Durham formal dress code question

I am a woman, but I really do not like wearing dresses. Never really have. Most of the formal dress codes I've seen only mention dresses for the ladies and suits for the guys. I was wondering if there was any flexibility for this (ik that it'll probably depend on the college). It's not the end of the world if I do have to, I'd probably just like to know in advance so I can go out and actually buy some dresses to wear.