We are incredibly grateful to all of our alumni and friends who choose to support University College.

Custodians’ Appeal

University College Durham Trust has been built on the generosity of Castle alumni who believe every student deserves the chance to thrive.
Now, we are inviting you to become a custodian, to help ensure that future generations of Castle students can access the scholarships, hardship support, and opportunities that make a Castle education truly transformative.

Your Impact

  • £2.4 Million — current value of the University College Durham Trust, raised through the generosity of our alumni
  • 598 Students — supported over five years through scholarships, hardship and opportunities funding
  • £85,410 — awarded in 2024–25 for internships, research travel, conferences and wellbeing support
  • 25 Awards — supporting Castle student experience and success

                                  What makes your gift possible

Monthly giving:

  • £15/month could pay for a JCR levy for a student from a low-income background
  • £20/month could support a student to attend a conference or pursue a volunteering opportunity, boosting employability skills
  • £50/month would allow us to support weekly meals for commuter first-year students, helping them discover what being part of our College means
  • Your choice/month every gift, whatever the amount, helps sustain the Castle spirit

Single donations:

  • £25 could pay for a Freshers’ Week wristband, allowing a student to participate in social activities
  • £50 equates to the cost of an academic gown for formals
  • £200 could pay for a hardship award, allowing a student to visit home in an emergency
  • £5,000 is the annual cost of an undergraduate scholarship, supporting our students to make the most of their time at Castle

Your generosity ensures that generations of students can experience the transformative power of a Castle education.

Donate here

 
Why do I give back

“As a child, I had a difficult relationship with an authoritarian father which peaked when I was 17, just as I was heading off to Castle as a fresher in the autumn of 1968. He declined to pay his 50% share towards my maintenance grant after just three months of my first year had elapsed. This caused me severe financial hardship. My new friends at Castle were wonderfully supportive, but I felt like a real burden because I was permanently skint.

The Master and Senior Tutor at University College were also highly sympathetic to my situation and allowed me to run a substantial deficit on my college account. The Chemistry Department was also very helpful. However, I lived from term to term, never quite sure whether I would actually complete my degree, a stressful situation as you may imagine. Additionally, I was obliged to find work during every vacation period to survive.

But complete it I did, and was subsequently highly fortunate to be hired as a research assistant at the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, completing a doctorate in biochemistry several years later. I went on to follow an academic career at UK universities but finished up in R&D with Ciba-Geigy in Switzerland. Now, long-retired, I feel motivated to try and help present-day students at the college facing similar financial hardship.”

University College Alumnus, 1968-71

Over the years, gifts from our alumni and friends have made an enormous difference to our community, from unlocking opportunities for those otherwise unable to attain them, to encouraging academic and personal growth through our awards and bursaries scheme. Your continued support is also helping to ensure that the beautiful Durham Castle, which we are proud to call home, is able to inspire the next generation of students and visitors.






Alternative ways to give

University College is very fortunate to have its own independent charitable fund, the University College Durham Trust (Registered Charity no. 1151821).

You can support us in many ways, including giving financial gifts of any size or by donating your time

 

You can make single and recurring donations to University College Durham Trust via our online donation page. 

We trust Enthuse to process our donations for us. They don’t charge us a platform fee, but they will ask you if you would like to enhance your donation to make their work possible. This is totally up to you. In order to help us process donations enthuse charges us 5% of Gift Aid (if you make a £10 donation this is £0.125 and it doesn’t come out of your gift) and the payment provider fee. This covers the processing of gifts and collecting Gift Aid on our behalf.

Because we pay a small fee to process donations, we ask that gifts over £5,000 are made directly to us via our bank. To donate in this way, please email us at castle.alumni@durham.ac.uk or telephone us on +44 (0)191 334 4104 and we’ll be very happy to help you.

Cheques can be made payable to ‘University College Durham Trust’. Write to us at:

University College Development Office
University College
The Castle
Palace Green
Durham University
DH1 3RW

We kindly request that you include a copy of a completed Gift Aid declaration (PDF) alongside your gift. 

Leaving a gift in your will is a meaningful way to honour your connection to University College and the friendships and experiences that shaped your time here. Whether you choose to support scholarships, sports, societies, or the preservation of our heritage, your legacy will make a lasting difference for future generations.

Legacy gifts enable us to plan confidently for the years ahead — ensuring we can care for our historic buildings, nurture our vibrant community, and continue to offer exceptional opportunities to our students.

We are deeply grateful for gifts of any size. You may choose to direct your gift toward a specific area of our College’s work, or leave it unrestricted so that it can be used where it is most needed at the time it is received.

Please note that University College Durham Trust cannot provide legal advice or guidance on the wording of your will. We strongly recommend that you speak with a qualified legal professional. However, to ensure your gift reaches us smoothly, we suggest referring to UCDT in your will as follows:

University College Durham Trust

Registered charity number:1151821

Address: University College, Durham Castle, Durham DH1 3RW

Before meeting with your lawyer, you may find it helpful to review the section on Making a will on the Law Society’s website, which outlines key topics to consider.

If you are thinking about leaving a legacy or would simply like to learn more about our future plans, we would be delighted to hear from you. Meeting our legacy pledgers is always a pleasure — it gives us the opportunity to thank you personally and to learn more about your connection to University College. 

If you live in the USA or Canada you can give tax efficiently to University College through

DunelmUSA: https://www.dunelmusa.org/how-to-give/

You can make a regular gift to the University College Durham Trust through your payroll. Making donations from your gross salary is the most tax-efficient method of making charitable donations. The scheme is available to those working for UK employers.

Example: Payroll gift of £20 per month.

  • Donor’s monthly pledge: £20
  • Cost to basic rate taxpayer (20%): £16
  • Cost to higher rate taxpayer (40%): £12

Your employer must have payroll giving in place in order for you to make a donation in this way. If they do, your payroll administrator can arrange for your gift to reach us.

Other ways of supporting the college:

You can support University College by making a donation through our dedicated Durham University page.

We value your time and expertise just as much as a financial gift, and there are a number of ways that you can support the University. You can visit our volunteer page to find out more about the current opportunities available.

If you have any questions about giving to University College, please contact us and we will be happy to help.