Congratulations on obtaining an offer from Durham University, this is an achievement of which you should be extremely proud.
As a student at Durham, you will become a member of a college, somewhere that is much more than just the place you will live. In each college you will find a sense of community that is distinctive to Durham. Colleges are mixed communities of staff and students from all subject areas. Each college has dedicated staff to support and enable your personal development and wellbeing.
Let me say a few words about the wonderful community that you will find at Trevelyan College. Trevelyan (Trevs) is a vibrant, supportive, and enabling environment where you will be valued and empowered to venture out of your comfort zone, gain new experiences to become future-ready graduates and develop new skills for lifelong learning. We encourage our students to explore their interests, discover new passions, and challenge themself to reach new heights. There's something for everyone, from various extracurricular activities to sports, arts, and community outreach initiatives.
We look forward to welcoming you to Trevelyan College for our Post-offer Visit Days. During the day, there is an opportunity for you to visit Trevs and our Student Ambassadors are available to give you a tour of our excellent facilities and accommodation. There will be opportunities to ask our staff and students any questions you may have about the college and student life at Durham University more generally.
You will be able to meet me, the Vice Principal and Assistant Principal during the Post-offer Visit Day and you can find out more about our college on our webpages. If you have any questions or queries before or after the open day, please do not hesitate to contact our team by email: admissions.trevelyan@durham.ac.uk or telephone 0191 334 7001.
I would like to encourage you to fully embrace the many opportunities that lie ahead of you – to step out of your comfort zone and truly explore without limits at Trevelyan College.
Professor Adekunle Adeyeye
Principal of Trevelyan College and Professor of Physics
Trevelyan College is a small, progressive college renowned for its friendliness - and its distinctive hexagonal architecture. Trevelyan encourages every student to venture out of their comfort zone and be the best they can be, promoting an environment of support, inclusion, and curiosity.
We look forward to welcoming Post-offer Visit Day attendees in college between 9:30am and 12:30pm.
Our student ambassadors are available to offer you and your guests a guided tour of the College so you can explore our excellent facilities and accommodation. This is a great opportunity for prospective students to get a feel for the College and admire our fantastic hexagonal architecture! The tours will start from the welcome stand on the Cobbles at our main entrance.
FAQ'S
Q. What is your accommodation like
A. The majority of our first-year undergraduate students live in single study bedrooms with shared facilities. Each room is fully furnished and comes with a single bed, wardrobe, desk, and washbasin. Our bedrooms are clustered into communal landings of six rather than long corridors. This makes it easy to get to know your neighbours and adds to our friendly atmosphere. Each landing has shared facilities – individual lockable toilets and showers and a shared pantry with basic cooking equipment. There are also full kitchen facilities located around the college. Trevelyan - like many Durham Colleges - has a small number of shared rooms. Sharing a room is a great way to make friends, especially when you first arrive. We are also able to provide en-suite accommodation for first-year students with a medical need.
You can find out more about our accommodation, see photos of bedrooms and read our student blogs here.
Q. How many students share a bathroom?
A. Generally, six bedrooms make up a landing at Trevelyan and each landing shares bathroom facilities. The shower cubicle and the toilet are separate to each other and lockable. These facilities are private therefore there would only ever be one person in either of the bathroom facilities at a time. Each bedroom has its own sink.
Q. How likely is it that you will be allocated a shared room vs single accommodation?
A. There are only 11 shared bedrooms in Trevelyan, out of 321 and we try to allocate these to students who express a preference for sharing.
Our students who have shared previously think it was a great experience, and a lot of fun and you can find out what our students have to say about sharing a room here.
Q. Are meals catered, or do you need to self-cater on weekend?
A. Trevelyan is a fully catered College. This means that you are provided with breakfast, lunch, and dinner during term time. Meals are served in the Dining Hall and usually last between 90 minutes and two hours to provide flexibility.
We have small, shared pantries on our landings so you can prepare food for yourself if you wish. These kitchens are equipped with all the essentials, including kettles, fridges, freezers, and microwaves.
Out catering team are experienced in accommodating most dietary restrictions, allergies, and intolerances. If you are concerned about allergies and intolerances, you will be invited to meet with our head chef and catering team when you arrive at College.
You can find out more about our catering provision here.
Q. Can students live in college accommodation throughout their degree?
A. Each year, we have a number of rooms available for returning students who are in their 2nd, 3rd or 4th year of studies. In Michaelmas term, you will be asked to apply for returning student accommodation and more information is provided then. We are not able to guarantee all returning students accommodation and many choose to live in private accommodation across the city.
Q. Are there any clubs and societies in college you can join?
A. Yes, absolutely. Trevelyan currently has over 40 ratified clubs and societies catering to a wide range of interests - and if we don't have what you’re looking for, it's easy to set up a new one! You can find out more about all our clubs and societies here.
We have an impressive range of sports teams, choral and orchestral groups, and theatrical companies, which you can find out more about on our Sports and Music & Theatre pages. We also provide a wide range of enrichment and personal development opportunities.
Q. How would you describe Trevs in three words?
A. We are welcoming, inclusive and friendly!
Our Mission is to create a vibrant, supportive and enabling environment where students are valued, empowered to venture out of their comfort zone, gain new experiences to become future-ready graduates, and develop new skills for lifelong learning.
Congratulations on obtaining an offer from Durham University! You can be extremely proud of yourself.
Trevelyan College (commonly known as ‘Trevs’) has an incredible community that prides itself on its diversity, inclusivity, and love for hexagons. Despite being one of the smaller colleges in Durham, we consistently provide a wide range of opportunities and services to all our students.
The college itself fosters an incredible sense of community, promoted by landings and facilities such as the bar all being under one roof. One of the greatest aspects of being a Trevelyanite is the Trevelyan College JCR. The JCR, which stands for Junior Common Room, is many things. It is a body that provides all the things that make student life at Durham unique: sports, music, events such as balls and formals, volunteering and so much more! What’s more is it is entirely student-run, with students leading and organising all that happens within the JCR, ensuring everything is easy to engage with and even easier to get involved with!
You can visit also visit the JCR webpage.
If you have any questions please email trevelyan.president@durham.ac.uk.
James Koo
JCR President, Trevelyan College
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