How Can Durham University Improve?

After checking Durham is ranked 40th globally in Arts & Humanities (the 8th highest placed UK university). Bristol is 85th.
In Law Durham is 55th globally (the 9th highest placed UK university). Bristol is 60th.
In Social Sciences Durham is 94th globally (the 11th highest placed UK university). Bristol is 91st.
Hardly a disgrace. Despite the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings favouring the larger ‘high-volume’ research universities, supported by a large student population. Usually based in the larger cities and often with a majority non-UK student population.

As mentioned previously, the THES and QS World rankings make a correction for the size of different universities, and for the disparity between different subjects on research volume.
I haven't looked into the subject rankings, but in the overall rankings Bristol always ranks comfortably above Durham in both QS and THES rankings.

This must be a joke thread if you think that Durham can easily get above 5th.
Academically, according to Edurank, the top 30 are: Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Edinburgh, Imperial, Manchester, KCL, Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Warwick, Southampton, LSE, Liverpool, Newcastle, York, QMUL, Exeter, Cardiff, Durham, Leicester, Sussex, St Andrews, Aberdeen, Reading, Queens University Belfast, University of London.
Both Durham and St Andrews are only on people's lips because they have some pretty old buildings (they also have many that are not pretty or old), a high proportion of private school entrants, and because they set their entry requirements quite high.

Maybe the rankings should simply be based on student entry criteria/standards (everything else is subjective). In which case most of the rankings would show Durham to be in the top 3-5 amongst the English Universities.
The Scottish exam system and entry criteria is different and doesn't offer exact comparison.

Durham also seems to be weaker in the computer science subjects for some reason?

Durham will never ever be a comprehensive and prestigious university like Oxbridge and UCL, so drop it. Accept that it is a good university, just like the likes of Southampton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Exeter and Lancaster are, but nothing more. To try to compare it to much better universities like Manchester and Edinburgh is delusional.

I have heard Durham being compared to how Oxbridge was 30-40 years ago.
Nowadays Oxford and Cambridge are now very globalised placed, swamped with tourists and tourist trap pubs and cafes. Whereas Durham remains a city dominated by its students with a traditional quintessential English feel.
Is that valid?

I felt sorry for the residents of Durham, completely taken over by students. You can barely get through the city centre without avoiding someone else.

I was just reading about the massive shortage of student housing across the UK, but especially in Durham, Oxford and Glasgow. Landlords are scared of the new rental laws coming into effect by the end of the year, and are either selling up or raising rent further this year. Perhaps if universities could hire caravans to help plug the gap? It could lead to more students cheating their tenancy agreement and allowing friends to double up with them in the house, so that a house for 5 students could be used for up to 10 students.

I have heard Durham being compared to how Oxbridge was 30-40 years ago.
Nowadays Oxford and Cambridge are now very globalised placed, swamped with tourists and tourist trap pubs and cafes. Whereas Durham remains a city dominated by its students with a traditional quintessential English feel.
Is that valid?

Are you working for Durham undercover? A student ambassador or one of their PR executives?

I am getting tired of writing off Durham as a cheap and deceitful little copy of Oxbridge, just like Isengard was of Mordor in the LOTR. Enjoy and celebrate Durham for being what it is, rather than what it THINKS it is. In football l am sure fans of big clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich think their clubs are the biggest, even though the established order of size (in no particular order) is Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United. The others just don't have the global fan following to compete with these big three. It is similar with universities, with the larger ones generally having much greater resources, and more brand recognition globally.
Durham is a good university with a historical charm of its own. It excels in history, law, and the arts and humanities generally. It is popular with Oxbridge rejects and privately schooled students.

Manchester United would easily top the earnings list if they won the big trophies. They are still up there close to the top commercially despite playing very badly in recent seasons. Only Real Madrid and Barcelona could still do that despite having bad seasons, because of their global fan bases.

I see it's not just contemporary UK HE that you struggle to comprehend.
If you think Manchester United are currently anywhere close to competing with Real Madrid and Barcelona then you're delusional. Similarly if you believe Manchester City and PSG lack the wherewithal to compete at the top then I can only conclude that you didn't study Economics or International Politics (either at Durham or anywhere else).