers, and a 72% offer rate. The institutional acceptance rate (enrolled divided by applications) settled at around 40%. Indian applicants historically cluster in the 30 to 40% enrolment band. The most demand-heavy courses receive far more applications than seats, especially Law, Economics, Business, and Computer Science.
Durham University suits Indian students who value a small-city collegiate experience with strong Russell Group brand recognition. Plan around the September primary intake and target rolling PG waves early. Keep your English test and CAS timeline tight to secure both a seat and a visa on time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ques. Does Durham University waive IELTS for Indian students who studied in English medium?
Ans. No. Durham does not accept CBSE or ICSE Class XII English or medium-of-instruction letters as standalone proof. Indian applicants must submit a valid IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, or Duolingo score within two years of course start.
Ques. What Class XII percentage does Durham University require for Indian undergraduate applicants?
Ans. Durham typically expects 80 to 89% from CBSE or ICSE for standard entry. Competitive courses like Law, Economics, Computer Science, and Business need 85 to 90 percent. State Board scores are reviewed on a case-by-case basis with slightly higher benchmarks.
Ques. Is a three-year Indian Bachelor’s degree accepted for Durham postgraduate taught programmes?
Ans. Yes. Durham accepts three-year Bachelor’s degrees from UGC-recognised Indian universities without a bridging year. You need a minimum score of around 60 to 65% depending on your institution and target programme.
Ques. How long does Durham University take to reply to postgraduate applications?
Ans. Durham typically responds to postgraduate taught applications within six to eight weeks. During the January to March peak, decisions can take up to ten weeks. Applicants can track live status through the Durham Applicant Portal.
College Student Profiles
Durham University Program Fees & Deadlines
| Program | Important Dates | Fees | Application Fees | Eligibility | Financial Aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MBA 1 year | Round 4 Application Decision Date For September 2026 Intake (5th Aug 2026) | USD 54,530 /Yr GBP 41,000 /Yr | 60 | 65%, TOEFL: 102, IELTS: 7.0, PTE: 68 | |
B.S Finance 3 years | USD 41,230 /Yr GBP 31,000 /Yr | 29 | XII 84%, IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 80, Duolingo 120 | - | |
| USD 41,230 /Yr GBP 31,000 /Yr | 29 | XII 84%, IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 80, Duolingo 120 | - | ||
| USD 38,910 /Yr GBP 29,256 /Yr | 29 | XII 87%, IELTS 6.5 | - | ||
B.A Archaeology 3 years | USD 38,903 /Yr GBP 29,250 /Yr | 29 | Grade- 80%, IELTS- 6.5, TOEFL- 80, PTE- 62, Duolingo- 120 | ||
| USD 37,905 /Yr GBP 28,500 /Yr | 29 | XII 85%, IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 80, Duolingo 120 | |||
B.S Computer Science 3 years | USD 43,225 /Yr GBP 32,500 /Yr | - | - | - | |
M.B.A Entrepreneurship 1 year | Round 4 Application Decision Date For September 2026 Intake (5th Aug 2026) | USD 54,530 /Yr GBP 41,000 /Yr | - | 65%, TOEFL: 102, IELTS: 7.0, PTE: 68 | |
| USD 34,893 /Yr GBP 26,235 /Yr | 29 | XII 84%, IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 80, Duolingo 120 | |||
B.A Politics 3 years | USD 32,918 /Yr GBP 24,750 /Yr | 29 | XII 85%, IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 80, Duolingo 120 |
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Important Alerts
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| Master of Business Administration [MBA] Round 4 Application Decision Date For September 2026 Intake | Closing in 21 days |
| Entrepreneurship Round 4 Application Decision Date For September 2026 Intake | Closing in 21 days |
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Reviews
6 Reviews Found
Likes
- College system (under university several colleges)
- Catered and self catered options
- Small university town - easy to make friends
Dislikes
- Expensive groceries in city centre (UKs most expensive tesco express)
- Public transport not as good
- Rents are expensive (around £10,000+ per annum)
Scholarship
- I received a £10,000 scholarship in my first year for academic excellence in my 12th boards. I did not apply for this scholarship; the university granted it by themselves.
- £10,000
- British Citizens are entitled to student loans, but Indian students can take loans from Indian banks for education abroad.
- I am unsure how many students receive scholarships per year.
Likes
- The timings for lectures are flexible. There are hardly 3-5 lectures in a week for 2-3 hrs / day. This gives you time to work part-time and prepare well for the lectures.
- During my course, a lot of emphasis was on research. The essay topics were neutral and there was no right or wrong answer. The marking was dependent on your research, clarity of thoughts, style of argument etc., The feedback by lecturer was also transparent.
- Durham is very cheap in terms of accommodation costs. When you compare with QMUL, you will easily save 8-10 lakhs in terms of accommodation expenses.
Dislikes
- Nothing much really. However, now when you consider the cost, they become a huge factor. A lot of my friends were not able to land a job, which made them come back to India and with the salaries which were offered not much of the fees could be recovered. However, I did manage to crack at a law firm, where I could easily repay my education loan.
- Lastly, the system is quite liberal so if you expect very difficult studies, examinations or passing then you will be under the wrong presumption.
Scholarship
- No, I did not have any scholarship. I had taken an education loan of 16 lakhs from Bank of India with a moratorium of 16 months. ROI was 11%. My monthly Emi was 18,500 payable for a tenure of 15 years.
Likes
- Research focused: we have papers/modules to learn about how to conduct international level research, what tools and tricks we need, types and reasons for research and so on
- Resources: We have free access to almost all journals, academic portals and publications both offline and online. Our libation is also well equipped with all academic resources, 24/7 operational, books can be demanded for free as well if not available. Professors are available via email or in office hours for anything. Welfare and support staff is also available in each college and department. And of-course state of art infrastructure and technology, year abroad schemes etc.
- Collegiate: Durham University comprises of multiple colleges and each student is assigned a college randomly on admission. That college becomes the home and first socialising place for most students. All students attend events there and represent it on a university level. This collegiate system is different from academic spaces where students from all colleges come together.
Dislikes
- Reputation for being elitist: There is tendency for many students to be from affluent backgrounds to join Durham for its traditionalist and thus university has gained a reputation for being “snob” and “elite” which is not particularly true and depends from person to person.
- Archaeology fieldwork: The Archaeology department thought ranked top 4 in the entire world rarely provides actual field work except, specifically for masters students and scholars are just taught research.
- Complicated Information infrastructure: Though it gets easier over time, days are filled with confusion regarding LearnUltra blackboard, Microsoft account, Outlook mail and so on.
Scholarship
- Yes. 5000 GBP for international students. So almost all “exemplary” International students received it. It depends on your tuition fee as well so students with more tuition fee got more scholarship, going up to 18000 GBP for MBA
- And there are other scholarships as well ranging from 2000 GBP to full scholarships. An example is the Hatfield Lioness Scholarship which is a 100 percent scholarship which includes tuition and accommodation and even travel expenses for one female student per year in Hatfield College.
Likes
- Durham comes under very few universities which comes under collegiate system, where all colleges are based upon different cultures and historic events. Basically these colleges are accommodations which students choose according to their preference. All colleges host formal dinners events, balls in their own traditions.
- Matriculation event, one of the best event which takes place in the Durham cathedral, which is one of the oldest cathedral in UK. In this event, one of the student who is the representative for all other students is asked to sign against their batch year and all the students are officially announced as students of Durham University.
- About the academic part of the university, there’s a reason Durham University ranks so high. University has many societies like finance society, marketing society, law society, etc, for students to take part im different events and also where companies come to tell about organisations, work culture and also we can connect with them on LinkedIn and network with a lot of people. DUFS(Durham University Finance Society) is considered as UK’s one of the biggest finance club. Where students also help us enhance our resume, they guide us through applications, interview processes while applying for a job or an internship. Also, we are taken for many industry visits, they arrange guest speakers for us who are founders, directors of big companies. Like we had an interaction with Houlihan Lokey’s managing director and then we were also taken at Nissan’s factory where we literally saw a car built from nothing to the whole car getting taking a test drive which was an amazing experience.
Dislikes
- As a pure jain vegetarian person, it is difficult for me to see non vegetarian food getting cooked. And as I have taken an ensuite(room with only personal washroom) room, my kitchen is sharing with 4 other flatmates(3 Chinese, 1 Bangladeshi) so I am trying to blend in with them. So those who are pure vegetarian and if can afford to rent a studio room should go for that or else be prepared to cook vegetarian food besides other cooking non-vegetarian food.
- Other problem that I face is that as the transport in UK is expensive like they charge £1.5 a day bus pass for the whole Durham which is quite expensive so we usually all prefer to walk only. The business school is like 25-30 mins walk from my college, so the main problem is not walking that is quite the nice as we’re doing something healthy regularly. The main problem is the uphill and downhill part. The whole city is uphill and downhill which makes it quite difficult to walk.
- Another problem that I faced was that as my admission was in September intake, I came on 25th September, that time it was rainy. But later on during late Octobers and the whole winter, it starts to get dark at 4 p.m. and you see sunrise quite less, like once or twice in a week. Which sometimes gets a little depressing kind of. Many students even eat Vitamin-D pills due to lack of sunlight.
Scholarship
- I didn’t receive any scholarship.
- Some of my friends who are studying LLM (Masters in Law) receive £5000 scholarship due to work experience.
- I’m not sure how many students receive scholarships but on an average students receive £5000-7000 scholarship amount. It all basically depends on your grades, work experience and the course which you are applying to.
Likes
- The university has a great Environment, it’s very much peaceful and silent, the one required to study
- The university has great Infrastructure, the classes and buildings are humongous
- The People here are very much kind and polite
Dislikes
- The Teaching system is not good as it is displayed by the university
- The professors are good enough in knowledge but not in teaching
- The curriculum is not set as per to increase knowledge level of the students but just to show it on a degree
Scholarship
- There’s a scholarship based on merit, which this year for finance was 9.5 CGPA. It had a deduction of 5000 pounds. One of my batchmates received it; he had a CGPA of 9.8 something. I don’t know of any other such financial aid provided; I think there are scholarships for the disabled ones but I don’t know of any such. Scholarship amounts are varied and can be 2000 to 7000 .
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Likes
- Infrastructure, research, high profile professors
Overview
I chose this university due to high ranking in my course, beautiful town, good FT ranking for MBA, good QS ranking.
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