University

In my final year I came number one in the ballot so got the best room in the Castle: double bed ensuite with a view of the courtyard and the cathedral. The room was perfect!!

Beautiful location, beautiful scenery, beautiful buildings, love it. Would recommend this college to anyone.

Moatside court at Univeristy College is disguesting af: my room is as wide as my arm span, it's way too cramped, the kitchens are cold and icky, and the exterior is just so bland, it really sticks out on Durham high street and not in a good way. Internet is decent and the location is good, but being on the high street means I can hear everything- if I listen hard enough I can hear the shit beats from Klute. Totally not worth £7,171.

Castle's accommodation is potentially the worst at Durham. 70% of students are put in 'Moatside' accommodation (P, Q, R, S blocks). S block is by far the biggest and does have a good community feel but the rooms are some of the smallest available in any of the colleges and many are full of damp. A few people had to be moved out of rooms due to damp in 2015. There are no cooking facilities besides a microwave as it is catered accommodation. Q block only has about 9 rooms and can feel quite isolated but the rooms are marginally bigger than S block. P block has very small rooms and is also isolated. R block is hit and miss, a couple of people get double rooms to themselves while a few get miniscule rooms. Again this is a small block. The one good things about this accommodation is that is the location; it's just off Saddler street. Bailey court rooms are bigger than Moatside and this is where the laundry facilities are (those not in Bailey court will have to carry their washing up Saddler street). The kitchen and bathroom facilities are a joke though. I lived in B block. It had a single toilet per floor and one shower per floor which did not drain properly and were never clean. The stairs to different floors in Bailey court accommodation are outside the main building. The kitchens are the size of a small cupboard and have a microwave, kettle and small fridge. There is no surface space. If you are one of the few (15-20 students maybe) freshers who gets a room in the castle, you will most likely be sharing. You will also have to pack up your entire room for every holiday and won't be able to use it over Christmas or Easter as the college rents out your room over the holidays, though you will be reimbursed for days you cannot use your room. Bailey court residents may also have to pack up their room. There are no common rooms in Moatside or Bailey court. There used to be a snooker room though I think this is no longer open. There is one music room in Bailey court and Moatside has a tiny gym (two treadmills, two spin bikes, two cross trainers and some weights) which is free. In the year that I started (2014) Moatside did not have Wifi. This has since been remedied but gives an indication of how bad the accommodation is.