Other college buildings, including converted 18th century houses and purpose-built accommodation from the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s, are within five minutes' walk of the castle.

University College fosters a traditional atmosphere, encouraging its members to attend formal dinner which happens at least twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday.

Formals take place in the great hall, consisting of a three-course dinner for which gowns are required dress.

Students must also recite grace in Latin and must not stand until a senior member of the JCR has bowed to the high table.

Castle also hosts the June Ball, a white-tie event as part of the end of examination celebrations.

Temporary accommodation for students was provided at the Archdeacon's Inn (now known as Cosin's Hall) on Palace Green until University College moved into its permanent home[7] in 1837 after van Mildert's successor, Edward Maltby, completed renovations of the Castle.

The castle's keep, formerly a ruin, was redeveloped for student accommodation; in particular, the college's chapels and Great Hall have been restored.

[10] The university struggled for the rest of the 19th century, held back by a lack of prestige and a distance from the centres of power in the UK.

Despite the university largely failing to gain recognition and prestige, a number of other colleges had opened by the end of the nineteenth century.

The Castle, situated on the banks of "The Peninsula", was in danger of collapsing into the River Wear and many of its internal structures were weak.

The combination of high costs and low undergraduate numbers meant that the college was often threatened with closure or merger with Hatfield.

[9] Those from the college who died during World War II were commemorated by the redevelopment of the Norman Gallery area of the Castle in the 1950s.

This period also saw the launch of Castellum, an annual journal of the Castle Society, created to keep former students in touch with college life.

[16] Moatside Court was instead developed, and meant that all the college's students were now housed within five minutes of the main castle.

[19] In line with the wider UK expansion of the higher education sector, the college expanded again in the 2010's, with the opening of a new self catered site in Durham City centre at Kepier Court.

It is derived from a sentence quoting Plato in Cicero's most influential philosophical work, his treatise De Officiis (On Duties).

Before being served at formal hall, on the Tuesday and Thursday evening of each week during term-time,[23] students recite the following Latin grace, led by a senior member of the JCR.

[25] Domine omnipotens, aeterne Deus; qui tam benigne nos pascere hoc tempore dignatus es; largire nobis, ut tibi semper pro tua in nos bonitate ex animo gratias agamus; vitam honeste et pie transigamus; et studia ea sectemur quae gloriam tuam illustrare et ecclesiae tuae adiumenta esse possint; per Christum dominum nostrum.

[27][28] The castle retains much of its original design and structure, and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral.

The castle's northern wing originally contained a dining hall, but this was later divided up to make more luxurious quarters for the Prince Bishop.

The Norman Chapel dates from the 11th century and is the oldest accessible part of the castle, and retains its original Saxon architectural style.

The black staircase that leads from the Great Hall to the Senior Common Room dates from 1662, and is another of the older sections of the college still in use.

Spread over three floors, it acts as a support to the central university library, providing access to core textbooks.

[39] Past speakers have included Saskia Sassen, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Rowan Williams, Anthony Giddens, Justin Welby, Martin Wolf, Noam Chomsky and Peter Singer.

Students are expected to wear smart clothes and gowns during Formals, which take place twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Great Hall.

All those attending the formal must stand when the High Table enters, when grace is being said or sung, and when the Senior Student is bowing out.

University College JCR also supports many societies run exclusively for Castle students.

Membership is open to anyone with academic ties to the college, and its aim is to create a wider Castle community beyond its immediate students.

It has helped fund a number of projects in the college, including the accommodation at Moatside Court and Fellows Garden, as well as the West Courtyard Common Room.

[51] A number of Castle alumni have made significant contributions in the fields of government, law, science, academia, business, arts, journalism, and athletics, among others.