Nottingham university v Durham
Is it better to go for Nottingham albeit it’s ranked less than Durham in law but has a better tennis programme or do I go for Durham which is ranked higher in law but not as good tennis programme?
I would be grateful for your thoughts and views. Thank you
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Reply 1
Reply 2
Is it better to go for Nottingham albeit it’s ranked less than Durham in law but has a better tennis programme or do I go for Durham which is ranked higher in law but not as good tennis programme?
I would be grateful for your thoughts and views. Thank you
A few points:
•
Many law firms recruit "blind" now, so the rankings published in various guides are relatively meaningless/irrelevant from an employer's perspective.
•
Even if you were to base your decision heavily on those rankings, then the difference between the two institutions is minimal. Durham has an overall score of 98% vs Nottingham's 94% (if you're looking at the Complete University Guide.
•
Some of the criteria in that guide can be easily skewed e.g. the Student Satisfaction score can be heavily influenced by a handful of disillusioned students, and the Graduate Prospects score is based on a survey of students 15 months after graduation - many law students won't be in employment by that point.
•
The rankings can fluctuate substantially from year to year, which tells you something about the reliability of the data. Nottingham was placed 18th in 2024, jumped to 10th in 2025, then fell back 5 places to 15th in this year's guide. Has the quality of its course really changed that much over the space of a few years, or is its ranking being affected by subjective factors?
•
Whilst your tennis is clearly an important factor to you, there are many others to consider. These are two very different cities, and you should be thinking of which will give you the environment you will most enjoy and flourish in.
Reply 3
Hi! Sorry I don’t know if there is more to this message as I can’t see it.
Reply 4
•
Many law firms recruit "blind" now, so the rankings published in various guides are relatively meaningless/irrelevant from an employer's perspective.
•
Even if you were to base your decision heavily on those rankings, then the difference between the two institutions is minimal. Durham has an overall score of 98% vs Nottingham's 94% (if you're looking at the Complete University Guide.
•
Some of the criteria in that guide can be easily skewed e.g. the Student Satisfaction score can be heavily influenced by a handful of disillusioned students, and the Graduate Prospects score is based on a survey of students 15 months after graduation - many law students won't be in employment by that point.
•
The rankings can fluctuate substantially from year to year, which tells you something about the reliability of the data. Nottingham was placed 18th in 2024, jumped to 10th in 2025, then fell back 5 places to 15th in this year's guide. Has the quality of its course really changed that much over the space of a few years, or is its ranking being affected by subjective factors?
•
Whilst your tennis is clearly an important factor to you, there are many others to consider. These are two very different cities, and you should be thinking of which will give you the environment you will most enjoy and flourish in.
Hi Chalks, thank you for taking time out to reply. Your points are very helpful especially about rankings. I hadn’t quite realised how they can fluctuate.
It’s helpful to know that many law firms select “blind” I has assumed they favour Durham students due to the rankings.
The cities are indeed very different.
Durham, beautiful as it is, appears too small and quiet for me.
Thank you once again for your reply
Reply 5
Is it better to go for Nottingham albeit it’s ranked less than Durham in law but has a better tennis programme or do I go for Durham which is ranked higher in law but not as good tennis programme?
I would be grateful for your thoughts and views. Thank you
Have you been to visit both universities? Nottingham has a World class sports centre, and the uni is well known to cater for sports like tennis. Durham is indeed much smaller and quieter, but the class of students there is higher overall than at Nottingham.
UCL has a top law school and a large tennis club, if that helps.
Reply 6
UCL has a top law school and a large tennis club, if that helps.
What do you mean by "the class of students there is higher overall than at Nottingham"?
Reply 7
At Durham the student body is mainly middle to upper middle class. At Nottingham it is mainly lower middle to middle class.
Reply 8
UCL has a top law school and a large tennis club, if that helps.
Hi physician, thank you for your reply. I have visited both Durham and Nottingham. I have yet to visit UCL.
Nottingham’s sports facilities are impressive and they do have an excellent tennis programme which is appealing.
I was concerned that its ranking is not as high as Durham and I may be restricting my career choices thereafter. However, if firms chose “blind” as chalks stated then this my fear is groundless.
Reply 9
Nottingham’s sports facilities are impressive and they do have an excellent tennis programme which is appealing.
I was concerned that its ranking is not as high as Durham and I may be restricting my career choices thereafter. However, if firms chose “blind” as chalks stated then this my fear is groundless.
Nottingham is one of the most targeted universities for graduate employers, including top law firms. There is plenty of online material to back this up. UCL doesn't have its own tennis courts, but it does hire them at a tennis club in Finsbury Park.
Reply 10
Go where you will feel comfortable, and where there is 'what you want' - don't worry about your employment prospects.
Reply 11
I went to the Durham Open Day last weekend and although the teaching seemed excellent, the accommodation was not as inspiring.
Reply 12
I went to the Durham Open Day last weekend and although the teaching seemed excellent, the accommodation was pricey and not as inspiring.
Reply 13
Thank you physician. This helps considerably.
Reply 14
I went to the Durham Open Day last weekend and although the teaching seemed excellent, the accommodation was pricey and not as inspiring.
Thank you HB. Yes we went to Durham on Saturday too. Saw one lovely college but the other wasn’t so great!
Reply 15
Go where you will feel comfortable, and where there is 'what you want' - don't worry about your employment prospects.
Hi MG, thanks for your helpful reply. If there is no or very little difference between the universities by way of academia, then Nottingham is more appealing.
Reply 16
Some people may disagree, but at Durham the college (halls of residence) you are allocated will play a huge part in whether you would like being there. As you pointed out, some colleges are way nicer than others. Off the top of my head there are 3 which are ugly and drab looking. Not the kind of places l would want to be affiliated with for 3 years. But the others are nice.
Reply 17
They're very uneven in locational appeal and general ambience.
The students there also view them very differently in terms of preference.
Which are the three Durham college's you dislike?
Reply 18
I wouldn't necessarily disagree but is there anything to support that in terms of data or study?
Reply 19
They're very uneven in locational appeal and general ambience.
The students there also view them very differently in terms of preference.
Which are the three Durham college's you dislike?
Collingwood, St Aidan's, Van Mildert and Trevelyan. So four colleges in fact.
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